On April 28, 2001, the world's first space tourist hitched a ride to the International Space Station on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
The 60-year-old businessman and multimillionaire Dennis Tito funded his own trip to space, and it cost him $20 million. He originally signed a deal with a private company called MirCorp to fly to Russia's aging Mir space station. Those plans fell through when Russia announced that Mir would deorbit in March of 2001. Tito didn't let that stop him from going to space. He then made a deal with another company called Space Adventures to go to the International Space Station instead. NASA wasn't too happy about having guests at the space station, but the Russians had no problem taking Tito's money and launching him in their Soyuz spacecraft along with two cosmonauts. They met up with the crew of Expedition 2 at the International Space Station and stayed there for about a week before safely returning to Earth.
The 60-year-old businessman and multimillionaire Dennis Tito funded his own trip to space, and it cost him $20 million. He originally signed a deal with a private company called MirCorp to fly to Russia's aging Mir space station. Those plans fell through when Russia announced that Mir would deorbit in March of 2001. Tito didn't let that stop him from going to space. He then made a deal with another company called Space Adventures to go to the International Space Station instead. NASA wasn't too happy about having guests at the space station, but the Russians had no problem taking Tito's money and launching him in their Soyuz spacecraft along with two cosmonauts. They met up with the crew of Expedition 2 at the International Space Station and stayed there for about a week before safely returning to Earth.
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00:00On this day in space.
00:04On April 28th, 2001, the world's first space tourist hitched a ride to the International
00:08Space Station on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
00:11The 60-year-old businessman and multi-millionaire Denis Tito funded his own trip to space and
00:16it cost him $20 million.
00:19He originally signed a deal with a private company called MirCorp to fly to Russia's
00:22aging Mir space station.
00:24Those plans fell through when Russia announced that Mir would deorbit in March of 2001.
00:29Tito didn't let that stop him from going to space.
00:32He then made a deal with another company called Space Adventures to go to the International
00:35Space Station instead.
00:38NASA wasn't too happy about having guests at the space station, but the Russians had
00:41no problem taking Tito's money and launching him in their Soyuz spacecraft along with two
00:45cosmonauts.
00:46They met up with the crew of Expedition 2 at the International Space Station and stayed
00:50there for about a week before safely returning to Earth.
00:52And that's what happened on this day in space.
00:59NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute, California Institute