Billionaire and founder of the Cirque du Soleil, Guy Laliberte spent millions to become one of the first tourists in outer space, according to the Associated Press.
Laliberte blasted off into orbit on a Russian rocket on Wednesday. He spent millions from a personal fortune on his two week visit to the International Space Station (ISS), is likely to be the last such “space tourist” for several years.
He blasted off on schedule from Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome, located in neighbouring Kazakhstan, at 0714 GMT alongside a professional Russian cosmonaut and a US astronaut.
Televised images showed the three crew members waving at mission control from the cockpit of the Soyuz spacecraft with a toy lion mascot dangling from the ceiling.
The Soyuz successfully reached its designated orbit and is due to dock with the ISS on Friday at 0835 GMT.
Laliberte, a former fire-eater and stiltwalker, is taking nine red clown noses into space — one for each member of the ISS crew — and has said he will not abandon his lighter side once in space.
“I am going with my sense of humour. Even in serious things you need to leave a place for humour,” the Quebec City native said ahead of the mission.
He confessed to “tickling” his crewmates during training and promised to repeat this in orbit when they were sleeping. In keeping with the light-hearted approach, all three broke into song as they boarded the capsule.
Laliberte is planning on October 9 to preside from the ISS over what he has called the first ever artistic mission from space which will take place in a dozen cities around the world and involve music, dancing and images.
If I had the money for a trip to space…. I would not even blink as I wrote the check.
Just sayin’. There are some things that far surpass money.
Unfortunately… $138.24 (The balance in my checking account) would just barely get me to the launch pad.
Mike, maybe you could fly coach in one of the Zveda service modules?