NASA had planned on studying the effects of weightlessness on vegetables, but the crew loaded Steven Hawking instead. NASA spokesman Tom Johnson said that while Hawking can't move on his own, clearly he can think and communicate so he's not a vegetable and besides thats not the type of vegetable they were talking about anyway. A committee has been formed to prevent this from happening again.

On a side note reporters asked Hawking what it was like to be out of his wheelchair and he said being crippled still pretty much sucks...even without the chair.