Avatar’s Cameron Gets Weightless on Zero-G Flight

October 13, 2010—It was for a good cause. And the smiles made it clear that it was worth it. Avatar Producer/Director James Cameron took flight aboard the Zero-G Experience on Saturday to raise funds for the X Prize Foundation. The flight assembled a group of 30 people who are passionate about the science and technology represented in Avatar as well as the mission and innovation of the X Prize Foundation. Three spots were reserved for the top bidders in an eBay auction. An additional 20 seats were sold for $15,000 each. The weightless experience took place aboard G-Force ONE, a specially modified, FAA-approved Boeing 727-200 aircraft that departed from Van Nuys Airport, California. The flight, identical to what NASA uses to train astronauts, provided guests the chance to fly like Superman and flip like an Olympic gymnast, as Zero-G creates Martian (1/3-gravity), Lunar (1/6-gravity) and zero gravity conditions over the course of 15 parabolic arcs. “Entrepreneurs and innovators are creating technologies which are making spaceflight affordable…whether it is flying aboard a Zero-G flight, a sub-orbital flight into space, or a private flight to orbit,” said Peter Diamandis, who founded both the X Prize Foundation and Zero-G. “On Saturday’s weightless flight we gathered six X Prize Trustees and 20 philanthropists who believe we can use incentive prizes to drive radical breakthroughs for humanity. The funds raised during this flight will help us design and launch audacious future X Prizes which will help humanity expand beyond the bounds of Earth.” The auction raised a total of $210,000 with all proceeds benefiting the X Prize Foundation. If you missed the bidding war but still would like to experience weightlessness, it’s not too late. While you won’t be able to fly with Cameron, the next scheduled flight of G-Force ONE is Nov. 6 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The cost is about $5,000 a person.

Avatar Director/Producer James Cameron, second from left, floats in Zero G with X PRIZE trustees in a fundraising flight for the X PRIZE Foundation. From left are Rob McEwen, chairman, US Gold; Peter Diamandis, chairman/CEO, X PRIZE; Elon Musk, chairman/CEO, SpaceX; and Jim Gianopulos, chairman/CEO, Fox Filmed Entertainment. Photo credit: Steve Boxall G-Force ONE is a modified Boeing 727-200. Photo credit: www.gozerog.com

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