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Stephen Hawking to experience zero gravity
26 Apr 2007
World-famous British astrophysicist Professor Stephen Hawking is set to experience weightlessness for the first time.
The author of A Brief History of Time will take to the skies in a special flight which is usually used by trainee astronauts.
It is all in preparation for a trip to space which Professor Hawking hopes he will be able to make in his lifetime.
The 65-year-old, who is almost entirely paralysed, will have a team of medical experts alongside him during the journey which will see the pilot take the plane up to 10,000 metres at a 45 degree angle before plunging it back down to 2,500 metres.
Those onboard will experience weightlessness for approximately 30 seconds and Professor Hawking is looking forward to it.
'As someone who has studied gravity and black holes all of my life, I am excited to experience, first-hand, weightlessness and a zero-gravity environment,' he said in a statement.
If the flight on the plane, known as G-Force-One, proves successful, Professor Hawking hopes to become a space tourist in 2009.
Click here to plan and book flights, hotels, city breaks, rental cars and holidays with Opodo.
© Adfero Ltd
The author of A Brief History of Time will take to the skies in a special flight which is usually used by trainee astronauts.
It is all in preparation for a trip to space which Professor Hawking hopes he will be able to make in his lifetime.
The 65-year-old, who is almost entirely paralysed, will have a team of medical experts alongside him during the journey which will see the pilot take the plane up to 10,000 metres at a 45 degree angle before plunging it back down to 2,500 metres.
Those onboard will experience weightlessness for approximately 30 seconds and Professor Hawking is looking forward to it.
'As someone who has studied gravity and black holes all of my life, I am excited to experience, first-hand, weightlessness and a zero-gravity environment,' he said in a statement.
If the flight on the plane, known as G-Force-One, proves successful, Professor Hawking hopes to become a space tourist in 2009.
Click here to plan and book flights, hotels, city breaks, rental cars and holidays with Opodo.
© Adfero Ltd
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