Zero-gravity Kate Upton in a bikini is a thing now
Sports Illustrated spent vast amounts of money and effort on taking photos of a model in a bikini in zero gravity.
Let's all digest that for a second.
Yes, Kate Upton, a famous and well-liked model, did a photoshoot for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue that involved her becoming weightless in a zero-gravity plane, of the type used to train astronauts for space missions.
We'll admit the results are very polished —
Yes, we sent @KateUpton to SPACE! http://t.co/BWJQzLbKzJ #SISwim50 pic.twitter.com/jqiMHUkx1A
— Sports Illustrated Swimsuit (@SI_Swimsuit) February 18, 2014
— but this is . Wait until you see the behind-the-scenes video.
This type of flight is used to train NASA astronauts in almost-zero gravity - achieved by flying a powerful jet plane in a rough parabolic arc and sending the plane into free-fall.
Each passenger on board one of these private Zero-G flights costs $4,950 - before tax - and although you can't see it, there are a hell of a lot of people on board this plane for the photoshoot. And they seem to have done several runs.
The behind-the-scenes videos really hammer home the extent of this bonkers PR campaign. Before the plane begins you can hear someone tell Upton: "Four years went into this … I love you."
Watch as the team scream "holy crap" and frantically try to photograph a woman in a gold bikini spiralling across the room.
