Russia to take more tourists to space

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW, MAY 7. Russia is negotiating with about 10 potential space tourists following the successful space trip by a U.S. businessman, a Russian space industry spokesman said.

``Space tourism has market potential,'' Mr. Alexander Derechin of the Energiya Space Corporation told the Interfax news agency on Monday. ``It is still a small market but it may grow after the flight of Mr. Dennis Tito,'' he said.

The U.S. financial consultant, Mr. Tito, 60, who paid about $20 million for his space flight, returned to earth Sunday after a week-long stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The cash-strapped Russian space industry sees space tourism as an important source of additional funding. However, the first flight of a paying tourist to the 16-nation ISS station provoked an acute crisis with the U.S. space agency NASA.

Americans only grudgingly agreed to Mr. Tito's flight and came out against any further tourist trips to the ISS until the station's construction was completed and a set of requirements for amateur candidates and rules for their missions rules were worked out.

NASA also suggested it might bill the Russians for the alleged disruption of work aboard the ISS during Mr. Tito's presence there. Russians have angrily rejected the charges and vowed to press ahead with tourist flights.

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Section  : International
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