Tito says he had a great trip

KOROLYOV (RUSSIA), APRIL 30. The world's first space tourist reached his holiday destination today and declared: ``I had a great trip!''

``Welcome aboard!'' said the International Space Station's Russian commander, Mr. Usachev, in cheerful English as the hatch opened, letting the California millionaire, Mr. Dennis Tito, and two Russian cosmonauts spring in from their Soyuz capsule.

Grinning hugely, Mr. Tito gave a thumbs up sign. Moments later he announced: ``I love space!'' ``It was a great trip here. I don't know about this adaptation that they're talking about. I'm already adapted,'' said Mr. Tito, who had paid a reported $20 million fare.

``Dennis has gotten about 10 years younger,'' said Mr. Talgat Musabayev, Mr. Tito's commander aboard the Soyuz.

Russian mission control said Mr. Tito had been ill on Sunday and had vomited, but had quickly recovered. Motion sickness is common even among professional spacemen, especially on their first day in space.

Mr. Tito and the two Russian cosmonauts accompanying him will spend a week as guests of Mr. Usachev and his two American crewmates on board the ISS.

The U.S. space agency NASA disapproved of the amateur space buff's trip to the $95 billion ISS, saying his presence could prove a dangerous distraction in an emergency.

The financier will not be allowed into U.S. segments of the orbiter without an escort and has had to pledge to pay for anything he breaks.

But Russia says it is a full partner in the space station, and can fill its quota of seats with whomever it wants.

Mr. Yuri Semyonov, president of Energiya, the Russian company that builds and flies Moscow's spaceships, told reporters the restrictions placed on where Mr. Tito could go in the space station were ``of a political character'', but said Mr. Tito would obey them.

``If our American partners see that it is possible to let their countryman onto their territory, we will not interfere,'' he added.

Russian space officials say they are already discussing the candidates prepared to follow Mr. Tito on paid flights.

``Commercial flights give us the chance to compensate for budget funds and we will not turn away from these opportunities,'' Mr. Semyonov said.

Even after NASA gave its grudging approval, computer glitches on the space station had threatened to hold up Mr. Tito's arrival. NASA prolonged a visit by space shuttle Endeavour to help out while the orbiter's crew improvised a set-up to replace three computers that crashed.

Yesterday NASA cut Endeavour loose, freeing a path for Mr. Tito's Soyuz to dock.

The space station is jointly owned by the U.S., Russia, Canada, Japan and European countries.

Washington is footing the lion's share of the cost, but Moscow has designed and built many of the key parts.

After years of problems on the ageing Mir, Russian officials have not hidden their pleasure in noting that the computer glitches on the ISS took place in the U.S.-built sections, while the Russian modules have worked more or less perfectly.

- Reuters

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Section  : International
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