“Life on Earth is at the ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster, such as sudden global warming, nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus or other dangers,” Hawking said in a statement before boarding. “I think the human race has no future if it doesn’t go into space. I therefore want to encourage public interest in space.” (via A Long-Awaited Taste of Outer Space - washingtonpost.com)
