Just out of curiosity, did the 2 Millionaires who paid to go into space have to endure any of the physical tests and training that astronauts have to?
I thought there was just one. He did meet the same tests as the others and get the required training. Keep in mind that the US does send amatures into space [school teachers, Senators]. It does not take years of training. These people are just limited on what they can do. They are not the ones you send on a space walk to make repairs. The more you are expected to do, the more training you need.
Makes sence. So there is hope that if I ever win the lottery I could buy my way into space. Cool!
I do not believe NASA has taken up any civilians since the Challenger explosion: John Glenn, while he became a senator, was first an astronaut: it’s not the same as sending up, say, Strom Thurmond.
Well, he didn’t exactly call up Russia with an offer and fly the next week. Tito spent years working on putting the deal together. The original plan was for him to fly to Mir, but as that station’s condition worsened, flights to it were cut back. Russia agreed to fly him on one of their flights to the ISS. Tito also spent a year in Russia undergoing cosmonaut training before the flight took place.
Eric