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American Morning

Man to Be First International Space Station Tourist

Aired April 25, 2001 - 10:32   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Despite strong opposition from NASA, and safety concerns, it looks like California millionaire Dennis Tito will be the first tourist to visit the International Space Station.

As CNN's Matthew Chance reports, he's scheduled to blast off this weekend aboard a Russian rocket.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He paid the Russians $20 million to fly into space, angering NASA, but providing much-needed cash for Moscow's struggling space program. Russia said he would fly no matter what.

Final agreement was reached only after NASA received written guarantees that the world's first space tourist wouldn't sue in the event of injury and would pay for any sensitive equipment on board the International Space Station that he breaks.

DENNIS TITO, SPACE TOURIST: If I break it, I have to buy it. So if I break the whole station, I guess I'm going to have to buy the whole station.

CHANCE: For months, this Californian millionaire has been at the center of a battle for control over resources on the International Space Station. He was originally intended to visit Mir, but the aging craft was were abandoned and fell to Earth last month. Russian officials have been insisting Dennis Tito's efforts would not go to waste.

PETER KLIMUK, RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCY (through translator): Tito isn't just a tourist; he's a member of the crew. He has been in serious training for nine months and has been through 900 hours of theoretical and practical training. You could say he's a semi- cosmonaut who deserves serious attention.

CHANCE: But NASA says a number of experiments will be shut down during Mr. Tito's six-day visit. The risk of working with an amateur, they say, is simply too great.

Although Russia says there may be more trips for space tourists in the future, NASA and other partners on the International Space Station say Dennis Tito's pioneering visit should be an exceptional case. Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

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