Yesterday famed astrophysicist Stephen Hawking joined game developer Richard Garriott for a ride into the edge of space.

The two were among about two dozen who boarded a modified 727 at Cape Canaveral that then performed eight parabolas.

The commercial vomit comet flight gave Hawking a chance to float free of his wheelchair, the first time he has been physically boundless in four decades.

"Six parabolas really was the intended cutoff point," said Richard Garriott, son of former NASA astronaut Owen Garriott.

"But he was having so much fun, we went for two more, and then we thought we'd better quit while we're ahead."

Hawking said he wanted to make the flight for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that he believes Earth is headed for disaster and that the humans species will need a new home in the cosmos.

"I believe that life on Earth is at an ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster such as sudden global warming, nuclear war, a genetically-engineered virus or other dangers," Hawking said.

"I think the human race has no future if it doesn't go into space. I therefore want to encourage public interest in space."

He also said he wanted to prove that people with disabilities can aspire to spaceflight, too, and Diamandis said he did a good job.

Pretty damn cool. I wonder if Garriott was able to talk with Hawking at all during the flight. I'd love to hear what sorts of things they'd shoot the breeze about. Brian Crecente

'Space, here I come' [Florida Times]

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