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British physicist Hawking dreams of space flight

Since 1960s, Hawking, who is one of the most influential scientists of the last century, has been suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis that has gradually paralyzed him

© Dave J Hogan/Getty Images

CAMBRIDGE, March 28. /TASS/. World-famous theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking said in an exclusive interview with TASS on Monday that he dreams of space flight and hopes to get this opportunity soon.

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Stephen Hawking: I was impressed that Russia was ahead of America in the space race

"I have always dreamed of space flight. But for so many years, I thought it was just that, a dream. Confined to Earth, and in a wheelchair, how could I experience the majesty of space, except through imagination, and my work in theoretical physics. I never thought I would have the opportunity, to see our beautiful planet from space, or gaze outward into the infinity beyond," Hawking said.

"This was the domain of astronauts, the lucky few, who get to experience the wonder and thrill of space flight. But I may have the chance to go into space with Virgin Galactic (the company plans to develop commercial spaceflights)," he said.

Since 1960s, Hawking, who is one of the most influential scientists of the last century, has been suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis that has gradually paralyzed him. He communicates using a single cheek muscle attached to a speech-generating device.

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The full text of the interview is available here.

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