EDITOR'S NOTE: SPACE.com has learned that the auction hasbeen extended until Sept. 10 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
Three bidders will have the chance to join filmmaker JamesCameron in a state of weightlessness aboard an upcoming plane flight, in anauction to fund high-tech competitions offered by the X Prize Foundation.
Cameron, famed director of "Avatar" and"Titanic," and his wife will be among the guests on an Oct. 9 flightfrom Los Angeles aboard G-ForceOne, a modified Boeing 727-200 jet flown in parabolic arcs across the skyto induce a few moments of zero gravity.
The plane's owner, ZeroGravity Corp. of Vienna, Va., will auction off three passenger spots oneBay beginning Tuesday, Aug. 31. The auction ends Sept. 10 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
"All proceeds from this eBay auction will go the XPrize Foundation to help design future prizes intended to drive radicalbreakthroughs for the benefit of humanity," said X Prize Foundation chiefexecutive and chairman Peter Diamandis in a statement.
The X PrizeFoundation is a nonprofit group based in California that offers prize moneyto stimulate technological breakthroughs.
In 2004 the foundation bestowed $10 million on the ScaledComposites company for building the first privately funded reusable mannedspacecraft. Since then, the foundation has developed new contests withmultimillion-dollar prizes for achievements in moon exploration, automotivefuel economy and genetics research, among others.
Cameron serves on the foundation's Exploration AdvisoryCommittee.
"My wife Suzy and I are really excited about flying inthe 727 for the Zero-G experience," Cameron said in a video about theupcoming flight. "I've done it before and it's really an amazingexperience. So come along with us and we'll go get weightless! Bid high on thisone because it's a great way to support our (the X Prize Foundation's) effortsin space."
The flight will take off from Van Nuys Airport in LosAngeles. Also on board will be FOC Films chief executive Jim Gianopulosand author Tim Ferriss ("The 4-Hour Workweek"), X Prizeofficials said.
NASA uses planes similar to G-Force One to train itsastronauts. Parts of the movie "Apollo 13" were shot aboard such aplane, and a number of noted personalities, including Stephen Hawking, MarthaStewart and Ozzy Osbourne, have flown aboard Zero Gravity flights. One couplehad a weightlesswedding aboard the plane.
To bid on seats for the upcoming flight, visit http://eBay.com/cameron.
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