Stephen Hawking's weightless adventure

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For almost 40 years he has been confined to a wheelchair. But for a few minutes yesterday Stephen Hawking got the chance to taste the ultimate freedom.

The astrophysicist took part in a zero-gravity ride, floating in the cabin of a specially-converted aircraft 32,000ft above the earth.

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Free spirit: The weightless Hawking floats on air with just an apple for company

Up, up and away: Some helping hands...then Hawking rises to the challenge

As the captain steered the Boeing 727 into a series of rollercoaster-style manoeuvres to simulate the weightlessness of space, the 65-year-old British scientist rediscovered the simple thrill of mobility.

The jet - called G-Force One - first flew to 24,000 feet above the Atlantic, where nurses carried the Cambridge professor to the front of the plane and placed him on a special foam pillow.

After climbing to 32,000ft, the aircraft's nose was pulled up at 45 degrees.

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The Zero G plane in flight

Then it was sent into a series of steep climb-and-dive manoeuvres, allowing Professor Hawking and fellow passengers to levitate without assistance for 25 seconds at a time.

Shortly after landing last night, he said: "It was amazing. The zero-g bit was wonderful...I could have gone on and on. Space, here I come."

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Safe landing: After 40 years in a wheelchair, Hawking got the chance to taste the ultimate freedom

The flight mimics that used to train Nasa astronauts but it is operated by Zero-G, a commercial company that gives the public the opportunity for just under £2,000.

Chief executive and founder Peter H Diamandis, who accompanied the professor, said he had indicated to his carers after the first zero-gravity plunge that he would like to perform a 180-degree "flip" with his body.

"He was doing gold-medal gymnastics in zero-g. It was incredible," said Mr Diamandis.

When asked if he was enjoying himself "his eyebrows went up and there was a big grin, meaning 'yes'...he was grinning the entire time".

He added: "Professor Hawking reached for the sky and he touched the heavens today."

The flight took off from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

While Professor Hawking was enjoying zero gravity, aides also allowed an apple to float free in the aircraft as a tribute to Sir Isaac Newton, the British physicist who discovered the laws of gravity.

He had been inspired to work out his Universal Law of Gravitation after watching an apple fall from a tree.

Professor Hawking - who is paralysed by Motor Neurone Disease - was accompanied by nurses and personal physicians to ensure his safety, and he also took a motion sickness pill as a precaution.

Arriving back on the ground, he said: "We had a wonderful time. It was incredible, far beyond our expectations."

Last night's flight was really a dress rehearsal for a much more ambitious adventure.

Last year Professor Hawking publicly spoke of his desire to go into space and appealed to Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson, who plans to provide sub-orbital rides to paying passengers as early as 2009.

Sir Richard has agreed to "fix it" for the professor and arrange a Virgin Galactic flight for him.

Although commercial zero-gravity flights operate at the same altitude as a normal passenger jet, they are the closest thing to space travel currently available to civilians.

Nasa astronauts refer to their own zero-gravity aircraft as the Vomit Comet, because of the regularity with which they lose their lunch to its stomachchurning manoeuvres.

 

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