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CNN Live Today
Tourist Flights in Russian Space Program Take Off
Aired March 14, 2002 - 14:36 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Time was when it was a big deal for tourists to climb on the busses and see the homes of Hollywood stars. Yeah, right! CNN Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty on tourist flights now, in the Russian space program.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Right now, it's just a full-size model. But in two and a half years, its makers say, it will be ready to fly for real. The C21 sub-orbital spacecraft. A made-for-tourist space vehicle.
It's a project of Space Adventures, the U.S. based company that helped the first space tourist, Dennis Tito, fly on the Russian space station Mir. Tito paid a reported $20 million for his 10-day trip. A flight on the C21 will last about an hour, and cost $100,000.
The company says 100 people already have put a down payment on the flights, which are scheduled to begin in 2004, 2005.
ERIC ANDERSON, PRES. & CEO, SPACE ADVENTURES: From all walks of life. From all countries. People from Japan, people from Denmark, people from the United States. Men, women, young, old. People of all walks of life.
Space is something which is a very common theme. It's something which is a passion for a lot of people.
DOUGHERTY: Space tourists on the C21 will train for only four days, not the six months required for orbital flights. The spacecraft, developed by Russian engineers, paid for by private investors, will be launched on top of a Russian M55 high altitude aircraft. As this animation CD shows, 20 minutes into the flight, the C21 will fire its own engine and climb to 100 kilometers, 62 miles, the beginning of outer space.
(on camera): If this were a real flight, I'd be wearing a spacesuit, like this. And there's a pilot at the controls in the front seat. The actual time that you're weightless is about 3 to 5 minutes.
(voice-over): So, is 3 minutes in space worth it? Shuichi Okubo, a healthcare worker from Goya, Japan, thinks so. He plans to be on one of the first flights. SHUICHI OKUBO, FUTURE SPACE TOURIST: Last year I fly a Migu 29 (ph) jet fighter. It's very exciting! So next, I'd like to challenge a space shuttle.
DOUGHERTY: Space Adventures claims there are potentially thousands of people like Shuichi: space tourists with the money and desire to fly. and through an agreement with U.S. Airways, they'll even be able to use frequent flyer miles to go to space.
Jill Dougherty, CNN, Zuchovski, Russia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: For more on those frequent flier miles now, Robert Pearlman is marketing director for Space Adventures. He's live in D.C. How are you, Robert?
ROBERT PEARLMAN, MARKETING DIR., SPACE ADVENTURES: Good. Thanks for having me.
HEMMER: This is crazy stuff here. Tell us why it's becoming cheaper so quickly, relative to what Dennis Tito experienced.
PEARLMAN: Well, Dennis Tito flew on a Soyu spacecraft that was designed to take trained cosmonauts to the international space station, and to past Russian space stations. The vehicle that you just saw, the C21 that we unveiled today in Russia, was designed from the beginning to be a passenger spacecraft. So one of the considerations that was taken into mind was, what was the amount of money that an average tourist would be willing to pay.
HEMMER: And you came up with 98 grand, right?
PEARLMAN: Yes, 98 grand will take you to space.
HEMMER: You have to be rich to pull this one off, huh, Robert?
PEARLMAN: Well, if youwant to put it into perspective, you can climb Mount Everest for 65,000 to $75,000. This takes you higher, faster, further, and you get the title of astronaut when you come back.
HEMMER: Wow. The title of astronaut. Before we talk about how high you can go, what about safety concerns and training and things like that? What's in the plan?
PEARLMAN: Well, safety is paramount with Space Adventures. We are working with both the Federal Aviation Administration here in the United States, and with international regulatory groups overseas. And we will not launch a spacecraft until test flights have occurred, and we've met those regulations.
From a training experience, we provide experiences today that will prepare someone for a space flight, like experiencing zero gravity on a parabolics plane just like they filmed in "Apollo 13." Or flying to 85,000 feet aboard a MIG 25 foxbat, during which you experience the same amount of G forces that the astronauts do on the space shuttle.
HEMMER: Are there health standards, though, that you have to meet, here, Robert?
PEARLMAN: You do. You will have to meet with your physician. But in general, if you can ride a roller coaster safely, and without any heart, back or neck problems, you'll be able to ride this vehicle.
HEMMER: Are you getting resistance? I mean, I can't think the folks at NASA are too pleased with this.
PEARLMAN: Actually, NASA has been supportive.
HEMMER: Really?
PEARLMAN: You have to understand that NASA is an exploration agency. Their charter is to push the boundaries. It's their role to also support private industry as we move into space. And earth orbit has been something that we could reach for the last 40 years. And so NASA is sharing their information and their technology, to make a program like this possible.
HEMMER: Got it. Listen, about 62 miles high, is that right?
PEARLMAN: Sixty-two miles, or about 100 kilometers.
HEMMER: Sub orbital, then.
PEARLMAN: It is sub orbital. You will not reach orbit. The whole flight will take about 42 minutes. But internationally, 62 miles is considered space. You're outside the earth's atmosphere. So you will be able to see about a thousand miles in every direction, see the curvature of the earth, the blackness of space. And float in weightlessness.
HEMMER: Well, if you have 98 grand to spare, I think it'd be one heck of a ride. Quickly, in the short time we have left, what do you find is luring people to an adventure like this?
PEARLMAN: It's a mixture of things. Some people are adventure tourists at heart. They climb Mount Everest, they dive to the bottom of the sea. This is the next great adventure. For others, it's always been a passion to look up, and see the night sky, experience what it would be like to fly up there. So this is -- and that's what I feel. I joined the company because I want to fly to space.
HEMMER: Are you going to do it?
PEARLMAN: Yes, I will.
HEMMER: You will. Hey, enjoy. I'm jealous.
PEARLMAN: We'd love to have you aboard.
HEMMER: I'll do it if I can spare the cash. Thank you, Robert. Robert Pearlman again, two to three years away from that. But indeed, it's an exciting adventure. No question about that. Robert, thanks again to you.
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