Stephen Hawking Experiences Zero-Gravity

KPBS | By KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published May 9, 2007 at 9:19 AM PDT

This story was published more than 16 years ago.

World renowned physicist Stephen Hawking recently fulfilled a dream of floating freely in zero-gravity. The doctor who accompanied him speaks about his role in Hawking's zero-gravity flight, and about

Alison St John (Guest Host): There's something about weightlessness that is very exhilarating, according to everyone who's tried it! World famous physicist Steven Hawkins created headlines recently when he became the first person with a disability to experience zero-gravity.

Hawkins is paralyzed and can't speak, but he is reported to have smiled and smiled as he floated , freed from gravity's pull on his body. But preparing for the experience was a major operation for his attendants, and the man invited to go along to make sure it was a safe ride for him was Dr. Erik Viirre of UCSD.

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Guest

Dr. Erik Viirre , adjunct associate professor of surgery/otolaryngology and cognitive science at the UCSD School of Medicine, specializing in diseases of the inner ear.