Two Americans have won the go-ahead to become the next tourists in space, and two more spots for a Russian rocket trip to the international space station are now on the market, the U.S. firm selling the spots said.
Two thrill-seeking civilians, whose names are still being withheld, have agreed to shell out $20 million each for separate eight- to 10-day trips into orbit.
These two space tourists won’t be the first — U.S. millionaire Dennis Tito and South African technology entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth forked over about the same amount to be launched into space in 2001 and 2002.
Two more seats are up for sale, locking up all the spots available on Russian Soyuz rockets through 2007, according to Space Adventures, a private U.S. firm running the trips with the Russian Aviation and Space Agency.
When the upcoming launches were announced in June, about a dozen people had undergone medical tests for the two available flights and paid certain fees.
The successful candidates were picked largely because they pitched unique mission objectives, Space Adventures President and Chief Executive Eric Anderson said Tuesday.
One of the two is a 38-year-old male Manhattan real estate developer. No details about the other were available.
One of the space tourists will launch in the third quarter of 2004, and the other sometime in 2005. Space Adventures expected their names to be revealed sometime in January.
Most of the $20 million per-ticket cost goes to building the Soyuz rockets, which are not reusable. But the cash also helps boost Russia’s space program.
Russia’s Soyuz craft is currently the only working link to the International Space Station, after the February crash of the Columbia space shuttle grounded NASA’s shuttle fleet.
Source CNN.com.
Fantasy vied with reality on Sunday as the American Film Institute named the year’s 10 best films, listing epics like “The Last Samurai” and the final installment of “The Lord of the Rings” alongside slice-of-life movies “American Splendor” and “In America.” The 10 films to win the AFI Awards 2003, listed in alphabetical order, were “American Splendor,” “Finding Nemo,” “The Human Stain,” “In America,” “The Last Samurai,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” “Lost in Translation,” “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” “Monster” and “Mystic River.” The American Film Institute names the year’s 10 top films and television shows without giving rating preferences.
Be sure to read Glide Magazine’s exclusive with American Splendor star Harey Pekar here.
Source Yahoo.com.
Janet Jackson will perform on one of the world’s biggest stages, the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show. The National Football League championship football game is set to air Feb. 1 live on CBS from Houston’s Reliant Stadium.
MTV is producing the Super Bowl halftime show, which will be sponsored by America Online, for the second time. The network previously produced the segment in 2001, which featured Aerosmith, ‘N Sync and Britney Spears.
Last year’s halftime event, produced by Interscope Geffen A&M Records chairman Jimmy Iovine and Tenth Planet Productions director/producer Joel Gallen, saw Shania Twain, No Doubt and Sting perform at halftime. Celine Dion, Carlos Santana, Michelle Branch and Beyonc
