BBC ON THIS DAY | 28 | 2001: First space tourist blasts off 2001: First space tourist blasts off A billionaire businessman from California has become the first paying passenger to go to outer space. Dennis Tito, aged 60, set off from Kazakhstan at 1338 local time (0838 GMT) for an eight-day holiday aboard the International Space Station. For Mr Tito, a former Nasa employee, it is the fulfilment of a dream he has held for 40 years. He paid $20m (�14m) for his trip of a lifetime, but he has faced a number of setbacks. First, Nasa rejected his proposal, on the grounds that he is not a trained astronaut. Dream ticket So he turned to Russia. The space authorities in Moscow agreed to take him - but his ticket became null and void after his original destination, the Mir Space Station, was decommissioned and fell back to Earth earlier this year. He was then offered a place on board a scheduled flight with a Soyuz supply mission to the International Space Station. The change of plans provoked a bitter row between the United States and Russia.

After months of wrangling, the American space agency only agreed to allowing Mr Tito on board the Space Station on the condition that he agree not to sue if injured, to pay for anything he breaks, and to sleep only in Russian sections of the station. Even then, it looked as though the flight might not go ahead, after last-minute computer glitches forced the Endeavour space shuttle to delay its return to Earth from the ISS and Nasa requested that the Soyuz trip be put off. Moscow refused to delay the mission, and after a tense stand-off Nasa finally relented. Now, though, Mr Tito can put all that behind him, as he heads out of the Earth's atmosphere and towards the destination that at times has seemed so near - yet so very far away. Space Today Online - space tourists click to read the story » After the collapse of the old Soviet Union, the Russian space agency was strapped for hard cash to pay its bills. To raise funds, it decided to send individual persons with only limited training to space in return for millions of dollars. The hotel in space where tourists would stay for a few days would be the International Space Station (ISS) 250 miles above Earth.

As the main contributor to the 16-nation consortium building the ISS, the United States objected at first to tourist flights to the multi-billion dollar outpost. The U.S. argued that persons flying without much training and lacking multilingual language skills would endanger the flight and the space station. Russia, which controls the Soyuz transport capsule flights, countered that tourists would train for months with real cosmonauts and would be prepared for spaceflight. Eventually, the United States gave up its argument and tourist flights began in 2001. NASA does require the tourists to sign a legal document pledging that they and their heirs will not sue the space agency if anything goes wrong. The tourists also must agree to pay for anything they break. After shuttle Columbia was destroyed while returning from orbit on February 1, 2003, the Russian government postponed plans to send more tourists into space while NASA investigated the disaster. Russian Soyuz transports and Progress freighters have ferried crews and cargo to the space station since the Columbia disaster. In 2003, Russian officials said they would send two space tourists to the International Space Station in 2004-2005.

The Russian space agency Rosaviakosmos hired Space Adventures Ltd. of Arlington, Virginia, to locate persons willing and able to pay $20 million each for ten-day flights. In 2004, the Russians announced that New Jersey businessman Gregory Olsen would become the third space tourist in April 2005. However, Russian physicians later postponed Olsen's trip to the ISS due to health concerns. Olsen eventually was approved in July 2005 and launched aboard a Soyuz transport craft in October 2005 to become the third private person to pay for a ride to the International Space Station. The Russians have said they are holding seats for Space Adventures customers on four Soyuz flights to the ISS through 2007. Meanwhile, in July 2005 the U.S. space shuttle fleet resumed flights when Discovery flew to the station. However, further shuttle flights have been delayed by problems that cropped up during the 2005 flight. California millionaire investment fund manager and onetime NASA rocket scientist Dennis Tito, 60, was the first private space tourist selected by Russian space officials for a visit to the ISS.

He paid $20 million for a ride up to Earth orbit aboard a Soyuz craft for a 10-day round trip excursion. Tito trained at the cosmonaut center near Moscow and then was blasted off in April 2001 from a launchpad Russia maintains at its Baikonur Cosmodrome in the independent Asian nation of Kazakhstan. South African Internet tycoon Mark Shuttleworth, 28, was the second private tourist selected by Russian space officials for an excursion to the ISS. Shuttleworth had made his fortune by starting an Internet security firm in his parents' garage and selling it four years later for more than $500 million. He was blasted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard a Russian Soyuz space capsule in April 2002 to become the first African in space. Shuttleworth reportedly paid some $20 million for his eight-day stay aboard the space station. He bought his spacesuit after the flight and wanted to buy the Soyuz capsule. Shuttleworth considered his flight a working vacation, devoting time to AIDs and stem cell research.

During a ham radio contact with followers on the ground, he chatted with former South African president Nelson Mandela and turned down a 14-year-old South African girl who asked if he would marry her. New Jersey businessman and scientist Gregory Olsen, 60, was the third space tourist. He paid $20 million for a Soyuz ride on the 10-day excursion. Olsen was selected by Russian space officials in 2004 and began practicing the Russian language, running, lifting weights, swimming, learning about the Soyuz and ISS equipment, and training for emergency safety at Russia's Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City outside Moscow. Unfortunately, Russian physicians later postponed Olsen's trip to the ISS due to health concerns related to the high G-forces in spaceflight. Olsen eventually was approved in July 2005 and was launched October 1, 2005, from Baikonur Cosmodrome on the Kazakhstan steppe aboard the Soyuz TMA-7 transport craft to become the third private person to pay for a ride to the International Space Station.

With Olsen aboard TMA-7 were the ISS Expedition 12 crew, cosmonaut Valery Tokarev and astronaut William McArthur. On his return to Earth, Olsen will be accompanied by the ISS Expedition 11 crew, Russian Sergei Krikalev and American John Phillips. They will travel down to Earth on October 11 in the Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft which had been attached to the space station as a crew rescue vehicle since April 17, 2005. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Dr. Olsen is CEO of Sensors Unlimited, Inc., an infrared-camera manufacturer at Princeton, New Jersey. Olsen has degrees in physics and materials science. Aboard the space station, he will grow crystals experimentally for use in infrared cameras. Crystals with more uniform composition can be grown where there is extremely little gravity. Olsen also will be looking down to see his hometown of Princeton from space. Space Adventures Ltd. of Arlington, Virginia, had booked the flight. Olsen has said he prefers to be tagged a space flight participant rather than a space tourist. Next? Who will be the fourth private space tourist selected by Russian space officials for a visit to the International Space Station?

An unnamed prominent Japanese tourist will fly to the space station sometime in the next several years following an agreement in 2004 between Space Adventures, Ltd. and the Japanese advertising agency Dentsu . Dentsu is not only the largest advertising conglomerate in Japan, controlling over 30 percent of the total market by revenue and an estimated 40-50 percent of commercial airtime on Japanese television, but also one of the largest advertising conglomerates in the world. It operates in 27 countries. The Japanese space tourist will pay $20 million for a ticket to ride in a Soyuz seat. He or she will train for flight at Russia's cosmonaut centre at Star City outside Moscow. Of course, the project will have to be approved by NASA, the Russian space agency Rosaviakosmos , and other ISS partners, including Europe, Japan and Canada. Once upon a time, it looked like three would be a lucky number for teen idol Lance Bass, 23, a singer with the U.S. boy band 'NSYNC. He wanted to be three things -- the third private space tourist, the first pop star in space, and the youngest person ever to fly in orbit.

The wanna-be space tourist reportedly had yearned for a trip to orbit since attending space camp as a child. He hoped to be able to pay $20 million for a ticket to ride in a Soyuz seat back in October 2002. In fact, he was selected by the Russians to make the trip. In May 2002, Bass had passed a physical exam by flight doctors at Russia's Institute of Biomedical Problems at Moscow. He passed a test in a pressurized chamber and a centrifuge to determine how his body might respond during spacecraft blastoff. News media reported Bass had undergone a minor heart operation two weeks earlier to correct an irregular heartbeat. In June 2002, the pop star apparently started on the months of necessary flight training at Russia's cosmonaut centre at Star City outside Moscow. However, in August 2002, the Russians said he had not come up with the $20 million and would not be in the seat on the eight-day ISS re-supply mission in October 2002.

The Russian space agency Rosaviakosmos said there is a substantial preparation process for people flying to space so, after the sudden drop out of Lance Bass, no tourist would be aboard that October flight. Instead, the tourist seat was filled with cargo. The singer's space flight was to have been supported by Los Angeles television company Destiny Productions, which would have filmed his training and voyage for a TV special. Bass was born May 4, 1979, in Mississippi. Previously, the youngest person ever to go into space was the late Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov who flew at age 26 in the USSR's Vostok 2 capsule back in 1961. Supermodel Cindy Crawford, 36, also was reported to want to be a space tourist. She told reporters in Moscow in June 2002 that she was considering the $20 million trip to space in a Soyuz capsule with Russian cosmonauts. Her personal wealth was said to be more than $30 million. Valery Korzun, commander of the International Space Station at the time, joked that his preference would be Cindy Crawford over Lance Bass.

No comments were reported from Korzun's ISS crewmates at the time, Sergei Treshchyov and Peggy Whitson. Former NASA associate administrator for policy planning Lori B. Garver also wanted to be a space tourist. She, too, was examined by flight doctors at Russia's Institute of Biomedical Problems at Moscow in May 2002. Like Lance Bass, Garver was tested in a pressurized chamber and a centrifuge to determine how her body might respond during the Soyuz liftoff. Garver, who was said to be neither wealthy nor famous, was vice president for corporate space program development at DFI International, a defense and space consulting firm in Washington, D.C. The would-be cosmonaut wanted to demonstrate that ordinary people could go to space. The $20 million for her flight was to have been paid by foundation gifts and corporate sponsorships. Back in the 1980s, Garver worked in the presidential campaign of U.S. Sen. John Glenn (D-Ohio), who is remembered as the first American to orbit the Earth. After his presidential campaign was unsuccessful, Garver worked for the National Space Society.

Then NASA employed her in 1996 as associate administrator handling policy and planning for NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin. Garver was founder and president of Capital Space, a Virginia consulting firm. She also was president of the American Astronautical Society. Soyuz Rocket Wealthy Polish businessman Leszek Czarnecki, 41, reportedly also would have liked to have flown as a tourist to the International Space Station. A diver and licensed airplane pilot, Czarnecki was a founder of European Leasing Fund, Poland's largest leasing company. He was said to have sold his shares of the company to a French bank for about $231 million. If he were to fly aboard a Soyuz capsule, Czarnecki would have been expected to pay $20 million to the Russians for the excursion, just as earlier tourists had. Russian space agency Rosaviakosmos said the flight of the Polish tourist would have no scientific aspects. The agency said that Czarnecki "simply wants to fly." Soyuz launch [AP] Soyuz capsules. The Russian Soyuz capsules are three-seat craft. A Soyuz taxi flight to the station takes two days and the stay aboard the station usually is eight days.

A Soyuz capsule always is kept on hand in an ISS dock for use as an escape capsule should the residents of the station need to return to Earth in an emergency. Russia supplys a fresh Soyuz human transport capsule to ISS every six months. After their time aboard ISS, cosmonauts use the older Soyuz docked at the station to return to Earth. The Russian space agency has one tourist seat in each of the three-person Soyuz spacecraft. The other two seats are occupied by a Russian flight commander and a flight engineer. An additional Russian cosmonaut would travel aboard any flight for which no tourist were to be accepted by the state commission in charge of the trip. More about Soyuz crew transports and Progress freighters A new small two-ton rocket is being designed by the Moscow Aviation Institute to ferry wanna-be space tourists in Soyuz capsules to outer space where they would be able to experience zero gravity before venturing farther out into space. The new booster would be dropped from the bottom of a MiG 31-S fighter jet. It then would ignite and blast itself 80 miles into space. Three riders would travel in a capsule atop the rocket, which would run out of power around 80 miles high and fall back into the atmosphere.

The paying passengers would experience weightlessness for about three minutes and could look out a window and take snapshots of Earth. For a high-value souvenir, they could make photos of each other with Earth in the background. Landing down on Earth would be softened by a wing-like parachute that would deploy several thousand feet above our planet's surface. Space usually is described as being above 60 miles altitude, so the riders on this new rocket would be in space at 80 miles altitude. However, they would be lower than the space station which orbits our planet at just above 200 miles altitude. Of course, the new rocket also could be used for science missions such as low-gravity experiments conditions or monitoring the environment. Who would want to fly? Futron Corporation is a Maryland aerospace consulting group with a $1.8 million contract from NASA for research into commercial space travel and tourism. Futron commissioned the public opinion pollster Zogby International to find out if wealthy Americans want to go to space. In January 2002, Zogby telephoned 450 rich Americans with annual incomes above $250,000 or whose net worth was more than $1 million.

Seven percent said they would pay $20 million for a two-week orbital flight and 19 percent said they would pay $100,000 for a 15-minute sub-orbital flight to an altitude of 50 miles. If the price of a two-week flight dropped to $5 million, 16 percent would be interested. The poll margin of error was plus or minus 4.7 percent. First Space Tourist: How a U.S. Millionaire Bought a Ticket to Orbit First Space Tourist: How a U.S. Millionaire Bought a Ticket to Orbit By Mike Wall, Space.com Senior Writer | April 27, 2011 06:00am ET MORE American businessman Dennis Tito, the world’s first orbital space tourist, is seen training for his historic 2001 flight to the International Space Station. Tito launched in April 2001 aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft thanks to a $20 million deal brokered by the Virginia-based firm Space Adventures. Credit: Space Adventures This story is part of a SPACE.com series to mark a decade of space tourism. Coming tomorrow: The future of space tourism and its impact on space science.

If the era of commercial spaceflight has a birthday, it's April 28, 2001. On that date, American businessman Dennis Tito became history's first space tourist , paying his own way to the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Forty years to the month after Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space, Tito showed that there was money to be made in human spaceflight -- potentially lots of money, as he plunked down a reported $20 million for his flight. Now, 10 years later, the industry looks set to heat up, with multiple firms jockeying for position in a commercial space race that is arguably already under way. "The private spaceflight industry did start with Dennis' flight," said Tom Shelley, president of Space Adventures, the Virginia-based company that brokered Tito's eight-day mission with Russia's Federal Space Agency and has sent a total of seven people on eight orbital flights since 2001.

"That was the first real milestone and demonstrated to a lot of people that there was a market for private citizens to go to space." [ Photos: The World's First Space Tourists ] A lifelong dream, nearly deferred Tito made his millions in the world of finance. But he was once an engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and has been a space enthusiast since he was a teenager. "My dream was to fly in space before I die," Tito said. "And I basically came up with that lifelong goal around the time of Yuri Gagarin's flight ." In early 2000, Tito started working toward making his dream a reality. He would turn 60 later that year, and he felt like his chances of getting into space were rapidly running out. The oldest rookie spaceflyer at the time, after all, was NASA astronaut Deke Slayton, who first made it to orbit in 1975 at the age of 51. "So I was gettting over the hill, I thought," Tito told SPACE.com.

"So I said, 'It's now or never.'" In June 2000, Tito signed a deal with a company called MirCorp to ride a Soyuz to Russia's Mir space station. However, those plans fell through in December of that year, when Russia announced that it planned to deorbit the aging station. (Mir burned up in Earth's atmosphere in March 2001.) Undeterred, Tito soon made other arrangements. He signed on with Space Adventures, which brokered an April 2001 flight to the International Space Station , again on a Soyuz. The station was a relatively new project at the time, having just begun assembly operations in November 1998. NASA makes it tough The Russians agreed to take Tito's money and offer him a seat on a Soyuz. But the other station partners -- notably NASA and space agencies from Canada, Europe and Japan -- were not so thrilled. They informed Russia that they "recommended against" Tito's mission. NASA officials said at the time that they didn't object in principle to the presence of a paying customer aboard the orbiting lab.

They just didn't think Tito's training would be sufficient by April, which they said was a time of complex and crucial station operations. "During this period, the presence of a nonprofessional crewmember who is untrained on all critical station systems, is unable to respond and assist in any contingency situation which may arise, and who would require constant supervision, would add a significant burden to the Expedition and detract from the overall safety of the International Space Station," reads a NASA press release from March 19, 2001. Tito thinks his age may also have been a factor. "If you're older, heart attacks happen, strokes happen, whatever," he said. "And what are they going to do, transport a corpse back to Earth? That would be very embarrassing for them, and traumatic." So NASA did what it could to keep Tito from getting off the ground in April, according to Tito and Space Adventures officials. "They put up everything that they could throw in the way to make it not happen," Shelley told SPACE.com. Eight months at Star City Meanwhile, Tito carried on. He continued his training at the Star City complex outside Moscow, where cosmonauts have prepped for flight since Gagarin's day.

Tito spent the better part of a year there, toiling in a sort of limbo. "It wasn't easy," Tito said. "I had to hang out in Russia for eight months without really knowing whether I was going to fly or not." Eventually, Tito's perseverance paid off. Over NASA's objections, he launched on April 28, 2001, becoming the 415th person ever to reach space. But Tito said all the drama and difficulties are water under the bridge, especially since the agency has been so supportive of the six other space tourists who have since flown to the orbiting lab -- and so supportive of private spaceflight in general over the past decade. [ 10 Years of Space Tourism ] "Their support is stronger than I would've ever dreamed or hoped for," Tito said. "So my bottom line is, I have nothing but good things to say about NASA." Fulfilling the dream Tito made it to orbit, spent about six days aboard the space station, and then landed in Kazakhstan on May 6, 2001. His mission has had a lasting impact, inspiring a range of private spaceflight investment and activity, according to Shelley.

"I think [Virgin Galactic's] Richard Branson and [Blue Origin's] Jeff Bezos, and even Elon [Musk of SpaceX] -- they really wouldn't be in this industry if it wasn't for what Dennis originally did," Shelley said. Tito's flight, he added, demonstrated "that this was a feasible activity for private citizens to step up and pay the money." For his part, Tito said he is happy to have been a part of the birth of this industry, though he shifts praise onto spaceflight entrepreneurs and the orbital tourists who came after him. And for him, of course, the trip will always resonate on a much more personal level. "To me, it was a 40-year dream," Tito said. "The thing I have taken away from it is a sense of completeness for my life -- that everything else I would do in my life would be a bonus." You can follow SPACE.com senior writer Mike Wall on Twitter: @michaeldwall . Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook . Editor's Recommendations What Happened in 2001 inc.

Pop Culture, Prices and Events The US Pulls Out Of 1972 Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty U.S. 2001 becomes known as "Summer of the Shark" after a number of shark attack fatalities. U.S. Pharmaceutical Companies Agree to sell Aids drugs for cost price in Africa a discount of up to 90% to help the fight against Aids. Northern Ireland IRA Dismantles it's weapons arsenal after years of fighting Italy The 27th G8 summit takes place in Genoa, Italy. Massive demonstrations against the meeting by anti-globalization groups U.S. Known simply as 9/11. On September 11, 2001 Nineteen hijackers simultaneously took control of four U.S. domestic commercial airliners. The hijackers crashed two planes into the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York City one into each of the two tallest towers. Within two hours, both towers collapsed. The hijackers crashed the third aircraft into the U.S. Department of Defense headquarters, the Pentagon, in Arlington County, Virginia. The fourth plane crashed into a rural field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, following apparent passenger resistance.

Afghanistan The United States invades Afghanistan, with some participation from the UK. Marking the beginning of the US "War on Terrorism" campaign. Seeking to oust the Taliban and find Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden U.S. California suffers more Rolling Blackouts and electricity rate hikes of up to 46 percent U.S. Enron files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection U.S. Cincinnati Mayor Charles Luken declares a state of emergency after the third night of Riots U.S. Pacific Gas and Electric in California Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection Space Dennis Tito becomes the first space tourist during May of 2001. More Information for Dennis Tito and Space Tourism U.S. business man and multimillionaire Dennis Tito returns from his space flight in May of 2001. Tito was considered to be the very first “space tourist’ having paid his way for a trip to the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Tito reportedly paid $20 million to Space Adventures, a company that facilitated his training in Russia and subsequent flight to the ISS.

Tito originally tried to plan his trip through NASA but NASA officials did not approve of Tito’s flight as they did not believe he would have enough training. Dennis Tito’s space journey lasted for about six days during which he helped conduct experiments before he returned to Earth. U.S. A series of Anthrax attacks spreads fear amongst the American Public and several people are infected by handling infected letters Ghana 120 people killed in stampede at football game in Ghana UK Selby Rail Crash in Northern England Galapagos Islands 'Jessica' runs aground on the Island of San Cristobal in the Galapagos Islands causing an Ecological Disaster when 180,000 gallons of oil are leaked into the sea India Gunmen attack the parliament building in the Indian capital, New Delhi leaving At least 12 dead and 22 injured Philippines Hotel fire at Manila, Philippines causes the death of over 100 people. Kosovo Ethnic Albanian extremists carry out a bomb attack on a bus convoy in Kosovo U.S.

The legendary racing driver Dale Earnhardt who had won a record seven Nascar championships dies in a last-lap crash during the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway Switzerland Gunman Kills 14 in Swiss government building Switzerland Fire In Gotthard Road Tunnel Joining Switzerland to Northern Italy Under The Alps kills 39 Italy The Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens after 11 years repairs to stop it falling over UK On June 8th Tony Blair and the British labour party are elected for a second term. UK 13 of the most popular museums in England are now free to visit Pakistan General Pervez Musharraf Takes Power on June 21st and takes on the role of president and chief executive in Pakistan and banning opposition parties political rallies. UK The Eden Project in Cornwall, England Opened ( the worlds largest greenhouse ) trying to help save the worlds largest collection of plants UK Foot and Mouth Disease Is Found In UK after 20 years Ghana Soccer Fans Stampede in Ghana leaving 126 fans dead U.S. Richard C. Reid, dubbed by the press as the shoe bomber, attempts to blow up an American Airlines plane U.S.

The Republican controlled House voted for the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act Congo A humanitarian crisis of epic proportions occurs in DR Congo with over 16 million Congolese starving Peru 7.9 magnitude earthquake strikes the city of Arequipa and surrounding areas in Southern Peru Yugoslavia Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic is arrested and charged with corruption and theft of state funds and war crimes charges Italy A Scandinavian airline, SAS aircraft crashes into an airport building at Linate airport killing 118 Technology 2001 Wikipedia, a Wiki free content encyclopedia, goes online Napster is closed down by court order following an injunction on behalf of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), 50 countries sign the Convention on Cybercrime hoping to cut the amount of crime commited through the Internet Russian space station Mir is decommissioned and re-enters the atmosphere landing in the Pacific Mars Odyssey is launched The Mars Odyssey spacecraft reaches Mars on October 24, 2001 It's Mission to answer the question of whether life has ever existed on Mars. The code red ( WORM ) virus attacks 1/4 million web sites running on Microsoft's IIS web server Apple Computer releases the iPod.

HP ( Hewlett Packard ) and Compaq Merge Remains of what may be the oldest ancient human are found in Ethiopia estimated to be 5.5 million years old The unmanned solar aircraft Helios reaches a record height of over 18 miles above the earth Microsoft releases Windows XP The worlds first Contraceptive Patch ( Ortho-Evra ) goes on the market Popular Culture 2001 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Monsters, Inc.

Major World Political Leaders 2001 Australia Prime Minister John Howard Brazil President Fernando Henrique Cardoso Canada Prime Minister Jean Chrétien China Chairman of the People's Republic of China Jiang Zemin France President Jacques Chirac India Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee Italy Prime Minister Giuliano Amato Till 11 June Italy Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi From This Day In History June 11th Japan Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori Till 26 April Japan Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi From 26 April Mexico President Vicente Fox Russia / Soviet Union General Secretary of the CPSU Vladimir Putin South Africa State President Thabo Mbeki United States President Bill Clinton Till January 20, United States President George W. Bush From January 20, United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair Political Elections 2001 World's First 'Space Tourist' Lifts Off - ABC News ABC News World's First 'Space Tourist' Lifts Off By ABC News Email Dennis Tito, a 61-year-old California millionaire and former NASA engineer, became the world's first paying space tourist when the Russian space agency launched him and two Russian cosmonauts aboard a rocket today.

Tito and tthe crew blasted off from the Kazakstan cosmodrome on time this morning. Tito appeared calm, wearing a space suit and a smile. The trip by the Russian crew was almost delayed due to concerns from NASA that the space station would get too crowded while an American crew did some necessary computer repairs. Fortunately for Tito, NASA said Friday that it struck a deal with the Russian Space Agency, allowing him to launch on time without interrupting the American crew's work on the ailing International Space Station. Despite reservations that he wasn't qualified to join professional astronauts in space, the nations that run the international space station agreed to allow Tito's visit after Russia insisted that it would go ahead with the mission. Tito paid the Russian space agency $20 million to fly in space, but Russia's partners in the space station — especially NASA — objected, saying his lack of training would require additional safety measures. Russia also said it had been unwilling to postpone the Soyuz mission because the cosmonauts must replace the space station's escape craft, whose service lifetime expires at the end of the month. The Soyuz capsule, which is considered the space station's lifeboat, needs to be replaced every six months. Fit to Fly?

The oldest child of Italian immigrants, Tito says he dreamed of space flight when he saw Sputnik launch as a teenager in 1957. As an adult, he spent years as a rocket scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., planning spacecraft missions to Mars and Venus. Eventually, he switched to investing and amassed a fortune at his own investment firm. Tito has been training at the Star City, Russia space center for a year, learning the details of a Soyuz spacecraft and practicing how to survive a landing in Siberia. To prepare for the launch, he trained in a centrifuge that exposed him to eight times the force of gravity. He's also learned his way around the mock Soyuz capsule. Just days before the launch, he proclaimed that he well prepared. "The training is what counts and I've had a significant amount of training. And that, coupled with my aerospace engineering background, I think puts me in a very strong position, as far as being able to function in space," he told ABCNEWS. Tito has no duties during the mission.

"I'm not a fighter pilot, I'm a businessman, and I want to be able to absorb as much of this experience and relate it to as many people as I can," he said. He said he would take pictures and tell people about the experience upon his return. The American crew on the space station says they welcome Tito's visit to orbiting spacecraft. "We'll welcome anyone who shows up at our hatch, and we'll invite them inside and treat them like we would any spacefarer," said U.S. astronaut James Voss in an interview transmitted from the station. ABCNEWS' Jim Slade and Willow Lawson contributed to this report. 0 Shares How to: Travel to outer space - Matador Network How to: Travel to outer space Photo: NASA/Sandra Joseph, Kevin O’Connell Your options as they stand today, and what they might look like tomorrow. YOU’VE BEEN TO remote jungle villages in Papua New Guinea , the desert expanses of the Sahara , even the frozen wasteland of Antarctica . Next, the stars?

To really experience the final frontier — today — you only have one option: The International Space Station Since November of 2000, the ISS has been continually occupied by rotating multinational “Expedition” crews. These men and women carry out scientific experiments and assist in the ongoing construction of the station, due to be completed by 2011. Photo: FlyingSinger For the most determined civilian space travelers, this is currently the ultimate goal — to journey to and live for a short time aboard the International Space Station. In 2001, American Dennis Tito became the first true space tourist by doing just that. He was shuttled to the ISS by the Russian Space Agency , on board a Soyuz spacecraft and with a small Russian crew, and spent seven days on the station. A handful of other fee-paying space travelers have followed Tito, most recently Canadian Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté . Logistics Russia is still the only game in town for getting to the ISS. But you can’t just call the Kremlin and ask for a ride. All Soyuz trips are brokered by the American company Space Adventures .

Its space tourist program includes intensive astronaut/cosmonaut training — think zero-gravity jet flights, underwater spacewalk simulations, and spins in a high-g centrifuge — in addition to the flight and an average of 10 days on the station. Cost Photo: The U.S. Army The exact amount paid by each Space Adventures client is not readily disclosed, but figures ranging from $20 to $30 million USD are most often tossed around. For just $3 million, you can sit in on all the training, only to watch the Soyuz blast off without you. Individual training exercises, “launch tours,” and other opportunities are available for much less. ISS visitors are now able to participate in a spacewalk for an additional $15 million — so far, no one has accepted the challenge. Sub-Orbital Flights If you aren’t a dot-com billionaire or haven’t started your own interpretative circus troupe, there might still be hope for you. Sub-orbital flights are the up-and-coming trend in space tourism, transporting passengers in small, airplane-like craft beyond the internationally recognized boundary of space (100km straight up). Richard Branson is looking to take the lead in this.

His Virgin Galactic has already pre-sold over 250 $200,000 tickets for flights that will begin at an as-of-yet-unspecified date. Photo: Mike Miley Virgin is the only company with the rights to SpaceShipTwo, successor to the Scaled Composites craft that won the Ansari X PRIZE back in 2004. Weekly flights will launch from California’s Mojave Spaceport and carry six passengers to an altitude of 109km (68 miles), where they will experience several minutes of weightlessness and have views of twinkle-free stars and the curvature of Earth. And Virgin’s not alone. Companies like Space Adventures and Armadillo Aerospace are also developing sub-orbital tourist flights to launch from spaceports around the world. For a less elevated expedition, Incredible Adventures runs flights to what they refer to as “the edge of space” (21km/68,000ft) in a Russian MiG-31 fighter jet. While certainly not an extraterrestrial voyage, passengers do get a glimpse of black sky. Cost: $10,000+ What the Future Holds The space tourism industry is advancing faster than most people realize.

Within a decade or two, the well-heeled (and perhaps even you and I) will enjoy a variety of options for experiencing outer space. Detailed analysis of potential space tourism markets can be found here . Photo: .Martin. Resorts in space One avenue being explored by several outfits, including Bigelow Aerospace and Galactic Suite , is the construction of space hotels. Bigelow already has two prototype modules in orbit. By the time any orbiting resorts are ready for use, it’s estimated transport will cost around $20,000 per guest, plus tens of thousands more per night’s stay. The Space Island Group takes things a step further, advertising plans to construct multiple independent orbiting “islands.” The islands will house factories, hotels, medical centers, laboratories, zero-gravity sports arenas and satellite repair centers, along with dozens of other uses which can’t be imagined today. They make the rather bold claim that 20,000 people will be inhabiting and working within their islands by the year 2020. Photo: woodleywonderworks Beyond Earth orbit Space Adventures is stepping it up in this category as well.

For a mere $100 million, you can sign up to be one of the first to take part in their circumlunar mission . Following six to eight months of training, you’ll launch aboard a specially designed Soyuz craft and, depending on whether you make a pitstop at the ISS or not, spend 10 to 21 days in space. The climax will come as you swing round the far side of the moon and experience the allegedly spiritual sight of earthrise. Sound like a pipe dream? National Geographic reports this voyage could be ready to launch in three years. The farther space tourism reaches, the cheaper the close-at-hand options will become. Here’s to adding Earth orbit to our travel itineraries within our lifetime. [Editor’s note: Read this post in the new Space Destination Center at travora.com .] Like this Article Get more stuff like this in your inbox! Sign up for our newsletter and get emails of great stories like this. I agree to the Terms of Service Posted In: by Joshywashington Kathy I’ll bet in addition to monetary obstacles, there are/will be age limitations for all of these adventures…and I was born just a bit early.

[although I’ve read scifi about oldsters living in orbit to ease gravity’s burden on failing joints….] Guess I’ll just have to read about it in your blog 😎 Alouise When I was in grade 5 my elementary school participated in this thing called Marsville. And I remember everyone talking about how in 2015 there’ll be people traveling to Mars, and we’d be living there. Hmm guess we were watching too many episodes of The Jetsons and Star Trek. I think space travel would be really neat, but it’s too expensive for the average person. Even a 5 day GAP Adventure trip to the end of the earth is $32000 Canadian (you get to see the endless black of space on on side and the curvature of the earth on the other according to the online brochure). Plus not to mention the environmental impact a flight into space would have. How many trees would you have to plant in order to offset that carbon footprint? That’s a great point, Alouise. I doubt anyone’s begun considering the environmental impact of this, as large-scale stuff is still in the planning stages. Space elevator, anyone? joshua johnson This article had be 13 again.

Seriously, just as I had given up my life as relatively space-less you have given me hope. Cool idea Hal. There’s too much to see and do on this planet, I can’t even contemplate a trip to space! Great and fascinating article Hal, awesome execution. It’d be really cool if they hurry up and get the prices low enough so we can go pollute other planets before this one’s all used up. Wonder if they’ll have smoking and no smoking flights? Great article, Hal and that ARMY dude shoots some awesome photos! Especially like the last section. Circumlunar missions may be first down the line to get major media attention, but mark my words: the first spacecraft to reach Mars will be privately funded, not a NASA undertaking. Hal, did you study this in college? Not at all–just a sci-fi nerd. You? CAllenDoudna Imagine a glass jar out in space. I’m not certain of the exact diameter, but it would be close to 50 kilometers (30 miles) in diameter and about 300 kilometers (180 miles) long. At about 50 kilometers to achieve Earth-normal gravity it would rotate once every 24 hours.

On the inside slightly less than half the wall would becovered with dirt to form a curving valley (though gravitationally it would be flat). A little over half would be a window and with30 kilometers of atmosphere this would appear to be a blue sky. The sun would thus rise over the eastern edge of the valley at 0600 (6:00 am) travel across a very normal-looking daytime sky, and set over the western edge of the valley at 1000 (8:00 pm) as the back of the valley rotated to face the sun and the window rotated out to face the stars for a normal-looking nighttime sky. There would be 14 hours of daylight and10 hours of night. The area of the valley would be somewhat larger than New Jersey or Israel/Palestine. Every 50 kilometers the valley would be divided by a hollow mountain range one kilometer high going from one side of the valley to the other so we don’t see everything all at once. Cities would be inside the mountains.

As an alternative design, a series of 100 meter wide lagoons with 200 meters of atol would cross the valley from side to side all down its width and about every kilometer there would be a one-kilometer wide chanel running down the valley from end to end. However, these are only average measurments because in order to prevent us from seeing everything all at once and feeling like we’re in an artificial environment with all the straight-line water chanels the lagoons and chanels would be in a series of S-shapped curves. There would be a bungalow every 100 meters along both sides each atol. If the planet Mercury were converted into such glass jars we would have a living area in the Solar System 100,000 times the size of Earth. Tankers swooping down into the atmospheres could retrieve amonia, methane, and water which we could break down to create water and a breathable atmosphere. Now imagine an artificial sun. Around this sun we place 40 or 50 of these jars perhaps 100 kilometers apart and in a circle around the artificial sun as wagons around a campfire.

In front of this circle of wagons is a large sheet of aluminum foil. The light radiating equtorially from this artificial sun is the sunlight for the wagons. The light radiating forward is captured by the aluminum foil and acts like wind on the sail of a ship propelling the wagon train through intersteller space and the light radiating backward does the same. While such a wagon train could in theory reach the speed of light it would be very foolish to travel faster than about 1% of the speed of light because at 10% of the speed of light a small rock would strike with the explossive force of a nuclear explosion. It is also quite presumptious of us to assume there are not planets in intersteller space merely because we can’t see them since there isd no sun to shine on them. It would be like assuming there are no rocks or shoals on the ocean to dash your ship to pieces on simply because they’re underwater and you can’t see them. There are probably five times as many solar systems orbiting around a Jupiter or Saturn as around a star–and we wouldn’t want to slam into one of these, now would we?

We would want to stop and pick up fresh supplies of ice and hydrocarbons and perhaps build twenty or thirty new wagon trains fot house a growing population. It will take centuries to get to the next star. For the first generation or two we will still be close enough to Earth that we can go to Grandmother’s house on Earth for Thanksgiving and still send video mail for a couple of decades after that. By then, we won’t know our cousins Back There and we won’t miss seeing them at all. When we get to a new solar system who in their right mind would want to leave the jars to live on a planet where the gravity will be wrong, the day length wrong, and the sunlight wrong? And rather that require several thousand kilometers of rock from the surface to the planet’s core to stand on we can have so much more room by merely using the meter or two we will need to make the jar out of so that a small rocky body like Mercury could yield a living area a hundred thousand times the size of Earth. CAllenDoudna Oops! The amospheres tankers would retrieve methane, amonia, and water from are the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn and the other gas giants. Also their moons, rings, and asteroids.

Anand Jyotsna it was a exiting trip to outer space Anand Jyotsna where the 8 planets are there. we even saw our earth! it was very interesting to be in the dark. i felt nurves . altogether it was a nice trip to oter space!!!!!!! alvard Magic Mushrooms a less exhaustive alternative Get Vitamin A A children's history of space timeline, the key space exploration events, ideal research for space projects or homework! As specialist retailers of space toys, space dressing up and other fun space stuff, we love everything about space exploration. Here is a list of the most important events in space history. If you have any queries or think something is missing, please email us at info@spacekids.co.uk If you would like to visit our online shop, please visit In 1942 the German V2 was the first rocket to reach 100km from the Earthï¿½s surface (the boundary of space). The rocket was designed by Wernher Von Braun, who later worked with NASA as the creator of the rockets that went to the moon. In 1947, the first animals were launched into space.

Fruit flies were used to study the effects of space travel on animals, and were chosen because they are more similar to humans than you might imagine! The flies travelled with a supply of corn to eat on the flight. Albert II, was the first monkey in space. He was a Rhesus monkey, a type of monkey that originally comes from Asia. Albert went into space on 14th June, 1949 in a specially adapted American V2 rocket, that flew to a height of 83 miles from earth. On 4th October 1957, Russia launched the first satellite into space; Sputnik 1, and the space age had properly begun! Sputnik was the first satellite in orbit around the earth. Today there are over 500 working satellites in space. Sputnik means "Satellite" in Russian. In November 1957, the Russian space dog Laika became the first animal to orbit the earth. Laika travelled in a spacecraft known as Sputnik 2. Laika means "Barker" in Russian, and her mission helped scientists understand whether people could survive in space.

By 1959 Both American and Russian scientists were in a race to get a spacecraft to the Moon; the Russians made it first. Space-probe Luna 2 crash-landed into the moon at a speed that would kill an astronaut if one had been travelling in it! It was ten more years until a human visited the moon's surface. On 12th April 1961, Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. Gagarin's spacecraft, Vostok 1, completed one orbit of the earth, and landed about two hours after launch. Gagarin had to bail out and land using his parachute, because the Vostok 1 was designed to crash land! The first woman in space was Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. After her 1963 mission, Valentina became an important member of the Russian Government, and has been awarded many honours and prizes for her achievements. A crater on the far side of the Moon is named after her! In 1963 US President John F. Kennedy promised the world that the US would land men on the moon before 1970.

Before risking people's lives, NASA sent a robot spaceship, to make sure they could land safely. It was called Surveyor 1, and it made the second soft landing on the Moon on 30th May 1966, a few months after Russian probe Luna 9 landed successfully. Once it had landed on the moon , the robotic spaceship Surveyor 1 started taking photographs of the moon's surface, which it transmitted back to excited scientists in America and around the world. The scientists used this vital information about the terrain to work out how they might land people on the moon safely. On 20th July 1969, Neil Armstrong , and then Buzz Aldrin took "one small step" and became the first men on the moon. The first words said on the moon were "the Eagle has landed". Their spaceship, Apollo 11 worked perfectly, flying them 250,000 miles to the moon, and bringing them all the way back safely to earth. Buzz was a childhood nickname - his real name was Edwin! Two days into its journey to the moon, on 13th April 1970, Apollo 13 suffered an explosion caused by a wiring fault.

Using only whatever was on board, NASA scientists and the astronauts on board improvised repairs to bring the crippled spaceship home. The mission was a successful failure: although the crew never walked on the moon at least they made it home alive! From 1971 American astronauts on the fourth, fifth and sixth Apollo missions enjoyed use of a moon car to explore the moon. Known as the Lunar Rover, it was electric powered, and had a top speed of 8mph. It was designed and developed in only 17 months, by Boeing, the aeroplane company famous for making the Jumbo Jet. Find out more here . In 1973, Russian space probe Mars 2 explored Mars, the fourth planet of the solar system . The probe was made of two parts. One part stayed in orbit for a year, sending pictures of Mars back to earth. The other was to land and explore the surface of Mars, but it was destroyed when its parachute failed to open. Until 12th April 1981 all spacecraft were designed to be used only once. The Space Shuttle , was designed to be reused for up to 100 visits to space, in an attempt to make space travel less expensive.

With five hugely powerful rocket motors, it can fly at more than 17,000 miles per hour. Six were been built, but none fly any more - NASA retired the last of the fleet in 2011. On January 28th 1986, tragedy struck. Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after launch, because of a fuel system failure. All seven astronauts on board were killed, and all shuttles were grounded for nearly three years. This shocking accident reminded the world of the dangers of space travel, and the incredible bravery of all astronauts. The MIR space station was built in sections, each piece launched by a rocket and then joined together in orbit. Construction started in 1986, with the last piece being fitted ten years later! MIR was the first consistently inhabited long-term space station. MIR was destroyed in 2001 when it burned up as it crashed back to earth. In 1989, Helen Sharman entered a competition to become the first British astronaut in space. After 18 months of intensive training , Helen was part of a Russian mission to the MIR space station. She spent eight days in space conducting scientific experiments.

She used to work for the sweet company that makes Mars bars! In 2000 the first permanent crew moved into the International Space Station (ISS), where crews of astronauts have been living ever since. The ISS is a huge space station for research and space exploration that began construction in 1986, with the final major module arriving in 2010. On the 28th April 2001 American millionaire Dennis Tito became the first space tourist when he paid around 20 million dollars for a ride in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Dennis spent a week in orbit, most of the time visiting the International Space Station. He had to train for 900 hours just to be a passenger! On June 21st, 2004, SpaceShipOne made the first ever privately funded manned space flight. This space plane was built by a private aviation firm to win the 10 million dollar Ansari X Prize. A new Airline, Virgin Galactic has been set up to offer private tourist flights into space, using a new version of this space plane.

Despite a terrible crash in testing in 2014 in which a pilot was tragically killed, tickets remain available for flights starting around 2015. As NASA began to plan retirement for the Space Shuttle, private companies began work on spacecraft to replace it. One of these companies, SpaceX, became the first to launch a privately funded liquid-fueled rocket into Orbit, the Falcon 1. SpaceX now uses its Falcon rockets to launch their Dragon capsule - an unmanned vehicle that takes supplies to the ISS. Launched in 2004, it took European Space Agency's Rosetta probe ten years to reach Comet 67P/Churyumovï¿½Gerasimenko. The World watched as the ESA team successfully oversaw a soft landing by their Philae lander, which conveyed valuable data from the Comet's surface. The U.S. National Space Policy of 2010 set out goals for space exploration; to send humans to an asteroid by 2025 and to the planet Mars in the 2030s. Many of the astronauts that will be involved in these exciting missions are only children right now!

Why not visit the Spacekids online shop for fun space related toys, dressing up, and other cool stuff at visit our learn webpages for more articles about space exploration at Russia rejoins space tourism race — RT Business — Ika Ferrer Gotic N1™ (@IkaFerrerGotic) February 25, 2016 The system includes a suborbital launch vehicle and spacecraft that could transport tourists at an altitude of 200 kilometers above the Earth. The first 15-minute space trip is planned for 2020 with a ticket price of $200,000-$250,000. The company plans to provide flights for groups of six space tourists with an opportunity to spend 5-6 minutes in zero gravity. The capsule will be steered by one pilot. Russia to develop methane-powered rocket engine – report pic.twitter.com/Zmmd7QP4xk — RT (@RT_com) January 15, 2016 Space tourism is considered to be a new business opportunity helping to push reusable rocket technology. US-based spaceflight company Virgin Galactic introduced its new suborbital tourist spacecraft model called SpaceShipTwo last month.

Designed for six tourists and two pilots, the space plane replaces the previous model that crashed in October 2015, killing a pilot and injuring the other. A two-hour flight at an altitude of 200 kilometer is projected to cost about $250,000. Space tourists rejoice: Virgin Galactic to unveil new SpaceShipTwo rocket (PHOTOS) pic.twitter.com/WkvDzX0Oau — RT (@RT_com) February 19, 2016 The other company deeply invested in space tourism is an America’s privately-funded Blue Origin. The manufacturer flew unmanned test flight with its New Shepard launch vehicle last November and made a return trip in January. Blue Origin will start providing short trips to experience a few minutes of weightlessness in space in 2018 if further testing goes well, according to company founder Jeff Bezos. Zoom to Mars in 6 weeks with new Russian nuclear-fission engine pic.twitter.com/mGYUsrd3iB — RT (@RT_com) March 3, 2016 Russia was the first country to offer space tourism and an opportunity to visit the International Space Station.

In 2001 American Dennis Tito paid a reported $20 million to become the first space tourist to fund his own trip to the ISS. The mission was launched by a Soyuz TM-32 spacecraft. He spent about eight days in orbit as a crew member. Another six space tourists followed Tito before Russia cancelled the program.

Question: Who in 2001 paid £14 million to become the first space tourist?
Answer: DENNIS TITO