Prof. Stephen Hawking Experiences the Freedom of WeightlessnessDuring Historic Zero-Gravity Flight (Forwarded)

Zero Gravity Corporation

Contact:
Rosalie Huerta/Lourdes Diaz
M. Silver Associates Inc.
(954) 765-3636

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 26, 2007

Professor Stephen Hawking Experiences the Freedom of Weightlessness During
Historic Zero-Gravity Flight Out of Kennedy Space Center

Flight Raises More Than $144,000 for Charitable Organizations Serving
Children, the Disabled, and Science and Space

Momentous Flight Sponsored by Space Florida and The Sharper Image

CAPE CANAVERAL, FL -- Zero Gravity Corporation (ZERO-G®), and its
sponsors, Space Florida and The Sharper Image, successfully flew
world-renowned physicist, cosmologist, and best-selling author Professor
Stephen Hawking into weightlessness today, performing eight parabolas, out
of the Kennedy Space Center today. It was the first time Professor
Hawking, the world's leading expert on gravity, had an opportunity to
experience zero gravity. The ZERO-G ExperienceTM fight with Professor
Hawking took off from the Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space
Center in Central Florida.

"It was amazing. The zero-g part was wonderful," said Professor Stephen
Hawking. "I could have gone on and on -- space here I come!"

Hawking added, "I recommend the experience to everyone and I hope that
many will follow me and experience weightlessness. There are a few people
and organizations I would like to thank. First I'd like to thank Zero
Gravity Corporation, The Shaper Image and Peter Diamandis for arranging
this for me. Second, I'd like to thank Space Florida and the NASA Kennedy
Space Center for being my host. The Space Shuttle Landing Facility is the
first step to the moon and Mars. It is very special for me, to fly into
weightlessness from here."

"Professor Hawking's expression said it all -- the grins of sheer joy and
excitement he displayed were unmistakable and no different than the
giddiness and fun that all of our flyers experience," said Dr. Peter H.
Diamandis, CEO and Co-Founder of ZERO-G, "For me personally, and for all
of us at ZERO-G, it has been a complete honor and thrill to give Professor
Hawking this opportunity to fulfill one of his lifelong dreams."

Professor Hawking did not fly with his wheelchair, rather, he was placed
flat on his back, on the specially padded floor in the center of the large
open cabin at the start of each parabola. He then floated up into the
center of the cabin. ZERO-G co-founders Dr. Peter H. Diamandis (pictured
right [http://www.gozerog.com/images/Hawking_001.jpg (4.4MB)]), and
astronaut Byron Lichtenberg were positioned alongside of Hawking as he
floated weightless (pictured left) with the assistance of nurse
practitioner Nicola O'Brien, then carefully guide him slowly back down to
the floor during the return to normal gravity. The onboard flight's crew
and staff included four physicians, two of which are members of Hawking's
own medical team.

The Hawking flight was also organized as a benefit for several charitable
organizations, namely Easter Seals (www.easterseals.com); the Starlight
Starbright Children's Foundation (www.starlight.org); the X PRIZE
Foundation (www.xprize.org) and Augie's Quest (www.augiesquest.org).
ZERO-G donated two seats aboard the Hawking flight to each group, for them
to then auction off. Altogether, the charities raised $144,000, which
included $75,000 raised by the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation
for the two tickets it auctioned on eBay. In addition to the flight
itself, the donors and other passengers that participated also enjoyed a
Space Florida-sponsored dinner and lecture by Professor Hawking at the JW
Marriott in Orlando on Wednesday evening, April 25.

In preparation for the actual flight, Zero Gravity Corporation scheduled a
training flight yesterday, Wednesday, April 25, 2007. The flight included
Professor Hawking's personal staff, medical team, a Hawking body-double
and ZERO-G's coaching team. Space Florida, the organization charged with
promoting commercial space in the state of Florida, served as the flight's
education sponsor and selected a Florida teacher and student to
participate in this experience.

Ted Straight, an 8th grader at Stone Middle School in Melbourne, FL of
similar height, weight and build as Professor Hawking, had the prestigious
honor of serving as Hawking's stand-in, or body-double, on yesterday's
training flight. Susan Harris, a teacher at Hill-Gustat Middle School in
Highlands County, FL, participated in both the training flight and the
flight with Professor Hawking, during which she served as a flight coach.
Harris is recording and sharing her experience on the Hawking flight via a
blog on the ZERO-G site -- www.gozerog.com .

Said Steve Kohler, Executive Director of Space Florida, "We are proud to
be a part of this unique event, as well as the sponsor of last night's
pre-flight dinner and lecture by Prof. Hawking. Florida has been the
aerospace leader in the past and through our partnerships with innovative
companies like ZERO-G, we will continue to be the global leader in space
research, development, exploration and commerce."

The Sharper Image, who co-sponsored this flight, recently announced that
it will be selling ZERO-G flights commercially through its 187 retail
locations nationwide. Individuals interested in purchasing seats can do so
by visiting The Sharper Image stores or website, or by going to
www.gozerog.com .

Prof. Hawking's best selling books, "A Brief History of Time" and "Black
Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays" examines the basic laws,
history and future of the universe. Hawking is known for his contributions
to the fields of cosmology and quantum gravity, especially in the context
of black holes. He has also made public his interest in experiencing
weightlessness, and the importance of space as the next frontier for human
population.

The ZERO-G Experience consists of a brief training session for flyers
(ZERO-G passengers) followed by a 90-minute flight aboard G-FORCE ONE,
during which parabolic maneuvers are performed. The controlled ascent and
descent of the plane allows flyers to experience gravity on Mars
(1/3-gravity); the moon (1/6-gravity); and in zero-g space. Since
launching its service to the general public in September 2004, the company
has conducted more than 100 weightless flights and flown more than 2,500
passengers, including celebrities and personalities, corporate charters,
science and math teachers, and individuals age 12 to 85.

G-FORCE ONE is a specially-modified, 35-passenger Boeing 727-200, and The
ZERO-G ExperienceTM is the only FAA-approved weightless flight experience
available to the general public. The weightless flights are similar to
those conducted by NASA for more than 40 years to train its astronauts.
ZERO-G was recently granted FAA approval to fly individuals with
disabilities. ZERO-G operates under the highest safety standards as set by
the FAA (Part-121) with its partner Amerijet International. Aircraft
operations take place under the same regulations set for commercial
passenger airlines.

About ZERO-G

Zero Gravity Corporation (www.GoZeroG.com) is a privately held space
entertainment and tourism company whose mission is to make the excitement
and adventure of space accessible to the public. ZERO-G is based in
Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada, and is the first and only FAA-approved
provider of weightless flight to the general public, as well as the
entertainment and film industries; corporate and incentive market;
non-profit research and education sectors; and government. For more
information about ZERO-G, please visit http://www.GoZeroG.com or call
(800) ZERO-G-800.

On Fri, 27 Apr 2007 16:16:29 GMT, Andrew Yee
wrote:

"It was amazing. The zero-g part was wonderful," said Professor Stephen
Hawking. "I could have gone on and on -- space here I come!"

....I notice that there's really no commentary on whether or not he
"regained" any semblance of mobility in his extremities during the
brief zero-g moments. After all, one of the features postulated by
those supporting "cities in space" is that low and/or zero-g areas
could be set aside so those who are invalid like Hawking could regain
use of limbs that otherwise could not function where gravity was
concerned.

OM
--
]=====================================[
] OMBlog - http://www.io.com/~o_m/omworld [
] Let's face it: Sometimes you *need* [
] an obnoxious opinion in your day! [
]=====================================[

On Apr 27, 12:20 pm, OM wrote:
On Fri, 27 Apr 2007 16:16:29 GMT, Andrew Yee

wrote:
"It was amazing. The zero-g part was wonderful," said Professor Stephen
Hawking. "I could have gone on and on -- space here I come!"

...I notice that there's really no commentary on whether or not he
"regained" any semblance of mobility in his extremities during the
brief zero-g moments. After all, one of the features postulated by
those supporting "cities in space" is that low and/or zero-g areas
could be set aside so those who are invalid like Hawking could regain
use of limbs that otherwise could not function where gravity was
concerned.

OM
--
]=====================================[
] OMBlog -http://www.io.com/~o_m/omworld [
] Let's face it: Sometimes you *need* [
] an obnoxious opinion in your day! [
]=====================================[

Well...the article was a nice ad for "Zero-G" anyway...

"OM" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 27 Apr 2007 16:16:29 GMT, Andrew Yee
wrote:

"It was amazing. The zero-g part was wonderful," said Professor Stephen
Hawking. "I could have gone on and on -- space here I come!"

...I notice that there's really no commentary on whether or not he
"regained" any semblance of mobility in his extremities during the
brief zero-g moments. After all, one of the features postulated by
those supporting "cities in space" is that low and/or zero-g areas
could be set aside so those who are invalid like Hawking could regain
use of limbs that otherwise could not function where gravity was
concerned.

Considering the short periods of zero gravity you experience on these
flights, I seriously doubt it. If you really wanted to experiment with
this, I would think you'd want to send people into LEO for months at a time.
I'm sure if you were a billionaire, you could fund this program yourself and
get Bigelow to build you an inflatable space station to use for zero gravity
physical therapy.

Jeff
--
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a
little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor
safety"
- B. Franklin, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (1919)

Jeff Findley wrote:
"OM" wrote in message
...

On Fri, 27 Apr 2007 16:16:29 GMT, Andrew Yee
wrote:


"It was amazing. The zero-g part was wonderful," said Professor Stephen
Hawking. "I could have gone on and on -- space here I come!"

...I notice that there's really no commentary on whether or not he
"regained" any semblance of mobility in his extremities during the
brief zero-g moments. After all, one of the features postulated by
those supporting "cities in space" is that low and/or zero-g areas
could be set aside so those who are invalid like Hawking could regain
use of limbs that otherwise could not function where gravity was
concerned.


Considering the short periods of zero gravity you experience on these
flights, I seriously doubt it. If you really wanted to experiment with
this, I would think you'd want to send people into LEO for months at a time.
I'm sure if you were a billionaire, you could fund this program yourself and
get Bigelow to build you an inflatable space station to use for zero gravity
physical therapy.

Y'know what _I_ was wondering just now...if one of these big shots can
afford to have _themselves_ shot into orbit, why couldn't they spring
for Stephen Hawking? ...assuming there aren't all sorts of physiological
issues that would prevent his going.


--

..

"Though I could not caution all, I yet may warn a few:
Don't lend your hand to raise no flag atop no ship of fools!"

--grateful dead.
__________________________________________________ _____________
Mike Flugennock, flugennock at sinkers dot org
"Mikey'zine": dubya dubya dubya dot sinkers dot org

On Fri, 27 Apr 2007 18:44:09 -0400, in a place far, far away, mike
flugennock made the phosphor on my monitor
glow in such a way as to indicate that:


Y'know what _I_ was wondering just now...if one of these big shots can
afford to have _themselves_ shot into orbit, why couldn't they spring
for Stephen Hawking? ...assuming there aren't all sorts of physiological
issues that would prevent his going.

They could. Why would they? I wouldn't.

A taste of space could boost tourism
Astrophysicist Stephen Hawking's zero-gravity flight was meant to send a
message to the public at large: It could happen to you, too.
BY MARTIN MERZER AND PHIL LONG

Each jolt of adventure lasted just 25 seconds, but renowned astrophysicist
Stephen Hawking loosened the bonds of gravity -- and a paralyzing illness --
Thursday and joined a pioneering corps of private citizen-astronauts.

Hawking floated high above the Kennedy Space Center and Atlantic Ocean
aboard a jetliner modified to withstand steep plunges and deliver quick
bursts of weightlessness and wonderment.

The Peter Pan-like experience, intended to delight him and publicize a
private firm, also demonstrated the growing allure and potential of space
tourism -- orbital, suborbital and pseudo-orbital flights for
super-adventurous regular folk.

''The allure is to do something that throughout history only very, very,
very few people have been able to do,'' said former astronaut Winston Scott,
a South Florida native. ``Something that is exciting, something that is
beyond the realm of imagination for most people.''

Though now reserved for NASA-trained astronauts, Russian cosmonauts and the
mega-wealthy, spaceflight is beginning to glide within reach of others.

''I want to demonstrate to the public that anybody can participate in this
type of weightless experience,'' Hawking, 65, who suffers from the
debilitating illness ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, said during a
news conference.

Well, anyone can participate after paying $3,675 (including tax) for a
flight like Hawking's aboard a plane operated by Zero Gravity Corp., which
has offices in Fort Lauderdale, Cape Canaveral and Las Vegas.

Or $200,000 for an eventual hop along the edge of space.

Or $25 million for a 13-day visit to the International Space Station.

Pricey, to be sure, but truly an out-of-this-world experience. Just ask
Charles Simonyi, the latest of five gazillionaires who paid between $20
million and $25 million for a berth aboard the space station and a unique
view of the home planet.

''If anything, it has made me more optimistic,'' Simonyi wrote in a Web
posting from space before his return Saturday. ``Far from looking small,
fragile and polluted, from our orbit, the Earth appears majestic and calm,
with pure colors.''

And the more pedestrian 25-second interludes of weightlessness enjoyed by
Hawking and about 2,700 other people since 2004?

''It's an amazing experience,'' said Peter Diamondis, Zero Gravity's
chairman. ``It is unlike anything you have ever felt. It is a very blissful.
Fun. It's like flying in your dreams.''

Hawking, an author and mathematics professor at the University of Cambridge,
is famous for his work on black holes and the origin of the universe.
Because of his illness, he is unable to move his hands and legs and can
speak only through a computer's synthesized voice.

Nevertheless, riding in a Boeing 727 equipped with pads to absorb
inadvertent encounters with the inside of the fuselage, he, his doctors and
others enjoyed eight parabolic plunges that produced a phenomenon called
microgravity and weightlessness.

Hawking said he seized the opportunity not just for the fun of it but also
because he is a strong proponent of private spaceflight.

Zero Gravity is the only government-approved provider of weightless flight
to the general public. It operates planes from the Kennedy Space Center, Las
Vegas, the New York City area and Long Beach, Calif.

Other firms, however, are aiming even higher -- even as NASA keeps
struggling with the trouble-prone space shuttle and its eventual successor.

Among them:

.. Space Adventures Limited, which works with the Russian space agency to
book flights aboard Soyuz spacecraft to the space station. All five private
visitors to the station have arranged the trips through Space Adventures.

.. Virgin Galactic, run by British airline mogul Richard Branson. It plans to
carry passengers on relatively brief suborbital flights on ships modeled on
SpaceShipOne, the rocket plane that won a $10 million prize in 2004 by
taking a human into space twice within two weeks. The firm hopes to serve
private passengers by 2009, charging about $200,000 per person, but it
already has endured delays.

.. Interorbital Systems, which also expects to begin operations in 2009 but
plans full, 90-minute orbits of the planet. The cost: $2 million, but you
can buy a special promotional fare for $250,000 -- and it will be refunded,
the company says, two years after your flight.

In essence, that becomes a loan and it illustrates the financial,
technological, legal and regulatory obstacles confronting spaceflight
entrepreneurs and those who would buy tickets.

Still, as Hawking demonstrated Thursday, a start is under way and almost
certainly will lead to a higher place.

''It is no longer just the government and just a select group of a hundred
astronauts who can can participate in these activities,'' Diamondis said.

Said Scott: ``What you see here with Zero-G and space tourism is just the
fundamental step of what's going to be a lucrative spaceflight tourism
business out in the future. I think it is exciting.''
http://www.miamiherald.com/519/story/88268.html


s


This article was posted in its entirety since the US Supreme Court
considers internet chat as First Amendment protected conversations
not publishing. Since I am not a commercial entity, I can and will
post whatever I like, wherever I like, any time I like. In full or
in part, with or without citation or links to the original source.


Reno v ACLU

"Judge Dalzell's review of "the special attributes of Internet
communication"
disclosed by the evidence convinced him that the First Amendment denies
Congress the power to regulate the content of protected speech on the
Internet. Id., at 867"... "and concluded that the Internet-as "the most
participatory form of mass speech yet developed," id., at 883-is
entitled to "the highest protection from governmental intrusion,"
ibid.(30)"
http://www2.epic.org/cda/cda_decision.html

Rand Simberg wrote:
On Fri, 27 Apr 2007 18:44:09 -0400, in a place far, far away, mike
flugennock made the phosphor on my monitor
glow in such a way as to indicate that:



Y'know what _I_ was wondering just now...if one of these big shots can
afford to have _themselves_ shot into orbit, why couldn't they spring
for Stephen Hawking? ...assuming there aren't all sorts of physiological
issues that would prevent his going.


They could. Why would they? I wouldn't.

I'll bet Mr. Branson would get himself and Virgin Galactic all the
positive publicity they could handle out of it.

--

..

"Though I could not caution all, I yet may warn a few:
Don't lend your hand to raise no flag atop no ship of fools!"

--grateful dead.
__________________________________________________ _____________
Mike Flugennock, flugennock at sinkers dot org
"Mikey'zine": dubya dubya dubya dot sinkers dot org

mike flugennock wrote in
ervers.com:

Rand Simberg wrote:
On Fri, 27 Apr 2007 18:44:09 -0400, in a place far, far away, mike
flugennock made the phosphor on my monitor
glow in such a way as to indicate that:



Y'know what _I_ was wondering just now...if one of these big shots
can afford to have _themselves_ shot into orbit, why couldn't they
spring for Stephen Hawking? ...assuming there aren't all sorts of
physiological issues that would prevent his going.


They could. Why would they? I wouldn't.

I'll bet Mr. Branson would get himself and Virgin Galactic all the
positive publicity they could handle out of it.

Branson already beat you to the idea:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?
xml=/news/2007/04/27/whawk127.xml


--
JRF

Reply-to address spam-proofed - to reply by E-mail,
check "Organization" (I am not assimilated) and
think one step ahead of IBM.

"mike flugennock" wrote in message
ervers.com...
Jeff Findley wrote:
"OM" wrote in message
...

On Fri, 27 Apr 2007 16:16:29 GMT, Andrew Yee
wrote:


"It was amazing. The zero-g part was wonderful," said Professor Stephen
Hawking. "I could have gone on and on -- space here I come!"

...I notice that there's really no commentary on whether or not he
"regained" any semblance of mobility in his extremities during the
brief zero-g moments. After all, one of the features postulated by
those supporting "cities in space" is that low and/or zero-g areas
could be set aside so those who are invalid like Hawking could regain
use of limbs that otherwise could not function where gravity was
concerned.


Considering the short periods of zero gravity you experience on these
flights, I seriously doubt it. If you really wanted to experiment with
this, I would think you'd want to send people into LEO for months at a
time. I'm sure if you were a billionaire, you could fund this program
yourself and get Bigelow to build you an inflatable space station to use
for zero gravity physical therapy.

Y'know what _I_ was wondering just now...if one of these big shots can
afford to have _themselves_ shot into orbit, why couldn't they spring for
Stephen Hawking? ...assuming there aren't all sorts of physiological
issues that would prevent his going.

Unfortunately, there probably are. :-/

Professor Hawking had a team of medical specialists monitoring him during
the flight. And w/o the aid of his usual communication equipment, they were
woried he might not be able to communicate problems.

I think a long duration flight would be challanging and risky. But
eventually it'll be done.

As for regaining limb movement, consider (as I recall) ALS basically
destroys the controlling nerves, I don't see how Zero-G would really help.




--

.

"Though I could not caution all, I yet may warn a few:
Don't lend your hand to raise no flag atop no ship of fools!"

--grateful dead.
__________________________________________________ _____________
Mike Flugennock, flugennock at sinkers dot org
"Mikey'zine": dubya dubya dubya dot sinkers dot org


--
Greg Moore
SQL Server DBA Consulting Remote and Onsite available!
Email: sql (at) greenms.com http://www.greenms.com/sqlserver.html