Quadriplegic physicist and author of "A Brief History in Time" Stephen Hawking is determined to embark on a travel to space. He's tired of theorizing and wants to experience the real thing. He's been hinting about his dreams of space travel and now he's close to achieving his dream. But how can he do that? He's paralyzed and can only communicate through a blink-controlled computer.

Well, Prof. Hawkings has coordinated with Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Galactic. Virgin Galactic's going to be able to take passengers into suborbital flight by 2009.

The plan is to have Prof. Hawkings take a zero-gravity flight courtesy of Zero Gravity Corp. He would be able to experience 30-second weightlessness during the flight and that would serve as a preparation for space travel.

Zero Gravity has clarified the procedures for flying disabled people with the FAA. Prof. Hawking's flight may not even have been scheduled yet, but he's already taken the proverbial giant leap ahead for all of us by proving that even a wheelchair doesn't have to be a barrier to space.