The flight took off at 21:30 (Thursday, 26/4/07) and lasted over an hour. During which Hawking experienced several events of lack of gravity * Update: link to the video
A video describing Hawking's flight (on the BBC website)
The British physicist Stephen Hawking left this evening to take a flight in a plane that allowed it to be in zero gravity. The plane simulates the experience of zero gravity for 25 second periods in the loops it performs over the Atlantic Ocean. The plane took off today (Thursday) at 21:30 Israel time. The flight lasted over an hour, during which Hawking experienced zero gravity several times. His doctors initially believed that even once would be an achievement for the paralyzed scientist.
During the diving phase of the loops, Hawking floated freely without being restricted by his paralyzed muscles and his wheelchair. The American company Zero Gravity normally charges a fare of $3,750 from its passengers but it donated the airfare to a physicist from Cambridge. "He wasn't given many years to live when he was diagnosed with a disease that impairs movement when he was 22 years old, in the sixties. "I wanted all my life to fly in space," said Prof. Hawking. "For someone like me whose muscles don't work well, a lack of gravity can be a positive thing." added
The plane took off from the Space Shuttle runway at the Kennedy Space Center. Hawking is supposed to get out of the chair and it will be possible to place him on the floor of the plane during the climb into the sky, in preparation for the first dive. The following dives were possible only after two doctors and two nurses accompanying him were sure that he was not suffering from any injury.
The interior of the plane is padded to protect the floaters and is equipped with cameras that record the adventure. "For us, one 25-second dive will mark the success of the mission," says Peter Diamandis, CEO of Zero Gravity, before the flight. "More than one dive would be really fantastic."
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Yes, Ami, it is clear that gravity is felt through the ear. My question, as I also wrote, was what was the nervous condition of the sick professor. As you know, what causes this feeling are nerves located in the inner ear.
Apparently he did feel the lack of attraction, and enjoyed the whole experience (so, anyway, according to his facial expressions and words), and for that I'm glad. (Let us not know of trouble, what cursed disease has afflicted him).
In any case, he said upon leaving the flight "space - here I come", which proves, in my opinion, the main point of my words in the article. This whole flight was a "spin" (excuse the word) just to promote the only thing that interests him - reaching space, and for that he must prove that he will meet the health criteria.
The force of gravity is felt through the ear.
Not that I'm cynical, nor mean-spirited, but one has to wonder how unattractive Hawking can really feel. After all, the person is paralyzed in his whole body, except for the eyelids (I don't know if he has sensations and only the muscles are not functioning, if the muscle atrophy is due to a nerve problem).
In any case, it seems to me that this is just "paying lip service" in order to allow him to fly into space. Hawking has already expressed his desire to be in space (that he wants to see the Earth from the outside I definitely understand) and it is known that there are very strict health criteria regarding the fitness to participate in such a journey (criteria that Hawking does not even come close to). Astronauts usually take such a flight, as Hawking did, as part of their pre-space training. So I think he did it just to promote the only thing that really interests him.
And good luck to him.
No, it only got better for those tens of seconds of floating in zero gravity.
Excellent.
To my father - does this mean that now Hawking's gravity will improve?