Specially Outfitted Aircraft Flies Eight Parabolic Cycles
Astrophysicist Stephen
Hawking has looked to space in order to explore the origins of the
universe, and expanded the boundaries of human understanding... but
on Thursday, he fulfilled a personal dream to experience
weightlessness, a little closer to home.
Free of the specialized wheelchair he uses to move and
communicate, Hawking -- along with several of his nurses and
physicians and other passengers -- was carried aloft onboard a
Boeing 727 modified by Zero Gravity Corp. Resting on a specially
modified pillow, Hawking -- who has ALS, a paralyzing condition
also known as Lou Gehrig's disease -- experienced weightlessness,
as the jet flew a series of eight parabolic dives.
"I want to demonstrate to the public that anybody can
participate in this type of weightless experience," Hawking said
before Thursday's flight.
Throughout the flight, doctors monitored the 65-year-old
scientist's condition through heart rate and blood pressure
monitors, reports the Associated Press. Hawking's personal
physician, Dr. Edwin Chilvers, also brought more extensive medical
equipment in case of difficulties.
That equipment proved unnecessary... and all indications are,
Hawking experienced the ride of a lifetime.
"We had a wonderful time. It was incredible, far beyond our
expectations," said Peter H. Diamandis, the chairman and CEO of
Zero Gravity, following the flight.
Diamandis, along with Zero G co-founder (and former shuttle
astronaut) Byron Lichtenberg, maintained position on either side of
Hawking throughout the flight, so the two men could gently lower
Hawking to the floor at the end of each weightless cycle. To be on
the safe side, the scientist also took a motion sickness pill
before the flight.
Hawking is the first disabled person to experience a Zero G
flight. The company has flown about 2,700 people since late 2004
out of its base in Florida.
Thursday's flight was intended to not only fulfill one dream of
Hawking's, but to also be a step towards another. Hawking has
expressed his desire to ride into suborbital space... and the Zero
G flight was a substantial step in proving the viability of such a
mission.
"It's a test to see how well he can handle the g-forces that
would be necessary in order to leave the atmosphere," said Sam
Blackburn, Hawking's assistant. "That is very much one of the major
purposes of this flight."
ANN's Jim Campbell, currently one of the world's most
experienced Zero-Gravity photographers (having shot such flights
for Diamandis and Zero-G through hundreds of parabolas),
shot the flight, and was "thrilled with the way that Professor
Hawking took to Zero-G... his wide grin was ample proof that
Zero-Gravity programs like this should be accessible to anyone
infected with the dream of traveling to space... with Zero-G
flights like today's as a perfect first step." [G-Force One photo
by ANN Photographer Sarah Curtiss].