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CNN Live Today

South African Heads to Space Station

Aired April 25, 2002 - 10:49   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: While many of you were still sleeping this morning, a 28-year-old South African went off on a little business trip, if you will.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Little field trip.

HARRIS: That's right. He blasted off on a Russian rocket to become the world's second space tourist.

KAGAN: Of course, we're talking about Mark Shuttleworth. He paid $20 million for the trip to the International Space Station. Our Moscow Bureau Chief, Jill Dougherty, has more on his trip.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: As the giant Soyuz rocket fired its engines, inside the Soyuz capsule, South African Mark Shuttleworth, the second amateur in space, looked cool and collected. On the ground, his parents embraced as mission control pronounced it a perfect liftoff.

Ten minutes later, Shuttleworth and the two professional cosmonauts flying with him, Russian Yuri Gozenko (ph) and Italian Roberto Bitori (ph) were in outer space.

Almost three hours into the flight, the crew reported to ground control that everything was going smoothly. Shuttleworth, a 28-year- old self-made Internet millionaire trained eight months for his eight day visit to the International Space Station. He paid a reported $20 million for his ticket. He thinks it's worth it.

MARK SHUTTLEWORTH, AMATEUR COSMONAUT: It's a very long story that goes back as long as I can remember, that I've known about space flights, it has been my dream to fly, and it's a great privilege, after many months of training to be sitting here with this great crew.

DOUGHERTY: The Russian space program thinks it is worth it too.

Officials freely admit it needs the money.

VLADIMIR SOLOVYOV, FLIGHT DIRECTOR: Shuttleworth's flight means additional finances for the development of our program on the International Space Station. And also, the whole new set of interesting -- even revolutionary experiments will be conducted during his stay on the space station. Besides additional finances, the Shuttleworth flight brings world attention and popularity to space exploration.

DOUGHERTY: On the International Space Station, Shuttleworth will perform experiments prepared by South African and Russian scientists, including tests on animal stem cells and methods of fighting HIV/AIDS.

(on camera): He plans to talk live from space with schools in South Africa, telling students that just like him, one day they, too, may be able to fly.

Jill Dougherty, CNN, Mission Control, Carolyov (ph), Russia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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