A Soyuz TMA-10 space capsule bearing billionaire Microsoft pioneer Charles Simonyi soared toward the International Space Station (ISS) yesterday, making him the world's fifth space tourist.
Kazakhstan's black sky lit up with orange and yellow flames as the rocket took off on schedule late on Saturday, carrying Simonyi toward the ISS along with Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Fyodor Yurchikhin.
Observers exploded into cries of joy and applause when officials confirmed the craft had successfully entered orbit a few minutes later.
Simonyi's spokeswoman, Susan Hutchinson, said she was "on the verge of tears."
"The power in the ignition of those engines, the feeling in the ground gave everybody such a sense of what spaceride is, and so we viewed with awe and great satisfaction," she said.
"He had a grin on his face, they were doing really well," she told a friend, then cried out: "Wasn't that a thrill!"
Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov, who attended the launch, smiled and clapped.
The flight, which cost Simonyi US$25 million and is scheduled to dock at the ISS on Monday, is far more than a pleasure trip.
Between snapping shots of Earth, Simonyi will be conducting medical experiments for the European Space Agency and testing high-definition cameras for the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency.
He plans to detail his experiences on board in a Web log at www.charlesinspace.com.
He will also be preparing a gourmet space dinner for his crewmates, likely with some pointers from US homemaking guru Martha Stewart, his partner, who came to watch the launch.
The super-rich lovebirds went without a rumored pre-launch engagement announcement, but Stewart screamed and clapped as Simonyi left the space training center before take-off, banging her hands on the window of his bus and chanting: "Charles! Charles! Charles!"
The dinner Simonyi will prepare in honor of Russian Cosmonauts' Day on April 12 should be a welcome change.
"One of those dishes has a wine sauce in French style," Simonyi said. "I think that the team will be very happy to eat something different after all that time in space."
Simonyi is scheduled to return to Earth on April 20 together with the current ISS team, while the two Russian cosmonauts will stay on for a 190-day shift in orbit.
Space Adventures, the company that organized the trips, plans to expand its offerings next year to include a US$100 million trip around the moon and a US$100,000 budget option: five minutes of sub-orbital space flight.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was