CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., March 1 (UPI) -- British cosmologist Stephen Hawking said he plans to ride the so-called vomit comet aircraft in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Hawking said he plans to ride the special Boeing 727-200, which takes passengers on thrill rides that include periods of zero-gravity weightlessness, April 26, courtesy of the Zero Gravity Corporation, The New York Times reported Thursday. The corporation is fronting Hawking's bill, which would total $3,500 for a paying customer.
Peter Diamandis, chief executive of Zero G, said "the idea of giving the world's expert on gravity the opportunity to experience zero gravity" was irresistible.
Hawking said he hopes his voyage will help encourage public interest in space travel, which he said is an important part of humanity's future.
"I also want to show," he said, "that people need not be limited by physical handicaps as long as they are not disabled in spirit."
