Hawking @ zero-G: "Space, here I come!"

[Dr Mordrid]

IMO this is just terrific.

Next stop: the VSS Enterprise (SpaceShipTwo) flight Sir Richard Branson offered him.



Link....

World-famous physicist takes eight turns on weightless roller-coaster jet

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — World-famous physicist Stephen Hawking experienced eight rounds of weightlessness during a better-than-expected airplane flight that he saw as the first step toward a trip in space.

"It was amazing," Hawking told reporters afterward, using his well-known computerized voice. "The zero-G part was wonderful, and the high-G part was no problem. I could have gone on and on".

"Space, here I come," he said.

Hawking's host, Zero Gravity Corp. co-founder and chief executive officer Peter Diamandis, said before the flight that he'd claim success if Hawking had just a single half-minute float in weightlessness aboard the company's specially modified Boeing 727 jet. Afterward, Diamandis and other fliers said Hawking took eight turns with ease.

"He would have flown more if we let him," said Noah McMahon, one of Hawking's coaches as well as Zero Gravity's chief marketing officer. "He was all smiles all the time."
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[Jammrock]

For someone who has had MS as long as him, that must have been a dream. I saw video somewhere earlier and he looked elated.

[Dr Mordrid]

Actually he has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (AKA ALS, Lou Gherig's disease) not MS.

[Dr Mordrid]

[SpiralDragon]

rock on Hawking

[xortam]

I wonder if he had troubles with his single anti-grav plummet. They were going to attempt multiple plummets after checking how he felt after the first one.

[Dr Mordrid]

They did a total of 8 runs and later he said he wanted more

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — World-famous physicist Stephen Hawking experienced eight rounds of weightlessness during a better-than-expected airplane flight that he saw as the first step toward a trip in space.

[xortam]

Good to hear. The article I read this morning only talked about a single 25 second run.

[Dr Mordrid]

Hawking took 1.5 G's plus when the vomit comet went into a climb, but if he goes on SS2 he'll take ~6 G's on re-entry. Branson has said they have their engineers working on how to minimize its effects on him; special seat + padding, pressurized breathing mask etc.

[TnT]

For someone who has had MS as long as him, that must have been a dream. I saw video somewhere earlier and he looked elated.

For someone who has contributed so much to the understanding of the universe he deserves it and more.