Contact Information: Contacts: For TransVision 2007 Information: Emanuela Cariolagian President Be In the News Public Relations 323.644.2111 For ZERO-G Information: Natalie Mounier Kirvin Doak Communications 702-204-1530 For X PRIZE Foundation Information: Sarah Evans Vice President Communications 310-582-5903
TransVision 2007 Attendees to Experience ZERO-G Weightless Flight With Visionaries Ray Kurzweil and Peter Diamandis
July 27 Flight Will Raise Funds for X PRIZE Foundation
| Source: Zero Gravity Corporation
CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - June 27, 2007) - On Friday, July 27, TransVision 2007, a global
conference on grand challenges, will host a weightless flight with Zero Gravity Corporation (ZERO-G®,
www.gozerog.com). Notable visionaries Ray Kurzweil and Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, along with
conference attendees, will experience the amazing zero-gravity flight --
the only commercial opportunity on Earth for individuals to experience true
"weightlessness" without going to
space. They can fly like Superman, flip like an Olympic gymnast and enjoy
10 times more hang-time than the world's best basketball player. The
flights also will benefit the X PRIZE
Foundation, an educational nonprofit prize institute created to foster
radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. These special flights
are priced at $5,000 per seat and can be booked when registering for TransVision 2007.
"Going beyond our limitations is what being human is all about. We've been
bound by gravity for every moment of our lives, so I expect that
transcending the bounds of gravity, even for a few minutes, will be a
liberating experience," said Ray
Kurzweil. "This is one example of the myriad ways in which technology
will enable us to transcend all kinds of limitations in the years ahead."
X PRIZE Foundation Chairman and CEO, Peter Diamandis will present his
vision of the future of space at TransVision 2007, along with a keynote by
noted inventor-author-futurist Ray Kurzweil. They will be joined by William
Shatner and other renowned visionaries and celebrities, including actor Ed
Begley Jr., columnist Arianna Huffington, life-extension pioneer Aubrey de
Grey, and AI guru Marvin Minsky. The "TransVision 2007: Transhumanity
Saving Humanity: Inner Space to Outer Space" event is the ninth annual
science and technology gathering of the World Transhumanist Association
(WTA), to be held at the Chicago Fairmont Hotel, July 23-26, 2007. The
event will explore how emerging technology can solve the greatest problems
facing humanity. To register for TransVision 2007, visit
www.transvision2007.com.
The ZERO-G Experience
ZERO-G is the first and only FAA-approved provider of commercial weightless
flights. The experience delivered by ZERO-G is the identical weightless
flight maneuver used by NASA to train its astronauts and used by Ron Howard
and Tom Hanks to film "Apollo 13." Each ZERO-G mission is designed for maximum
fun. The aircraft's interior is a zero-gravity playroom, complete with
padded floors and walls, and video cameras to record the unforgettable
moments. As part of the experience Flyers will enjoy a flight of 15
parabolas, flight suit, complimentary merchandise, awards, a post-event
party, photos and a DVD of the flight.
Weightless flight is an experience
that few have tried, but those who have call it amazing and life changing.
Professor Stephen Hawking, Martha Stewart, Billy Bush, Burt Rutan, Miles
O'Brien, and cast members of "The Apprentice" and "The Biggest Loser" are
just a few notable passengers who've flown with ZERO-G and proclaimed it to
be one of the most thrilling experiences of their lives. Numerous
astronauts including Buzz Aldrin and Anousheh Ansari also have enjoyed
ZERO-G voyages. ZERO-G has played a major role in several blockbuster
hits, including "Matrix 2" and "Matrix 3."
The ZERO-G Experience consists of a brief training session for passengers,
followed by a 90-minute flight aboard G-Force One, during which parabolic
maneuvers are performed. The controlled ascent and descent of the plane
allows Flyers to experience Martian gravity (1/3-gravity), Lunar gravity
(1/6-gravity), and zero gravity. The ZERO-G Experience provides its Flyers
with twice the amount of weightless time achieved in a typical sub-orbital
flight into space. ZERO-G operates under the highest safety standards as
set by the FAA (Part-121) with its partner Amerijet International of Ft.
Lauderdale, Florida. Aircraft operations take place under the same
regulations set for large commercial passenger airliners.
About Zero Gravity Corporation (ZERO-G®)
Zero Gravity Corporation (www.GoZeroG.com) is a privately held
space entertainment and tourism company whose mission is to make the
excitement and adventure of weightlessness accessible to the public. ZERO-G
is based in Las Vegas and Florida and is the first and only FAA-approved
provider of weightless flight to the general public, as well as the
entertainment and film industries; corporate and incentive market;
non-profit research and education sectors; and government.
Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Las Vegas, ZERO-G is led by a
world-class team of veteran astronauts and experienced business leaders.
The company was co-founded by X PRIZE Chairman and space visionary Peter
Diamandis and veteran astronaut Dr. Byron K. Lichtenberg. The duo spent
more than a decade working to bring the marvel of weightless flight to the
public. Since launching the ZERO-G Experience to the general public in
September 2004, the company has conducted more than 100 weightless flights
and flown approximately 2,700 passengers, ages 12 to 93.
For information on future flights, visit www.GoZeroG.com or call
1-800-937-6480.
About The X PRIZE Foundation
The X PRIZE Foundation is an educational nonprofit prize institute whose
mission is to create radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. On
October 4, 2004, the X PRIZE Foundation captured world headlines when
Mojave Aerospace Ventures, led by legendary aircraft designer Burt Rutan
and Microsoft Co-founder Paul Allen, built and flew the world's first
private vehicle to space twice in two weeks to win the $10 million Ansari X
PRIZE. The Foundation has since expanded its mission beyond space
exploration to offer new prizes for breakthroughs in the life sciences,
energy and the environment, education and global entrepreneurship. In
October 2006, the X PRIZE Foundation announced the $10 million Archon X
PRIZE for genomics, which will reward the first private effort to map 100
human genomes in 10 days, ushering in a new era of personalized
preventative medicine. For more information please visit www.xprize.org or
email press@xprize.org.
About Ray Kurzweil
Ray Kurzweil is one of the world's leading inventors, thinkers, and
futurists, with an over 20-year track record of accurate predictions.
Called "the restless genius" by The Wall Street Journal and "the ultimate
thinking machine" by Forbes magazine, Kurzweil was selected as one of the
top entrepreneurs by Inc. magazine, which described him as the "rightful
heir to Thomas Edison." PBS selected him as one of "sixteen revolutionaries
who made America," along with other inventors of the past two centuries. An
inductee into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and recipient of the
National Medal of Technology, the Lemelson-MIT Prize (the world's largest
for innovation), and 15 honorary doctorates and awards from three U.S.
presidents, he is the author of five best-selling books: "The Singularity
is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology," "Fantastic Voyage: Live Long
Enough to Live Forever" (co-authored with Terry Grossman, M.D.), "The Age
of Spiritual Machines," "The 10% Solution for a Healthy Life," and "The Age
of Intelligent Machines."