Plugged In
Stay plugged in to technology news. Cox staffers across the country and around the globe bring you breaking tech news and other high-tech tidbits and explain what it all means to you and your community -- 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Only with "Plugged In."RSS feed
What's on this page →
The entry titled "Google founder signs up for space flight," and any of the comments about it.
Commenting is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. M-F
Recent entries
Home > Plugged In > Archives > 2008 > June > 11 > Entry
Google founder signs up for space flight
Google Inc. co-founder Sergey Brin has reserved a seat to blast off to orbit with a $5 million deposit, private space travel firm Space Adventures Ltd. said today in New York.
Brin’s deposit gives him priority access to available spots with Space Adventures, which has sent wealthy clients to the International Space Station aboard Russian rockets. No launch date has been scheduled.
The next scheduled launch on Oct. 12 is to take Austin video game designer Richard Garriott (pictured left in training gear) to the station. Garriott, who has been training in Russia, would become the first second-generation astronaut, following his father NASA astronaut Owen Garriott (pictured right).
Brin said he’s “a big believer in the exploration and commercial development of space, and am looking forward to the possibility of going into space.”
Brin’s payment is just a deposit. If he flies to space, he will still need to pay a substantial balance.
Past private spaceflights to the station have cost $20 million. The price tag has been rising because of labor and materials costs and the weaker U.S. dollar, the company said.
Garriott’s flight costs $30 million and future flights may cost $35 million or more.
Brin also has the option of selling his seat.
Comments