Do you need to be a rocket scientist to be a space tourist?

Although the era of regular ‘space tourism’ is still a decade or more away, you can still enjoy that ‘weightless’ feeling if you’re super rich, or super brainy. Several individuals have paid their way into space programmes, others get a freebie for doing a lot of thinking.

Renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, author of the ground-breaking theories of the universe in A Brief History of Time, has been offered a chance to theorise in a ‘space environment’.

The wheel-chair bound quadriplegic, who has suffered Lou Gehrig’s disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) since early adulthood, will get to beat gravity and personally analyse the effects thanks to a generous berth aboard one of the flights operated by Zero Gravity Corporation.

The modified Boeing 727, provided by the Fort Lauderdale-based space tourism and entertainment company, soars to 32,000 feet at a sharp angle and then plunges 8,000 feet so passengers can experience 25-second snippets of zero gravity during the descent.

“As someone who has studied gravity and black holes all of my life, I am excited to experience first hand weightlessness and a zero-gravity environment,” Hawking said in a statement.

Zero Gravity will pick up the $3,750 bill, and has been offering the flights since 2004. However, it will not be the only time the world’s pre-eminent theoreticist experiences space. Sir Richard Branson, whose company, Virgin Galactic, is building a suborbital spaceship that could be flying passengers as early as 2009, has also offer Dr Hawking a free seat. These might cost as much as $200,000 when the service begins.