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].

FMI: www.gozerog.com