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| | The business that had pioneered commercial space travel by sending tourists to the International Space Station is now planning trips that will take people rocketing around the far side of the moon. The price of the round trip ticket will be $100 million. The first mission could happen as early as 2008 or 2009. it is planned as a stepping stone to an eventual moon landing for tourists. For the first time in history, a private company, Space Adventures, is planning these trips to space. CEO Eric Anderson said his company's plans will inspire people from around the world.
Space tourists, who traveled to ISS (International Space Station):
Flight of American businessman of Italian origin Dennis Tito onboard Russian spaceship “Soyuz” to International space station on April 28, 2001 (return on May 6) was the beginning of space tourism. Along with Dennis Tito, Kazakhstan’s astronaut Talgat Musabayev and Russian flight engineer Yury Baturin formed the crew of Soyuz TM-32.
Second space tourist was Mark Shuttleworth, businessman from Republic of South Africa, who traveled to ISS on April 25, 2002 (return on May 5). Russian astronaut Yuri Gidzenko and Italian Roberto Vittori were crew members aboard Soyuz TM-34 along with Mark Shuttleworth.
Each space tourist has paid 20 million dollars for the space travel to Federal space agency of Russian Federation.
On October 1, 2005, American businessman Gregory Olsen started his space travel to International space station. They landed on October 10. Initially, he was not allowed to travel to space due to medical reasons but later on, he was given permission. Russian astronaut Valery Tokarev and American astronaut William McArthur were crew members along side with Olsen on spacecraft Soyuz TMA-7.
On September 18, 2006, first woman —nonprofessional astronaut, American citizen of Iranian descent Anousheh Ansari started her space travel. Landing took place on September 29. 40-year-old Ansari underwent training in Russia and in Houston centre of NASA. Till the end of August, she was backup for Japanese businessman Daisuke Enomoto, who was supposed to travel to space but due to health problems, he could not make it. Russian astronaut Mikhail Tyurin and American astronaut Michael Lopez- Algeria were crew members apart from Ansari on Soyuz TMA-9.
Space travel of American billionaire of Hungarian descent Charles Simonyi started on April 7, 2007. He was the fifth space tourist. Landing took place on 21st April. Experiments by request of European space agency (study the influence of weightlessness on blood) and also under his own scientific program (radiation influence) have been planned. Apart from Charles Simonyi, crew on Soyuz TMA-10 consisted of Russian astronauts Fyodor Yurchikhin (flight engineer) and Oleg Kotov (Commander of Soyuz).
Flight of Richard Garriott was planned in October 2008. “Richard Garriott a son of astronaut NASA Owen Garriott becomes the next space tourist and will reach ISS on Russian spacecraft “Soyuz” in 2008” — is informed in a message, published on site Space Adventures. It is underlined, that Garriott Jr. becomes the first second-generation space traveler. And also, he can become first tourist, who can be entrusted with the tasks of carrying out scientific experiments in orbit from commercial organizations. His backup is 38-year-old Australian businessman Nik Halik. |
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