Stephen Hawking is one of the most accomplished living physicist in the world having earned countless awards including a CBE, CH, Hughes, Heineman Prize and more, but he wishes to achieve one thing that no Earthly prize can grant: go to space.
Accepting an offer from billionaire Richard Branson,the world renowned 75-year old scientist will board a Virgin Galactic space flight as Hawking revealed himself in Good Morning Britain: “I thought no-one would take me but Richard Branson has offered me a seat on Virgin Galactic, and I said yes immediately.”
The trip of course, depends on whether Stephen Hawking’s health permits the trip as it can be taxing to the body, let alone on a 75-year old with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The flight will be onboard Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity SpaceShipTwo craft designed to carry up to eight people (including two pilots). All those onboard are granted astronaut status once reaching space, although the model was designed specifically to carry space tourists.
Stephen Hawking himself announced the unveiling of the ship in February last year (although he was not present to attend), in a four minute recorded video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I87wIVudw9k
“It will help bring new meaning to our place on Earth and to our responsibilities as its stewards, and it will help us to recognise our place and our future in the cosmos — which is where I believe our ultimate destiny lies.”
Several weeks ago, SpaceX has also announced plans to send tourists into space, stating that they will be taking two private citizens who also paid for the trip, around the moon in 2018.
