Stephen Hawking will go to space on a Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo. Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Galactic, said in 2015 that he would offer a free ticket to Stephen Hawking in one of his spacecraft and the physicist agreed.
Hawking’s biggest ambition is going to space. Ten years ago he completed a zero-gravity flight aboard a specially-modified Boeing 727-200. Until now, Hawking thought that no one would take him to space, but Richard Branson asked him to go to space aboard a SpaceShipTwo spacecraft, and Hawking accepted.
“My three children have brought me great joy, and I can tell you what will make me happy: to travel in space,” Hawking said to Morgan, according to Yahoo.
The scientist does not know yet when he will fly to space, but he is looking forward to that moment. Branson has not given details about Hawking’s space travel.
According to Forbes, Virgin Galactic next flight could occur by the end of 2017, but this has not been confirmed by the company yet. According to Virgin Galactic, the SpaceShipTwo will give passengers an astronaut-like outer space experience.
Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo is designed to carry eight people into space. It is equipped with a hybrid rocket motor and is the only spacecraft in history designed to optimize the passenger experience in space.
Donald Trump travel ban and EPA Administrator pick
Stephen Hawking said on ITV’s “Good Morning Britain” that he does not feel comfortable coming to the United States with Donald Trump as president.
According to Hawking, Trump is only trying to satisfy his base, and that the Mexican border wall, the oil pipelines and even the appointment of Scott Pruitt as the Administrator of the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are examples of his right-wing “more authoritarian approach.”
“I have many friends and colleagues there (U.S.), and it is still a place I like and admire in many ways. But I fear that I may not be welcome,” said Hawking in the interview, according to The Washington Post.
He also talked about Scott Pruitt’s opinion concerning carbon dioxide emissions, declaring that climate change can be prevented. The scientist would recommend Donald Trump to replace EPA’s new administrator because he does not understand the magnitude of global warming.
Hawking said that he considers Trump’s travel ban an inefficient measure, and he thinks that this decision needs to be replaced by an intelligence-based one.
He claims that Trump’s proposal is not taking into account U.S allies that appear to be funding the Islamic State, like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Qatar. Nevertheless, Hawking thinks that Trump is only trying to satisfy his electorate.
Jeremy Corbyn as a Labour Party candidate
Talking about the British candidate Jeremy Corbyn, Hawking said that he does not believe the Labour Party would win an election with him. He stated that Corbyn is perceived as a passionate left-wing politician and not a strong leader for the moment.
On an interview with The Times a couple of months earlier, Hawking said that he considered Corbyn a disaster and he recommended him to resign for the good of the party. However, he stated that he would vote for Corbyn because the party is first.
Stephen Hawking is for Women’s Rights
Hawkings feels very confident about the signs of women’s autonomy in our society, such as the access of women to political positions, speaking about Angela Merkel. He thinks that the next step towards a more sexually egalitarian society is to allow women to have more access to high positions in the private sector.
“It is not scientific proof of gender equality that is required, but general acceptance that women are at least the equals of men or better. This is coming,” Hawking said to Piers Morgan when he asked about the scientific evidence of gender equality, according to The Washington Post.
He also talked about the Brexit and what should happen. He said that Britain needs to keep important links with the rest of Europe and the world to maintain the UK’s status in science innovations.
Hawkings considers his country as a leader in technologic topics, and for him it is important to protect this status, keeping healthy relations and alliances with other European countries.
Source: The Washington Post