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Hawking to Take Zero Gravity Ride
An anonymous reader writes "Well-known cosmologist Stephen Hawking is preparing for a once-in a lifetime trip. His goals are for even higher ground, but right now he's readying for an April zero gravity ride aboard NASA's 'vomit comet'. His ultimate goal is to take a ride on one of Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic flights, and this is a 'test run' for that more rigorous experience. Though complex math ain't no thing for Dr. Hawking, his interests here are purely inspirational. 'Hawking says he wants to encourage public interest in spaceflight, which he believes is critical to the future of humanity. "I also want to show," he said in an e-mail interview, "that people need not be limited by physical handicaps as long as they are not disabled in spirit."'"
only problem is the vomit comit doesn't have a handicapped accessable bathroom
Does this mean that anyone can get to go for a ride?
I was under the impression you had to have a certain level of fitness and stamina.
I also cannot get the thought of the south park kid shouting "Timmmeh!" whilst riding the shuttle.
liqbase
Okay sorry, couldn't resist!
He's getting ready for his new album and is shooting video on these flights
http://www.mchawking.com/
back in the day we didnt have no old school
...If he is, why would he be using the term "zero gee"? The submitter, I can understand...
How about those tax problems with accepting prizes of "space trip"?
Yes, we're supposed to pay taxes on things won in a give away, but the dude refusing a trip due to 25K$ is just sad.
Who else, in the mass of average Joes can even afford to contemplate a space trip?
ion-booster propelled wheelchair jokes in 5... ;)
4...
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1...
IGNITION!
"All you have to do is be fragile and grateful. So stay the underdog." Chuck Palahniuk, Choke
http://shinymedia.headshift.com/images/images/bust doctor.jpg
http://www.rense.com/general79/wdx1.htm
...I find Hawking's life an immense inspiration. Rock on dude, show the world what a man can do, even if almost completely paralized! FTW!
"The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
Says it all really.
What the? I would totally love to roll with an ion-booster propelled wheelchair. It'd be better than the Chevy I am driving. >:(
"All you have to do is be fragile and grateful. So stay the underdog." Chuck Palahniuk, Choke
...would claim the flight crippled him and sue the plane owners ;-)
Table-ized A.I.
Fry: Stephen Hawking! Aren't you the guy who invented gravity?
Hawking: Sure, why not.
End transmission.
... he should be able to book a ride into space from these people - and they will guarantee he won't be vomiting.
There is no difference between zero gravity and free fall in a gravitational field. None whatsoever. That is, there is no experiment which will be able to distinguish between these to different cases. So, yes, the term "zero g" is perfectly valid.
This news is unacceptably OLD. This has been a well known fact for weeks or more.
OLD>>>>>>>>>>>
Slashdot--
While I respect the man, I'm a bit baffled by things like this "he wants to encourage public interest in spaceflight, which he believes is critical to the future of humanity."
The "future" covers a huge amount of time, so I'm not sure we need to take interest in space exploration *now*. If I was the one spending money, I'll put most of the credit into Drexler's style nanotechnology research, once we 'master' nanotechnology, then tackling space exploration makes sense as either:
- at best a space elevator becomes possible and space access cost are reduced a lot,
- at worst a space elevator is impossible, but the improved materials should still reduce the cost of space access a lot and the payload themselves would be lighter.
I thought the rich guy who wanted to pay NASA $20 million to fly with them was bringing in interest, but I guess he's not good enough.
Apology to Ubuntu forum.
My only hope is that they video tape the whole thing. He must know what he's in for. I can only imagine what he'll say after the whole ordeal is over...
'Despite my intelligence I must say it was a rather bad choice to bring my wheelchair into the plane. Intially everything went well unill I fell out and kicked myself in the back of the head, then my chair followed suit. I've been forced to change most of my theories on gravity because of this. I strongly discourage anyone wishing to experience zero g. It is more trouble than it's worth'
I don't own a snook, and if I did I wouldn't leave it cocked.
No. There is absolutely no difference between free fall in a gravitational field and absence of a gravitational field. This is the famous Equivalence Principle of General Relativitiy. This link gives more detail: http://galileo.phys.virginia.edu/classes/252/gener al_relativity.html
So there exists no difference at all between free fall and zero gravity. As for your second point, no experiment can distinguish between the two cases. So no observation can differentiate between the two.
The average g-load is 1g, so you typically get 0g for 25 seconds, and 2g for 25 seconds and some time in between.
I am sure Hawkins will handle 0g, but I wonder how he will feel during the 25 seconds of 2g. That is stressful even for a healthy person.
Slamming on the brakes in a Porsche on a good track going from 250km/h down to 0 is a change from 1g to 1.28g (sqrt(1^2+0.8^2), so the vomit comet is 7 times that! You are certainly smacked into the floor hard, even with assistants.
don't cut it off www.mgmbill.org
I've been on that flight (courtesy of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which got to show video of me losing my lunch in return). It's a lot of fun. I hope Professor Hawking enjoys his ride.
Anyone who wants to can go on Zero G's flights, as long as they don't have a medical problem that gets in the way - and they have a doctor on staff who goes over your medical history before you go. All it takes is $3750.
Disinfect the GNU General Public Virus!
In space, he will be able to throw his chair
...plan on bringing any wasabi
Well, to be fair, with an incredible amount of brilliance, so he can find a job where physical work is almost entirely unneccassary. It's not like he's an average guy just making it in the world. Sort of like ol Chris Reeves. All his story really means is that if you're extremely rich, you can expect to get treatments that far exceed what others would get. And since all the effort he puts into that directly helps him, I guess the most you can say is that he's not a wimp.
Anyhow, I didn't mean to be downer, and Hawking is obviously a very impressive person, but he's hardly a role model for the disabled... because he's a man of near singular abilities. If Kobe Bryant had been born in the ghetto, he can hardly be a role model to your average poor kid, because none of them could ever become wealthy by being great basketball players because they don't have his abilities. You see?
Relax I just want some peanuts.
I bet the jerk Hawking hates crackpots and anthropocidal maniacs too.
My Calendar doesn't have an April zero.
Sitting in a chair, the seat exerts a normal force g upwards against you while the field of gravity exerts a gravitational force g downwards. You feel your presence in the seat. When free-falling gravity is the only force acting on you, so you don't feel a normal force. Zero g. Same reason why you feel "gees" when turning in a car.
FTFA:
"On April 26, Hawking, surrounded by a medical entourage, is to take a zero-gravity ride out of Cape Canaveral on a so-called vomit comet, a padded aircraft that flies a roller-coaster trajectory to produce periods of weightlessness. He is getting his lift gratis, from Zero Gravity, a company that has been flying thrill seekers on a special Boeing 727-200 since 2004 at $3,500 a trip."
Zero Gravity is taking him up... NOT NASA. It's NOT the Vomit Comet (NASA's plane).
From a better article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17156385/page/2/
"Parabolic flights can pose a risk of motion sickness or more serious health effects, but Zero Gravity's flights have been structured to minimize the risk. During a typical flight, Zero Gravity's "G-Force One" jet makes a gradual transition to weightless parabolas, and provides significantly fewer bouts of weightlessness than NASA's "Vomit Comet" jet. "
"Dictator Flakes. They WILL be delicious."
""I also want to show," he said in an e-mail interview, "that people need not be limited by physical handicaps as long as they are not disabled in spirit."'"
but, I thought tony hawking already practiced zero gravity on a skateboard... oh, n/m
only problem is the vomit comit doesn't have a handicapped accessable bathroom
I'm sure NASA will issue him an adequate supply of their now-famous adult diapers.
He's not riding on the Vomet Comet, he's riding on an imitation by some tourist startup out of Ft. Lauderdale. Check the wikipedia article on Vomit Comet.
Dekker Dreyer
Am I wrong in assuming that he can't feel anything across most of his body? Isn't that going to impact his ability to experience zero gravity? We all become aware of weight and what it means by supporting our body weight or other objects. Since he can not support his own weight, or lift other objects can he really understand what what weight is?
At first it was kind of silly, but now that I'm thinking about it it pretty deep...
If you must!
He is to science of the next generation, what jesus was to everyone else.
They're using their grammar skills there.
Way to go, Doc! If Branson won't pony up the fare gratis, I'd be willing to chip in for the ticket. (Not that Hawking needs the gelt.) As for his physical condition, if he's not concerned, why should anyone else be?
mweep:the sound made by the system bell on a SPARC workstation.
I can't feel my legs!
Because really, even without this trip, his whole life has been a demonstration of that sentence.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
No, his sensation of touch and pain are pretty well normal. It is his coordination that is shot.
I hope he takes a metal rod with him.
It helped Homer...
He's a living legend. Gwaaan my son ! Big up the Cambridge crew !