Stephen Hawking, the scientist who has turned ideas of time and space on their heads, fulfilled a lifelong dream of riding in a hot-air balloon.
On Monday, the 60-year-old theoretical physicist, who has been confined to a wheelchair for most of his life, floated across the Cambridgeshire countryside with his wife, Elaine.
Changes were made to the hot-air balloon's basket to accommodate a wheelchair, according to Virgin Balloon Flights, which arranged the trip.
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"It's something he had always wanted to do," said a Virgin spokeswoman. "But to take a balloon flight in a wheelchair is extremely difficult."