So, a bit disappointed you were not the one selected to be the first Malaysian astronaut? Yeah, we know the feeling, folks. But not to fear, all is not lost.

Now for a mere RM60 and without a need to go for cumbersome spacesuit fittings, you can experience weightlessness for a brief moment right here in KL.

From AJ Hackett Operations , the people who brought you bungy-jumping, now comes the phenomenal anti-gravity machine dubbed the G-Force-X. An extreme adventure ride that subjects you to up to 5Gs (more than in a MiG25 jet), speeds of up to120 km/h and a brief moment of weightlessness. And don't forget loads of screaming.

The ride (or 'shot' as the AJ Hackett ground crew refers to it) is actually divided into four phases with mere milliseconds between them. First the vertical launch straight up.

You are securely strapped in, protective padding secured and the tubular spheroid open frame of the two-man rider capsule briskly tilted back until you are looking straight up at the sky and the 45 metre high launch towers on both sides

No, your life doesn't quite flash between your eyes but maybe the last few days will. The hydraulic spring mechanism is released (no, there's no warning) and then its O-MYYY- GODDDDDDDD! Believe me when I say you're not going to be thinking about 5Gs, 3G or Kenny G; you're just gonna scream.

Secured by steel wire cabling, the capsule is then catapulted over and above the 45-metre launch towers for another 30 metres for the second phase and this is when you experience your brief moment of defying gravity.

Your legs kinda float up and you wonder what's happening because you really

haven't gathered your thoughts yet. You're still screaming.

Two words for it

Gather your thoughts did I say? Well, if you can because the third phase now

kicks in when the capsule rapidly rotates 360 degrees a couple of times. Yup, folks, you heard me right. Something like a washing machine's tumbler. And, oh, don't forget the screaming.

Right after this come the fourth phase, where inertia kicks in and the capsule gently bounces up and down (right side up, thank-goodness) allowing you a bird's-eye view of Kuala Lumpur while savouring a sense of euphoria that's semantically quite, quite indescribable as you're gently lowered to terra firma .

One word for the entire experience? Awesome, folks, spectactularly awesome.

Well, okay, two words.

Now, one supposes the question of safety arises. After all, they do require six of your signatures on the indemnity form. But not to worry, the crew explains everything is securely backed-up with the steel cables and pulleys regularly monitored and maintained.

The chances are minimal that the cables will snap and you continue on to bump into Measat-1. As the man himself, Alan John Hackett, 47, ( pix, at left ) said in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, "We haven't killed anyone yet". How nice.

Jump but don't die

But seriously folks, if you're looking for a kiddie park merry-go-round ride, than the G-Force-X ain't really for you. Take our word for it. You'll need to be able to look within yourself honestly and ask 'Who will feed the fish?'

That aside, it has to be known that the experts at AJ Hackett have safely 'facilitated' in excess of 1.7 million clients over the past 18 years with zero fatalities. As for the G-Force-X, attached to each side of the rider capsule are four independent non-rotating 8mm steel cables, two on each side. Attached to the side of the rider capsule is a swivel fitting and universal joint which allows the capsule to rotate without twisting the steel cables.

The hydraulic spring machine that operates G-Force-X maintains a minimum tension in the steel cables that prevents them from dislodging from any pulley spool. So there. What's that? What if the cables still snap, you ask? Well, it just won't be your day then, will it?

The G-Force-X is the launch adventure ride for the AJ Hackett's KL urban adventure hub, a collaboration with KL Tower . "We may be the fourth tallest telecommunication tower in the world, by as an urban adventure hub, we're going to be number one," said KL Tower's CEO Zulkifli Mohamad ( pix above, right ).

Two fearful adventures scheduled to be launched this year are the MastClimb and the SkyJump. The former is an accompanied climb right to the top of KL Tower's antennae while the latter lets you leap off the KL Tower itself but without the messy business of dying. There will also be the 'Flying Foxes' where you get to zip straight down a 160 metre high tower.

So there you have it people. The G-Force-X beckons. Change your lifestyle,

did someone say?

S VICKNESAN badly wants to be an urban adventurer and is currently reviewing

his insurance policies.