Eye on Science, Science Blog, Michael D. Lemonick, TIME

April 27, 2007 12:41

Hawking Goes into Space

Posted by Michael Lemonick | Comments (16) | Permalink | Trackbacks (0) | Email This

OK, slightly misleading headline. Stephen Hawking, the British astrophysicist who ponders the deep mysteries of time and gravity from within a body that's been totally paralyzed for several decades, didn't really go into space yesterday. He took a ride on a space-simulator: a Boeing 727 that flew up to an altitude of almost five miles, then plummeted for half a minute in a free fall that reproduces the sensation of orbiting the Earth. But it was a necessary walk-up, or float-up, to the suborbital space flight he plans to take in 2009 aboard a Virgin Galactic ship...assuming Richard Branson's most ambitious project to date actually takes off.

Hawking endured no fewer than eight plunges, and evidently wished he could have done more.

But actually, the headline is misleading in another way. Hawking has already been in space, aboard the Starship Enterprise.

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Reader Comments (16)

NANDLAL K PANCHOLI:

Spaceflight requires high level physical fitness so as to cope up with the space conditions which are quite diffent from our planet.Uri gagarin the first man in space must have felt out-of-wits kind of experience when he underwent a state of weightlessness in having been lifted from his seat and his body being floating in the spaceship.Hawking is simly trying to acquire physical fitness for the space flight he is likely to undertake in 2009.Space flights have become less thrilling than they used to be during USSR -USA space competition era.Since we have recently detected an earthlike planet in other solar-system with a possibility of life it would indeed be a real thrill to send a space mission there but considering the distance the same is not within the reach of our current space technology.

NANDLAL K PANCHOLI
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Posted by NANDLAL K PANCHOLI | April 29, 2007 12:44 PM

JOTHI NARAYANAN:

STIMULATION OF HAWK(ING) IN SPACE SIMULATOR.
In the recent past,Prof.Hawking made a remark that our blue planet is becoming not worth to live day by day due to pollution,global warming etc.He is strongly hoping on the success of space travel that will lead us one day to shift from this blue planet to the other planet of our choice.Apart from his immense contribution in quantum theory and relativity,he created a record by demonstrating that
'a person afflicted with MND/ALS could take such a
simulator exercise without any impact on his health'.
If he is able to complete the space trip in 2009 without harming his health,it will be a proof and he may become a subject for research in the future.Prof.Hawking has his mind and heart always on space but physically he is in the process of stimulating in the space- simulator.
We could call Pof. Stephen Hawking as Prof. Space Hawk(ing) and his prelude in the simulator as
'STIMULATION OF HAWK(ING) IN SPACE SIMULATOR'
phoenixjn@hotmail.com

Posted by JOTHI NARAYANAN | April 30, 2007 12:11 PM

Doug S.:

I believe the above comment refers to Stephen Hawking's quote: "Many people have asked me why I am taking this flight. I am doing it for many reasons. First of all, I believe that life on Earth is at an ever increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster such as sudden global warming, nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus, or other dangers. I think the human race has no future if it doesn't go into space. I therefore want to encourage public interest in space."

Is it right for a scientist known for his work in a specific field to use his persona and popularity to sway public opinion on a rather unrelated topic? Granted, Hawking is known for his role in popularizing science and summarizing large areas of specific knowledge, so he might be an exception to this rule. But in general, just because a scientist is well-known, does he or she have the right to express his opinion on things he or she has no particular expertise with?

--Interesting question. On one level, the answer is obviously yes. He has as much right to an opinion as you do, and as much right to express it. But it's true that when a celebrated scientist or a movie star or even a president expresses opinions outside of his or her expertise, people give them more weight than they deserve. I happen to be more sympathetic to Hawking's view than I am to Michael Crichton's idiotic pronouncements about global warming (can you tell?), but in both cases the principle really is the same.
M.L.

Posted by Doug S. | April 30, 2007 2:38 PM

Samantha:

Apparently Richard Branson is going up with him. The amount of money its costing him I would pay that just not to be stuck in the same lift as Richard Branson

Posted by Samantha | April 30, 2007 5:51 PM

JOTHI NARAYANAN:

Dear Doug S and M.L,
Quite agree with the opinion.When I read Hawking's
comments at first disappointed to certain degree.
When popular people make statement that sans any
strong reason make us often to feel embarrassed. Einstein made a statement that if there is a
third world war the fourth one will be fought with stones.-What a serious prediction on the effects of nuclear war!Probably,prof.Hawking tries to emphasize that the only way to escape
from the planet earth when it becomes unsuitable
to life is leaving the earth for the suitable planet.
Definitely his line of thinking doesn't match with the Einstein's.
Is he trying to formulate another theory by trying to synchronize his unstable condition with the external floating condition through this space travel?i.e Is it an experiment to make his system
a balan( balanced unbalanced)? We will wait till he completes his space travel.
phoenixjn@hotmail.com

Posted by JOTHI NARAYANAN | May 1, 2007 5:50 PM

JOTHI NARAYANAN:

Please read," Is it an experiment.....a balun(balanced unbalanced).phoenixjn@hotmail.com

Posted by JOTHI NARAYANAN | May 1, 2007 11:58 PM

Andrea:

I like Dr. Hawking. He makes me proud. Maybe a gurl who swow like me can go to space to.

Posted by Andrea | May 2, 2007 11:02 AM

n. ricketts:

I was overwhelmed with emotion just seeing the joy in Prof. Hawking's face as he floated, unrestrained, from this earth.
N. Ricketts

Posted by n. ricketts | May 2, 2007 3:49 PM

Casey Kazan:

Michael:

We did a companion piece to your post on Hawking called "The Hawking Solution -Will the Human Species Have to Leave Earth to Survive?" at today's www.dailygalaxy.com.

These have been a fascinating past couple of weeks for both space travel and discovery (Gliese 581c "Super Earth").

--I'll take a look, and I hope everyone else will too.
M.L.

Posted by Casey Kazan | May 9, 2007 1:02 PM

WMD:

however...its not wise to assume one should fix their hopes on obtaining another planet to destroy ,here is planet earth..abused for resources ,uncared for and deprived of intellect to sustain its survival....your not going anywhere,super earth you have one already, try looking after it,stop acting like a feasting plague ,you might realise the way forward sometimes needs to take a step back, without time on your side the whole idea is irrelevant.

Posted by WMD | May 9, 2007 10:52 PM

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