Calling the experience "amazing," Professor Stephen Hawking told a group of reporters about his ride aboard 90-minute flight aboard G-FORCE ONE, a specially-modified, 35-passenger Boeing 727-200.
Zero Gravity Corporation (ZERO-G®), and its sponsors, Space Florida and The Sharper Image, successfully flew world-renowned physicist, cosmologist, and best-selling author Professor Stephen Hawking into weightlessness on Thursday, April 26, 2007. Hawking took off from the Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center in Central Florida.
“Professor Hawking’s expression said it all - the grins of sheer joy and excitement he displayed were unmistakable and no different than the giddiness and fun that all of our flyers experience,” said Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, CEO and Co-Founder of ZERO-G, “For me personally, and for all of us at ZERO-G, it has been a complete honor and thrill to give Professor Hawking this opportunity to fulfill one of his lifelong dreams.”
Professor Hawking did not fly with his wheelchair, rather, he was placed flat on his back, on the specially padded floor in the center of the large open cabin at the start of each parabola. He then floated up into the center of the cabin. ZERO-G co-founders Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, and astronaut Byron Lichtenberg were positioned alongside of Hawking as he floated weightless with the assistance of nurse practitioner Nicola O’Brien, then carefully guide him slowly back down to the floor during the return to normal gravity. The onboard flight’s crew and staff included four physicians, two of which are members of Hawking’s own medical team.
After the flight, Hawking used his famous speech computer to share his experiences. "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."
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