--- description: In 1959, LIFE magazine's Science Editor Warren Young flew with aviators during early zero-gravity tests -- and reveled in the experience. title: Zero Gravity: A LIFE Magazine Editor Revels in Weightlessness, 1959 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e610038bf3c2569/69884c0ea988ca97906b21fd/140624-weightless-warren-young-1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Buoyancy and Bliss: A LIFE Magazine Editor Revels in Zero Gravity by [Ben Cosgrove](/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 20, 2014 2:05 PM CUT  LIFE magazine Science Editor Warren Young experiences weightlessness during zero-gravity experiments aboard a modified transport plane, 1959. LIFE magazine Science Editor Warren Young experiences weightlessness during zero-gravity experiments aboard a modified transport plane, 1959.Al Fenn—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images by [Ben Cosgrove](/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 20, 2014 2:05 PM CUT Here, NASA astronauts-in-training, men at absolutely peak mental and physical condition, undergo grueling tests in . . . oh, wait. Never mind. That’s the self-described overweight and out-of-shape LIFE magazine Science Editor Warren R. Young, who flew with aviators during zero-gravity tests in 1959\. The Soviets had, of course, launched the first artificial satellite, [_Sputnik I_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik%5F1 "undefined"), in 1957, and the race was on to see who would take the next big human step into space: zero-gravity training was a key part of the preparation for space travel. The incumbent mayor Vincent Gray was defeated by Muriel Bowser after a scandal-ridden two-person race between them. The winner of the Democratic primary usually goes on to win the general election Young had the rare opportunity to experience zero-G training with the aptly named Zero Gravity Experiment, in a modified transport plane dubbed _How High the Moon_. And how does it feel to literally float several feet above a solid surface? Young reported that potential astronauts should look forward to a blissful sensation, while preparing for confusion. _What’s up? What’s down?_ He was also “astonished to find that the world of weightlessness actually feels more natural than our customary gravity-controlled realm,” while zero gravity “seems to give simultaneous buoyancy to both body and spirit.” Even the old hands on board had wide smiles each time _How High the Moon_ “zoomed up into a ballistic curve that counterbalanced gravity” (see video below). Each of the tough Air Force men, Young wrote, smiled like a child on a trike. They felt a kind of awe, and the experience never got old. \[WATCH: LIFE magazine’s Warren Young revels in weightlessness\] **_Delia Mandia_** _is a native New Yorker and NYU undergraduate student whose passion is her global nonprofit organization,_ [_Night Night Monster_](http://www.nightnightmonster.org/ "undefined")_. She also enjoys competitive gaming (she is world-ranked) on her custom built hydro-cooled PC, and attending Stargate conventions._  LIFE magazine Science Editor Warren Young experiences weightlessness during zero-gravity experiments aboard a modified transport plane, 1959. Al Fenn—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3880248/zero-gravity-a-life-magazine-editor-experiences-weightlessness-1959/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3880248/zero-gravity-a-life-magazine-editor-experiences-weightlessness-1959/"},"headline":"Buoyancy and Bliss: A LIFE Magazine Editor Revels in Zero Gravity","datePublished":"2014-06-20T14:05:03.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:03:40.233Z","description":"In 1959, self-described overweight and out-of-shape LIFE magazine Science Editor Warren R. 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