Subject:  Lance might STILL be going into space, here's an article from MTV.com >>> |
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Anh
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Date Posted: 16:00:44 02/21/02 Thu
In reply to:
Jess
's message, "Huh.. I can't believe it.. Lance ISN'T going in to space after all!! :O -- I heard Brandy was pregnant too!" on 14:43:53 02/21/02 Thu
UPDATE: 'NSYNC's Lance Bass Plans To Leave Earth
02.20.2002 2:08 PM EST
Lance Bass has out-of-this-world plans when 'NSYNC end their Celebrity 2002 tour — he's hoping to go into orbit this fall with the help of a television production company, Russian technology and a lot of sponsors.
"I am completely overwhelmed at this invitation," Bass said in a statement announcing the trip. "I'm looking forward to completing this lifelong dream."
Of course, for Bass to complete his dream, it's easier said than done. For a civilian to embark on a space flight — in this case, aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket — the usual asking price is about $20 million. So far only one civilian — American businessman Dennis Tito — has ponied up the money and gone into space; South African Mark Shuttleworth is booked to next make the trek. Tito originally bought his ticket to visit the Mir space station through Dutch-based space exploration company MirCorp, but later rolled over his contract to U.S.-based space tourism company Space Adventures to take a rocket to the International Space Station for eight days in April 2001. Shuttleworth, who also negotiated his ticket via Space Adventures, has been training for four months at Star City near Moscow, and is slated to make his trek to the ISS on April 20.
Despite his brief tenure at Florida's U.S. Space Camp at the age of 12, for Bass to blast off, he too will have to undergo five to six months of training at Star City before he takes a seat on a mission in early November.
As for the cost, Destiny Productions president David Krieff said that via sponsorship and a network deal, he is optimistic they can raise the funds to pay MirCorp for Bass' mission. Krieff plans to shoot both Bass' training and the mission itself for a television special called "Celebrity Mission: Lance Bass."
"We've got the sponsorship money on a fast track," Krieff said. "The demographic that Lance hits is highly sought after, so it'll be a little easier to round up [the funds]. And a network deal will get the rest. That's not done yet, but we expect to get one of the top four."
They'll also have to get the approval of the Russian Space Agency, Rosaviakosmos, which told Reuters on Thursday (February 21) that there had been no talks on the subject yet. "It is as if I said I had bought Australia," Russian Space Agency spokesperson Sergei Gorbunov told Reuters. "MirCorp has no right to sell these flights. They have no link to Rosviakosmos, we have no contract linking us."
That's partially true, a MirCorp spokesperson countered, saying that no contracts had been signed and that no talks had happened yet between MirCorp and the Russian Space Agency because it would have been premature. Before they get to that stage, MirCorp spokesperson Jeffrey Lenorovitz said, Bass would need to pass medical exams, complete training and come up with the cost of the flight. "Destiny Productions is working with MirCorp and discussions have started," Lenorovitz said. "And there are flight opportunities for a civilian. But they do have to be up to Russian standards. And there's the matter of the money. You don't talk to the real estate broker to buy a house or a car dealer to buy a car until you know you can pay, even if it's just a deposit."
As for whether or not MirCorp would have the right to sell the flight, Lenorovitz argued that the company's main shareholders were principal players in the Russian space industry, and have their backing. (MirCorp is part-owned by the Russian space organization Energia).
Bass' launch, should it occur, could be a prelude for Destiny Productions to develop further shows. The company — which has put together numerous showdowns such as "Battle of the Sexes on Ice" and "Battle of the Broads" (featuring Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding) for Fox — also wants to put together a game show that would send civilians into space. Calling it a blend of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?," "Survivor" and "Weakest Link," Krieff said the 20-episode rocket reality show "Big Mission" would allow contest winners to compete to follow in Bass' zero-gravity footsteps.
"Celebrity Mission: Lance Bass," however, will be more of a documentary, Krieff said, split up into two two-hour parts and showing Bass' life as well as his launch. "We'd like to start with his birthday in early May, when he starts his training in Russia, and possibly even have a live aspect with the launch."
No launch date has been slated for the mission, which would have a three-person crew in addition to Bass.
—MTV News staff report
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