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Google's Brin Books Flight to Space Station

Company co-founder puts $5M deposit on 2011 launch

By Jim O'Neill,  Newser User

Posted Jun 11, 2008 9:03 AM CDT

(Newser) – Google co-founder Sergey Brin is turning space tourist, plunking down a $5 million deposit with Space Adventures for passage to the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket in 2011, reports the New York Times. Space Adventures is planning to buy two of the three seats aboard the mission, whose sole agenda would be tourism.

“From a passenger point of view, you wouldn’t be a fifth wheel on the flight to the space station,” said a Space Adventures consultant. “It’s a move toward a more mature commercial space travel industry.” Though five tourists have ventured into space, future flights could be in jeopardy as Russian missions become more crowded when the ISS crew expands from three to six.

The Soyuz-FG rocket booster with Soyuz TMA-12 space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station blasts off.
The Soyuz-FG rocket booster with Soyuz TMA-12 space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station blasts off.   (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)
Sergey Brin, co-founder and president of Google, smiles at the annual Allen and Co.'s media conference Thursday, July 12, 2007.
Sergey Brin, co-founder and president of Google, smiles at the annual Allen and Co.'s media conference Thursday, July 12, 2007.   (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac)
American space tourist, billionaire Charles Simonyi, in 2007.
American space tourist, billionaire Charles Simonyi, in 2007.   (AP Photo/NASA)
Google co-founder Sergey Brin walks the exhibit hall at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Wednesday, Jan. 9.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin walks the exhibit hall at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Wednesday, Jan. 9.   (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
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