When Neil Armstrong took the first step on the moon, millions were able to watch because a video camera captured this momentous leap. Those who were gathered around their television sets wondered and dreamed about what it felt like to experience the weightlessness of space and the freedom of zero gravity.
Fifty years later the ability to float has been brought to earth through companies like Zero G, who conduct parabolic flights that simulate the sensation of microgravity for both recreation and research. Miami-based photographer Steve Boxall has been on over 300 of these rides, perfecting the art of gliding through a 60ft plane at 20,000ft in the sky. When the newest military unit, Space Force, wanted to train their cadets using Zero G’s aircraft, Steve was aboard capturing their first foray into weightless travel.
If you want to train a soldier, you can simulate a battlefield, if you want to train a sailor you put them on a boat, if you want to train a pilot you can take them on a plane, but for the Space Force cadets, this is what you have to do.
Steve is fortunate to have a nearly 20-year friendship with Zero G CEO Peter Diamandis, who — when first starting the company — paid Steve for his graphics work by getting him on a parabolic flight. After take-off, Steve couldn’t put his camera down, feeling that every second was worth documenting this once-in-a-lifetime experience. He gathered all his images and videos from the day into a gallery and shared them with those who had been on the flight, as well as Zero G’s marketing team. Several months later, he got the call to come to Kennedy Space Center for another leap into the sky.
For me, it felt like this invisible version of me just sort of poofed away and suddenly you weigh nothing.
In order for a Boeing 727 to simulate microgravity, it needs to climb to 24,000ft and then alternate upward and downward arcs (as high as 32,000ft) dividing the simulation into three stages: the parabola pull-up, the parabola, and the parabola pull-out.
As the aircraft increases in altitude, the pilot angles the nose of the plane upward at a 45-degree angle, which creates an environment of hypergravity at 1.8g. Meaning a person experiences their own bodily gravity at nearly twice the weight they usually are. For this portion of the flight, the individuals onboard are asked to lie down so the extra weight is dispersed evenly.
This experience with Space Force was sort of in between recreational and research so they did 20 parabolas. They considered it research, but it was more to acclimatize the cadets to the environment in space.
Once the plane has increased in altitude, the pilots reduce the engine speed and the aircraft is in freefall for 22 seconds, before angling back down and leveling out. The free-fall is how zero gravity is simulated, and there are typically 15 to 30 of these arcs conducted on an average flight, totaling about five minutes of weightlessness overall.
This is what blows my mind about this, is that the pilots are essentially throwing everyone and everything in the plane through the sky on a 9-mile arc, and gently catching you on the other side.
During the flight, the pilots will also simulate lunar gravity (.16g) and martian gravity (.38g) which Steve feels was incredibly useful for the Space Force cadets, who one day might make the trip to other planets and moons in our solar system.
It looks like a lot of fun, and you definitely see that in the pictures, but these individuals are tasked by our government to help defend the country in space, which is a zero gravity environment.
This initial flight proved to be an incredibly fun venture, with props on hand, like hoops and jelly beans, for the cadets to engage with. Some of these are educational, like the bike wheel, which explains the process of inertia, so if someone spins the wheel while in zero gravity they’ll end up rotating themselves. Steve can’t help but enjoy himself as he flies around the plane, looking for the moments of elation and awe that make this experience one-of-a-kind.
I have the best job on the plane, because all the other employees are fixed into one position. The pilots are strapped in and the flight attendants stay in one spot to make sure we’re all safe, but I can float wherever I want, because the goal is to get the picture.
And while the pictures and Steve’s enjoyment make this job seem easy, it can be a nauseating experience for some as their equilibriums adjust to the changes in gravity. Not every person can stomach this kind of suspension, and NASA’s own microgravity plane was infamously named “the Vomit Comet.” At first, Steve almost didn’t accept the second assignment, but after 300 flights he’s mastered the movements required to photograph every individual onboard.
If you think about it, the photography side of what I want to do is not that difficult. What’s difficult I’m only really getting 5 minutes total of zero gravity and I’ve got to get pictures of nearly 30 people on a Boeing 727 about 60 ft long.
Steve acts as a guide, speaking to the group before take-off to explain the best methods for taking incredible pictures in zero gravity. He asks them to listen for the sound of his voice so that they know when to flip, jump, or bounce for a great shot. But to make it even more interesting, Steve photographs the zero gravity portion of the flight upside down, feeling that the curvature of the ceiling has the same look as a rocket.
One of the things I always say is: “if you’re in zero-g and your feet are on the ground, the picture is just going to look like you are standing, so just bend your legs you’re not going to fall!” But generally I’m just providing them with some basic tips to help them get great pictures.
The only risk he’s ever encountered while doing these flights is the risk to his equipment, as most people don’t have the ability to stop themselves while flying toward him. He even once had to replace his external flash when an enthusiastic flier accidentally kicked it!
We’ll put them together for a Superman shot, where we lie them all down at one end of the zone and they float towards me with their arms out. So now I can get everyone in that group flying, but at a certain point I’ll have to start dodging them!
Yet each flight brings its own unique experiences and adventures. On this flight, in particular, one of the U.S. Space Force Colonels was a huge Captain America fan and decided to bring the signature shield onto the flight. Steve had a great time capturing him jumping and flying like an Avenger.
This unique work with Zero G has gifted Steve with once-in-a-lifetime moments, like shooting physicist Steven Hawking in zero gravity. While the imagery exists in its own specialty, Steve feels that it has helped him perfect his style, which he calls “workforce photography.” For any type of occupation, whether it be doctors, bus drivers, or Space Force cadets, he knows how to represent the people behind the brand authentically.
Through this, I’ve refocused my elevator pitch, and now I say “I want to make their work life look good.”
See more of Steve’s work on his website.
Credits
US Air Force Creative Content Producer: Rachelle Stoll
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