Written by Derek Kessler on
Friday, 03 October 2008
In 2007, former Microsoft executive and billionaire Charles Simonyi paid more than $20 million for a trip aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule to the International Space Station. He followed four others who paid millions for trips to the ISS, and was apparently so pleased with the experience that he’s decided to pay another $30 million to become the first two-time space tourist. Both of Simonyi’s flights were booked through Virginia-based Space Adventures.
Simonyi trained for six months back in 2007 for his 13-day flight to the ISS, which was the longest private manned spaceflight. During the flight he answered hundreds of questions submitted to his website, mapped the space station’s radiation environment, tested high definition camera equipment, and participated in a lower back muscle study. He’ll start training soon for his second flight, which will take place in the spring of 2009 (skipping ahead of Russian politician Vladimir Gruzdev and Google co-founder Sergei Brin.
Space Adventures says that the increase in cost is primarily the result of inflation and rising fuel and materials costs.
In 2007, former Microsoft executive and billionaire Charles Simonyi paid more than $20 million for a trip aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule to the International Space Station. He followed four others who paid millions for trips to the ISS, and was apparently so pleased with the experience that he’s decided to pay another $30 million to become the first two-time space tourist. Both of Simonyi’s flights were booked through Virginia-based Space Adventures.
