British physicist Stephen Hawking has always been an overachiever, particularly considering his disability - and when he goes up today for what he hopes will be his first moments of not being supported in almost four decades, he won't be content with mere success.
He made that clear at a news conference today out here at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, just a couple of hours before he boards a modified Boeing 727 jet for a historic zero-gravity flight.
Hawking's big adventure is organized by Zero Gravity Corp., which offers the weightless flights and invited the physicist to fly for free - as a "first step" helping Hawking advance toward his goal of flying in outer space.
At the press conference, Zero Gravity's co-founder and chief executive officer, Peter Diamandis, said he'd be happy if Hawking experienced just one brief fling in weightlessness.
"Our mission today is to get Professor Hawking weightless for 25 or 30 seconds," he told a gaggle of reporters. "If we come back - when we come back - with that accomplishment, we will have success."
Diamandis went on to say, "If we do more than that, fantastic." But Hawking was already working away at his gesture-controlled computer, and his synthesized voice popped up with a "No" - sparking a round of laughter.
As Hawking grinned, Diamandis amended his remarks: "I can tell you, in conversations with Professor Hawking, he asked, 'How many parabolas can I do?' I know he has a desire for doing substantially more than one, but we will balance those desires against medical safety."
Four physicians and two of Hawking's personal nurses will be aboard the plane watching out for him, and he will be hooked up with EKG wires, a blood pressure cuff and a blood oxygen monitor. The physicist's lead physician from Britain, Edwin Chilvers, said that a "mini-intensive care unit" could be set up aboard the plane if Hawking experienced any serious problems - and the zero-G portion of the flight would be stopped immediately if Hawking signaled that he wasn't up to it.
But Chilvers said he expected things to go smoothly - at least for the minimum success that Diamandis was talking about. And he marveled at Hawking's enthusiasm and drive.
"Professor Hawking is as determined as any individual on the planet," Chilvers said.
As the afternoon goes on, I'll be providing further updates. The good doctor is due to take off at about 2:30 p.m. ET, and we'll be blogging every step of the way - that is, if I can keep this laptop going amid Florida's hot sun and wind gusts. Check out our preview story, and watch for the full report on NBC's "Nightly News" tonight and in our Space News section.
