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American Morning

First Space Tourist Boards International Space Station

Aired April 30, 2001 - 11:04   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: Space tourist Dennis Tito arrived at the International Space Station this morning with a huge grin on his face. Tito, who paid the Russian space agency $20 million for the trip, will spend six days aboard the station now.

And for the latest, we turn to CNN's Matthew Chance. He's in Moscow. I'm wondering, Matthew, will there be more Dennis Titos?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, the Russian space agency says that it's expecting a surge of interest in space tourism, if everything continues to go according to plan up at the International Space Station, that is.

They say they're already negotiating with a number of individuals over the prospect of another privately-funded flight into space. But they've said that, first of all, they want to make sure that there aren't the kind of objections that were raised by the American space agency NASA in the weeks running up to Dennis Tito's flight first.

So there is a possibility of -- of more flights into space, but it's not simply a question of handing over the cash, Kyra. Remember Dennis Tito was nine months in a very intensive, mental, and physical training program, both here in Moscow and at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in -- in Kazakstan before he was allowed to get onto the Soyuz craft which docked successfully earlier on this morning with the International Space Station.

So it's not simply a matter of having enough cash -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, Matthew, what exactly did Dennis do? What -- what was his role? Did he work some of the controls?

CHANCE: No. I mean, in fact, there was a lot of concern expressed by NASA that he would pose some kind of safety risk to the other crewmembers on board the International Space Station, but the Russian space officials here in Moscow said very clearly that, although he's been training for so long, for nine months, as I said, he's not being given any operational role in the day-to-day running of the International Space Station.

Mr. Tito, though, has told CNN, though, before his flight up to space that he intends to take a lot of photographs. He said he's taken 30 rolls of photographic film with him up there. He said he's also going to be listening to a lot of music. He's taken a number of CDs, a number of operas, also, he says, a Beatles album.

He said he's also going to spend a lot of the six days that he'll have on board the International Space Station simply, you know, peering down -- back down at the magnificent views of earth out of the window of the space station -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, those aren't bad responsibilities. Matthew Chance from Moscow. Thanks so much.

And you can keep track of how space tourist Dennis Tito's visit to the International Space Station is going at our Web site. Just log on to CNN.com. Of course, the AOL keyword is "CNN."

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