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[::..about this blog..::]
"...all these worlds..." is a blog by David Hitt. It covers space exploration, decent science fiction, humor (by its very nature), and whatever else I happen to find cool. (Formerly "You Must Fight The Bear")
Name: David Hitt About Me: Inspiring the next generation of explorers... See my complete profile
[::..disclaimer..::]
The opinions expressed on this page are those of the author, and very likely no one else.
[::..archive..::]
:: Wednesday, June 18, 2003 ::
Space Bass II? Space Tourism is back... or will be in the next couple of years. OK, so maybe that's not big news. More interesting, though, possibly, is that it's a more serious endeavor this time. Past space tourists Dennis Tito and Mark Shuttleworth (and would-be tourist Lance Bass) simply filled an available third seat on planned Soyuz replacement missions to ISS, allowing the Russians to make a little money off an already-planned mission. Now, U.S.-based Space Adventures, RSC Engergia, and the RSA have announced plans for a purely commercial flight to ISS. One of the Soyuz's three seats will, of course, be taken by the cosmonaut commander, but the other two will both be filled by paying customers, who would then get to spend a week aboard station. Space Adventures says it has a roster of 10 people currently preparing for spaceflight. The story notes that RSA has not yet brought the plan before NASA or other ISS partners. While the plan will likely be approved, since it helps fund Russia's beleaguered space efforts, I can't imagine NASA will be happy about the prospect of TWO tourists on ISS at the same time.