Arguably the world’s most celebrated scientist and one of the greatest minds in existence, Stephen Hawking, is heading to space. This comes after Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson’s 2015 statement, in which he had expressed his hopes of being able to carry Hawking to the stars one day. And now, he is finally making good on his word.
In his statement, Branson had said:
Professor Stephen Hawking is one of the people I admire most in the world, an undisputed genius who has opened our eyes to the wonders of the universe, while also happening to be a kind and delightful man. He is the only person I have given a free ticket with Virgin Galactic, and he is signed up to fly as a Future Astronaut with us if his health permits it.
Well, Hawking would probably be one of the people who know the most about the vast spaces, which have the distinction of having been visited by only a few humans. Although, even at 75 years of age, he won’t be the oldest person to have gone into space. However, he will be the first Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) patient to explore space.
For those who are unaware of it, ALS is a motor-neuron disease that leads to the death of the victim within five years of diagnosis. Hawking was diagnosed with the disease when he was just 21. However, breaking all the odds, Hawking went on to become arguably the most renowned scientist after Einstein and Newton. He is now the Director of Research at the Center for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge.
A list of his scientific works would include a collaboration with Roger Penrose on gravitational singularity theorems, the theoretical prediction that black holes emit radiation. He was also the first to set forth a theory of cosmology, which was later explained by a union of the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics.
He has also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest civilian award in the US.
Meanwhile, Hawking is as happy as could be. Speaking on the topic with Good Morning Britain, he said that he had never thought that such a thing would ever be possible. However, thanks to the Virgin group, it will soon be possible.
Hawking’s association with the Virgin group goes way back. For instance, just last year he unveiled the name of the SpaceShipTwo craft. Speaking about the VSS Unity, he had said that the spaceship will:
will help bring new meaning to our place on Earth and to our responsibilities as its stewards, and it will help us to recognize our place and our future in the cosmos — which is where I believe our ultimate destiny lies.
Meanwhile, organizations like the Virgin Galactic stand as a testament to the culmination of the efforts of the human race. It will indeed be a proud moment for humanity when Stephen Hawking, someone whose research has a huge role in propelling the forward the march of humanity, will be able to experience the fruits of science, firsthand.
