Astronauts, scientists and celebrities celebrate the life of a ‘colossal mind and wonderful spirit’

Stephen Hawking dies aged 76

STEPHEN HAWKING (1942 - 2018)
Stephen Hawking is a world-renowned British theoretical physicist, known for his contributions to the fields of cosmology, general relativity and quantum gravity, especially in the context of black holes. In the 1960s and 1970s, he worked on ground-breaking theorems regarding singularities within the framework of general relativity, and made the theoretical prediction that black holes should emit radiation (known today as Hawking radiation). He has also published several works of popular science in which he discusses his own theories and cosmology in general, including the runaway bestseller “A Brief History of Time”, and has come to be thought of as one of the greatest minds in physics since Albert Einstein. In his own words: “My goal is simple. It is complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all”.

From astronauts to world leaders, tributes have poured in for Stephen Hawking, the modern British physicist and author who has died aged 76.

Theresa May described him as “brilliant and extraordinary”, adding that his “courage, humour, determination to get the most from life was an
inspiration”.

Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, said Hawking “inspired the world” but also praised the way he had campaigned for the NHS.

Tim Peake, who spent more than six months in space in 2016, said Hawking had inspired generations to “look beyond our own blue planet and expand our understanding of the universe”.

Nasa also tweeted that: “His theories unlocked the universe of possibilities that we & the world are exploring. … May you keep flying like superman in microgravity.”

"We lost a great one today," Nadella said in a post on LinkedIn.

Hawking, widely considered the greatest scientist of his time for his work explaining many of the universe's biggest mysteries, believed that the survival of humanity depended on its ability to live outside earth.

"I believe that the long-term future of the human race must be in space," Hawking said in an interview with CNN in 2008. "The human race shouldn't have all its eggs in one basket, or on one planet."

Some of tech's biggest entrepreneurs are now racing to make that vision a reality.

SpaceX, the company founded by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, aims to conduct its first manned spaceflights this year after several unmanned missions. The company has also said it plans to fly tourists around the moon in 2018, and Musk boasted this week that one of his rockets would be ready for "short flights" to Mars by 2019.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, currently the world's richest man, plans to send tourists into space next year through his space exploration firm, Blue Origin.

So does billionaire Richard Branson, whose company Virgin Galactic once promised Hawking a trip into space.

"A sad day for all at Virgin Galactic," the space company tweeted. "Professor Stephen Hawking was part of our family from day one. His support for opening space, his enthusiasm to fly, humbled and inspired. RIP Professor and thank you for all you have given us.