An American boy from the United States, Jack Martin Pressman, aged eight, has become the youngest to go through zero gravity, sets Guinness World Record. His incredible feat followed him executing 18 flights without weight, each taking around 30 seconds.
Jack executed spectacular mid-air stunts, such as backflips and 360-degree turns, while in flight. An Instagram video captures him catching water droplets and jelly beans floating in weightlessness.
Guinness World Records posted the record, “Youngest person to fly in zero gravity (male) – Jack Martin Pressman (b. 11 March 2016), who is 8 years and 33 days old. While most childhood dreams are eventually left behind, young Jack turned his into a record-breaking reality.”
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The flight was booked by Zero-G, an organization that offers zero-gravity experiences for research, astronaut training, and public entertainment, says GWR.
Jack Pressman’s Early Love of Space
Jack has always been interested in space since he was a young child. His mother, Jessica Pressman, explained how they fostered his interest in space, “He used to love Buzz Lightyear when he was a lot younger and actually, to foster that love and curiosity of space, we built him his secret space room.”
Explaining the special moon-themed room, she continued, “It had its private entrance, nobody else knew about it, and when you walked in the room was a beautiful moonlight blue, and there were hundreds and hundreds of glow-in-the-dark stars everywhere, and constellations and planets, and he had his little spaceship.”
Inspired by His Father’s Regret, Jack Pursues His Dreams
Jack’s dad, Jason Pressman, was a major influence on him to pursue the record. Jason, in an interview for the GWR blog, once expressed his sorrow at never having flown on the Concorde, a supersonic plane that could travel between countries in a matter of hours. Jack overheard this and thought about his dreams and how he would take a Zero-G flight, so he would never have such regrets again.
Jack, who has ambitions of one day becoming an astronaut, is already looking ahead to his next challenge. “I think going to space will be super cool,” he explained. His goal is to become the youngest human in space.
