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Indoor skydiving isn't zero-g -- you experience 1g from air resistance. Indoor skydiving gives you a similar sensation as floating in water. The closest cheap

Indoor skydiving isn't zero-g -- you experience 1g from air resistance. Indoor skydiving gives you a similar sensation as floating in water. The closest cheap thing is probably the few seconds you get on a trampoline.

zone411 8y ago
Well yeah, I didn't say that it was exactly like it. It does give you the ability to float and even do tricks in the (moving) air and experience Newton's laws almost like in Zero-G, though.
- lisper 8y ago
  I've done both and you'll just have to take my word for it or try it yourself, but the two activities are not even remotely comparable.
  - zone411 8y ago
    I think that indoor skydiving is closer to the Zero-G flight than the Zero-G flight is to the Virgin Galactic's space trip on a rocket launching from a plane, getting to Mach 2.9, getting an out-of-this-world view, and gliding to the landing. Do you disagree? Your comment about the 80% of the value came out as dismissive of Virgin Galactic's achievement. This is a company that is trying to come back after a deadly crash that could've stopped further work and to initiate space tourism. I get the usual HN contrarian skepticism, as I've participated in it also, but to see this comparison as one of the top comments here is disappointing.
    - lisper 8y ago
      That may well be. Having not gone into space I can't speak authoritatively on that. However, I can say this: seeing the view from space is a visual experience. Visual experiences can be simulated, e.g. with VR, or high-def video. A simulated visual experience is very similar to the real thing. Free fall is different. Yes, you can get brief periods of free fall on, say, a roller coaster, or by jumping off a high dive. I have done all of these things, so I can tell you authoritatively that being in free fall for 30 seconds, not strapped in, and with no wind rushing past you, is completely different than being in free fall for a third of a second (high dive) or even three seconds (roller coaster). YMMV, of course, but for me that feeling of floating is a big draw of going into space. I'm sure the view is very nice too, but I've seen it.
whatshisface 8y ago
People who jump out of planes will also experience 1G due to air resistance when they reach terminal velocity. That's why it's called indoor skydiving instead of indoor spacewalking.
stcredzero 8y ago
"You know that feeling, when you're in the air while jumping on a trampoline? I feel like that all the time."
- mirimir 8y ago
  OK, I'll bite. Inner ear disorder?
  - stcredzero 8y ago
    Worse. Steven Wright fandom: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/123074-you-know-when-you-re-sitting-on-a-chair-and-you https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/123074-you-know-when-you-re...
    - mirimir 8y ago
      Hey, thanks :) I'd never heard of him, and it was too much of a paraphrase for the search services that I tried. Maybe we need a search service that understands language, and can do "that sounds like ...".
njarboe 8y ago
Or a high jump into deep water.

zone411 8y ago

Well yeah, I didn't say that it was exactly like it. It does give you the ability to float and even do tricks in the (moving) air and experience Newton's laws almost like in Zero-G, though.

lisper 8y ago
I've done both and you'll just have to take my word for it or try it yourself, but the two activities are not even remotely comparable.
- zone411 8y ago
  I think that indoor skydiving is closer to the Zero-G flight than the Zero-G flight is to the Virgin Galactic's space trip on a rocket launching from a plane, getting to Mach 2.9, getting an out-of-this-world view, and gliding to the landing. Do you disagree? Your comment about the 80% of the value came out as dismissive of Virgin Galactic's achievement. This is a company that is trying to come back after a deadly crash that could've stopped further work and to initiate space tourism. I get the usual HN contrarian skepticism, as I've participated in it also, but to see this comparison as one of the top comments here is disappointing.
  - lisper 8y ago
    That may well be. Having not gone into space I can't speak authoritatively on that. However, I can say this: seeing the view from space is a visual experience. Visual experiences can be simulated, e.g. with VR, or high-def video. A simulated visual experience is very similar to the real thing. Free fall is different. Yes, you can get brief periods of free fall on, say, a roller coaster, or by jumping off a high dive. I have done all of these things, so I can tell you authoritatively that being in free fall for 30 seconds, not strapped in, and with no wind rushing past you, is completely different than being in free fall for a third of a second (high dive) or even three seconds (roller coaster). YMMV, of course, but for me that feeling of floating is a big draw of going into space. I'm sure the view is very nice too, but I've seen it.

whatshisface 8y ago

People who jump out of planes will also experience 1G due to air resistance when they reach terminal velocity. That's why it's called indoor skydiving instead of indoor spacewalking.

stcredzero 8y ago

"You know that feeling, when you're in the air while jumping on a trampoline? I feel like that all the time."

mirimir 8y ago
OK, I'll bite. Inner ear disorder?
- stcredzero 8y ago
  Worse. Steven Wright fandom: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/123074-you-know-when-you-re-sitting-on-a-chair-and-you https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/123074-you-know-when-you-re...
  - mirimir 8y ago
    Hey, thanks :) I'd never heard of him, and it was too much of a paraphrase for the search services that I tried. Maybe we need a search service that understands language, and can do "that sounds like ...".

njarboe 8y ago

Or a high jump into deep water.