Apr 28 2001
From The Space Library
The Russian spacecraft Soyuz lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan propelled by a Soyuz-U rocket. The spacecraft carried one of the most controversial space travelers in history~ American businessman Dennis A. Tito. Tito had paid the Russian Space Agency for the opportunity to accompany cosmonauts Talgat A. Musabayev and Yuri M. Baturin on the mission to the ISS. Many space officials, regarding the endeavor as unsafe and capricious, had opposed Tito’s presence on the flight. Only days before the launch, Tito had gained the final approval of the consortium of nations building the ISS, becoming the highest profile space tourist to fly into orbit. (Spacewarn Bulletin, no. 570, 1 May 2001, http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/spacewarn/spx570.html (accessed 24 July 2008); Warren E. Leary, “Russia Wins Fight To Be First Space Travel Agent,” New York Times, 25 April 2001.)
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