Private space explorer, Dr Greg Olsen, and his Soyuz TMA-7 crew, successfully launched to the International Space Station (ISS) from…
Private space explorer, Dr Greg Olsen, and his Soyuz TMA-7 crew, successfully launched to the International Space Station (ISS) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Saturday 1 October for an eight-day mission at the space station. Only two private space explorers have gone before him – an American businessman Dennis Tito in 2001 and the `first African in space`, Mark Shuttleworth in 2002. Space Adventures, the only company to have successfully launched private space explorers to the ISS, are exclusively represented in the UK by WildWings – who are now challenged with finding the first British space tourist to join this elite group.
“At a cost of around £12 million we realise this is not an easy task,” says John Brodie-Good, MD of Bristol-based WildWings – Space Adventures UK agent since their inception in 1998. “Although it`s not necessarily just a question of money – successful candidates would need to spend six intensive months in training with fellow cosmonauts, learn to speak basic Russian and have the fitness, drive and determination to reach for the stars.”
Dr. Olsen completed over 900 hours of training in Star City, Russia in preparation for his mission. While aboard the ISS he will participate in a European Space Agency research program to study the human body`s response to the microgravity environment. In addition to scientific experiments, American technology entrepreneur Dr Olsen will communicate with US high school students via HAM radio signal and will also speak to family, friends and colleagues via video tele-bridge.
