29 Oct 2004

NASA’s KC-135A (N931NA) ascending to begin a zero gravity maneuver over the Gulf of Mexico. (NASA Image)
2004: NASA’s KC-135A aerospace vehicle trainer, the “Vomit Comet,” flew its final sortie.  NASA used the “Comet” at Edwards AFB to provide zero gravity training to students at the Aerospace Vehicle Test Course.  NASA 931, formerly AF serial no. 63-7998, was also used by Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment for filming scenes involving weightlessness in the movie Apollo 13; it made its final flight on October 29, 2004, and is permanently stored in the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.