Plans Orbital Spaceflight Scientific Mission With Space
Adventures
Space
Adventures tells ANN that Charles Simonyi has signed a
contract for a future orbital spaceflight. The company, which
organized the spaceflights to the International Space Station (ISS)
for the world's first private explorers Dennis Tito, Mark
Shuttleworth and Greg Olsen, disclosed that Mr. Simonyi has already
completed preliminary training and medical examinations as part of
the program’s qualification process.
In conjunction with the Federal Space Agency and the Rocket
Space Corporation Energia, Space Adventures continues its
commitment to opening the final frontier for private citizens.
Earlier this year, Daisuke (Dice-K) Enomoto began cosmonaut
training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star
City, Russia for his currently planned September 2006 expedition to
the ISS.
Charles Simonyi, founder of Intentional Software, commented,
"Like with any long term plan, I had to make reservations. A lot of
training and work remains to be done before such a flight can be
consummated. My immediate goal for the flight would be to study
Russian and American engineering approaches and to learn from the
experience."
"Mr. Simonyi is a true visionary, one of the leading technology
entrepreneurs in the world. He was a major contributor to the dawn
of the computer age by creating software applications that are now
used by millions of people each and every day," said Eric Anderson,
president and CEO of Space Adventures.
"He is also a seasoned
pilot and very knowledgeable about aerospace technology and
aviation. It has been an honor to work with Mr. Simonyi and we look
forward to his initiation of training and eventual launch."
"I have always dreamed of the wonder of spaceflight and the
exploration of space has always inspired me. I consider my future
flight to be a small part of an important trend to make space
accessible to more people, not just to experts. I am very much in
favor of commercial space travel which promises to advance
technology just like commercial aviation did many years ago. With
that said, my primary focus remains with my company, Intentional
Software," continued Mr. Simonyi.
More details regarding Mr. Simonyi's scheduled flight date,
commencement of spaceflight training and specific mission
objectives will be announced in the coming months.
Space Adventures, the only company to have successfully launched
private explorers to space, is headquartered in Vienna, Va. with
offices in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Moscow and Tokyo. It offers a
variety of programs such as the availability today for orbital
spaceflight missions to the International Space Station, commercial
missions around the moon, Zero-Gravity and MiG flights, cosmonaut
training, spaceflight qualification programs and reservations on
future suborbital spacecrafts.
The company's advisory board comprises Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz
Aldrin, shuttle astronauts Kathy Thornton, Robert (Hoot) Gibson,
Charles Walker, Norm Thagard, Sam Durrance, Byron Lichtenberg,
Pierre Thuot and Skylab astronaut Owen Garriott.
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