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A man appears to be in zero gravity in a room which doesn't look like it could possibly be inside of an aircraft. If so, that's one gigantic aircraft, entirely unlike all the other photos of the "vomit comet" crafts.

It looks like a room in some kind of Earth-based facility. Do they actually have zero gravity simulation on Earth? I thought that was just science fiction? Or maybe it's possible, but still so incredibly expensive that they still use the "vomit comet" for the most part?

I found the photo on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reduced-gravity_aircraft while reading other Wikipedia articles related to space.

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    $\begingroup$ I think it's in a "Vomit Comet", just in a weird room (no windows and such). Vomit Comets look a bit different than usual airliners but the one on the photo looks maybe a bit weirder (with some unusual equipment). You can't generate weightlessness on Earth by other means than a parabola or free fall. There are "wind channels" which can fly you up as if you were weightless but you aren't: you'd "lie" on the wind in 1g (like at terminal velocity during fall or like underwater). $\endgroup$ Jun 25, 2020 at 4:18
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    $\begingroup$ "Do they actually have zero gravity simulation on Earth? I thought that was just science fiction?" You're right, it is science fiction, and it leans more towards fiction than science. The only way we currently have to simulate zero gravity is by accelerating ourselves in the direction that gravity is pulling. $\endgroup$
    – Aubreal
    Jun 25, 2020 at 14:36
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    $\begingroup$ Even without recognizing the plane the shape of the room makes it look very much like a vomit comet. Why the weird design of the walls unless it's because they're inside a tube? $\endgroup$ Jun 26, 2020 at 3:01
  • $\begingroup$ Here's a video showing the whole setup. youtube.com/watch?v=mQ1ZozXp2tw&feature=emb_logo $\endgroup$ Jun 26, 2020 at 11:21
  • $\begingroup$ The page you found the photo on is quite a hint that this is inside an aircraft. $\endgroup$
    – jcaron
    Jun 27, 2020 at 22:18

2 Answers 2

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The biggest give away is the size of this chamber: its too big for any of the known NASA's KC-135 or ZG's 727-200. That leaves us one other candidate: their Russian counterpart IL-76 MDK

The interior, roof, lights, and door in the back ground is pretty much identical.

IL76-MDK by zeroflight.org (source: zeroflight.org)

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  • $\begingroup$ apparently this is also an Ilyushin Il-76MDK: space.stackexchange.com/a/21072/12102 though I think it has a smaller cabin inside used for the music video $\endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Jun 25, 2020 at 13:25
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It could be taken at an Indoor Sky-Diving facility. These use very powerful fans to create a vertical wind-tunnel, which basically blow their customers into the air. People pay for this apparently.

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    $\begingroup$ You would see a lot more wind in the person's hair, and they would be inside a vertical tube. The image shows no evidence of wind blowing across the person. @user3528438 has the correct answer. $\endgroup$
    – Aubreal
    Jun 25, 2020 at 14:32
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    $\begingroup$ A trampoline might work, though? $\endgroup$ Jun 27, 2020 at 8:23

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