The day Hawking got stripped of his disability

“Here I come, space” Stephen Hawking told himself as he crawled up the ramp with his wheelchair.
All of Kennedy Space Centre were cheering for the professor who had been confined to a wheelchair
for almost four decades. Hawking could not believe his luck of being able to feel space from the
safety of an aircraft. All of this happened on April 26, 2007.
“Why are you going on this zero-gravity flight?” asked one of the journalists prior to the flight.
Hawking replied, using his computer synthesised voice, "I have wanted to fly in space all of my life,"
and "for someone like me whose muscles don't work very well, it will be bliss to be weightless."

Figure 1: HAWKING PRIOR TAKING FLIGHT

(From: https://www.age-of-the-sage.org/scientist/stephen_hawking_zero-gravity.html)

The flight took place in G-Force One, a modified Boeing 727 aircraft in service with Zero Gravity Corp.
Prior to commencing a parabola shaped flight pattern, the aircraft flew at 24,000 feet, before
gradually rising to reach an altitude of 34,000 feet. Next, the aircraft piloted into a rapid descent,
where the passengers would feel 20-30 seconds of zero gravity. This process was repeated eight
times, totalling up to four minutes of weightlessness.

Hawking was accompanied by two doctors and three nurses. His health vitals were closely
monitored due to his vulnerability, and comfort. In the case Hawking wanted to communicate
beyond face expressions, his carers brought a list of alphabet cards with them.

Hawking was enthralled on the first weightlessness. When asked whether he was enjoying himself,
his eyebrows went up and there was an ear-to-ear grin. He later recalled, “People that know me well
will say it is the biggest grin they have ever seen on me.” Hawking was mentally speechless with joy
at this point. After the first experience of weightlessness, he indicated to his carers that he would
like to perform a 180 degree flip with his body. As he twirled around in the air like Superman, his
mind rolled back to the days when he was a teenager, when he had all the freedom he could ever
have wished for. Even the disease that had him confined for more than half of his life, couldn’t
prevent him from smiling during the entire trip.
The Zero Gravity flight was one of the most meaningful experience Hawking had ever come across. It
was a moment when Hawking truly felt stripped from his disability. He had retained these memories
until the last moment of his life.

Figure 2: Hawking experiencing Zero-Gravity

(From: https://www.age-of-the-sage.org/scientist/stephen_hawking_zero-gravity.html)

Bibliography
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Stephen Hawking gets taste of zero gravity. (2022, March 05). Retrieved from NewScientist:
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11730-stephen-hawking-gets-taste-of-zero-
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Stephen Hawking zero Gravity Flight. (2022, March 5). Retrieved from age of the sage:
https://www.age-of-the-sage.org/scientist/stephen_hawking_zero-gravity.html

The day that Stephen Hawking soared like Superman. (2022, March 05). Retrieved from BBC:
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