Goldin suggested on Wednesday that Russia could be asked to foot the bill for the extra effort. Tito said he was involved in some routine work to give professional cosmonauts more time to carry out more sophisticated tasks. A series of computer hitches in the U.S. segment manned by two Americans and one Russian, which occurred two days before Tito started his mission, underscored the fragility of the station. Tensions over Tito's flight have seen relations between Russian and U.S. space officials sink to their lowest since 1999 when NASA accused Rosaviakosmos, the Russian space agency, of not taking its obligations to the ISS seriously. The first space tourist said he was amazed that his trip had proved so comfortable.
Periodic sickness is normal for many cosmonauts.
Tito said he had plenty of time on the ISS to gaze at the Earth and take pictures of it while listening to the music. I've probably listened to opera for a total of 20 hours while I was accomplishing my own tasks,'' he said. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.