NASA drafting rules for space tourists By Erin Heath, National Journal Space enthusiasts have been awaiting the day when normal people, rather than a handful of astronauts and cosmonauts, can voyage to the final frontier. Now the wait may have been shortened--a bit. Last week, 60-year-old California millionaire Dennis Tito became the first paying vacationer to blast off from Earth for a 10-day holiday aboard the International Space Station. He reportedly spent up to $20 million for a ticket to join Russian cosmonauts Yuri Baturin and Talgat Musabayev in the Russian Soyuz spacecraft headed for the space station. On April 28, he was greeted by space station crew members Yury Usachev, the Russian commander, and Americans Susan Helms and Jim Voss. Although Tito's ascension through the Earth's atmosphere was smooth, his dealings with NASA were rocky. Tito had trained with the Russian cosmonauts for eight months, but when he showed up with the Soyuz crew at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, he was initially turned away. NASA officials were concerned he would jeopardize crew safety. Some also objected to the notion that rich people could buy space rides and jump ahead of the queue of astronaut hopefuls who have spent years in training. This started a flurry of negotiations among the Russian Space Agency, NASA, and the other space station partners. In the end, Russia prevailed, and Tito got his wish. Full story: http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0501/050701nj.htm
