Tito's reflections from space
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: May 1, 2001

  Tito
Dennis Tito waves for the camera before departing on his orbital adventure. Photo: Anatoly Zak/Spaceflight Now
 
Space tourist Dennis Tito was interviewed on Tuesday by CNN, NBC and TV 6 in Moscow. Following are his comments about his vacation so far:

"It goes well beyond anything that I would have every dreamed. Living in space is like having a different life, living in a different world. Living in zero g, viewing the Earth from above, it is so spectacular, it is so rewarding. I believe that I am extremely privileged to have had this opportunity. I think professional astronauts, maybe circulating among themselves, take this for granted. I'll tell you: there is nothing like this as an experience.

"The launch Soyuz was very smooth. There wasn't much vibration; the g-forces were not that great. I had notes of all the major staging events that occurred for the first nine minutes of flight until we were in orbit. So I was following everything very closely and I could anticipate when the engines would cut off and the new stage would fire, when the shroud was jettisoned and so forth. So I was very comfortable. I wasn't nervous at all. I don't think my heart rate was beyond 100.

"And then once we got into orbit, it was just unbelievable to see the Earth from above and the black sky.

"I felt surprising well. I ended up being well for most of that -- at least half of --- the first day. And then I think I got a overconfident and I drank some juice and had some dried fruit, which didn't agree with me, so I had my first bout with space sickness and I learned that I have to be careful. From that point on, it just got better and better and better.

"My expectations originally were that things would be not that comfortable, it would be like sailing on a rough ocean. But it turns out it's very comfortable and I feel great. I have no feeling of space sickness. My face is a little puffy Š because of the adaption (which) causes the blood to go to your head from the lower parts of your body.

"Everyone has been fantastic. Jim Voss and Susan Helms have just gone out of their way to show me around, give me some safety drills. They have done a great job. And of course the commander, Yuri Usachev, is someone I know quite well and he also is very friendly. It goes without saying that my Soyuz crew Yuri Baturin and Talgat Musabayev have become very close friends. So we're a good team up here.

On how his trip will affect the future of space exploration:

"If I have anything to say about it, I will do my best to communicate to different people how great of an experience this is. And how an ordinary person (can) -- one does not have to be superhuman to -- adapt to space. It is very doable. Unfortunately, it is very expensive at this point, but there are others that can afford this and I would like to encourage it . So that is what I'm going to hopefully accomplish.

Tito said he saw the American segments within about an hour after arriving at the space station on Saturday, and that the visit was "absolutely" worth the estimated $20 million price.

On the prospect of a return trip to space:

"No. It's an experience that I want to remember for the rest of my life. I think it's everything and well beyond what I would have expected. It's time for me to help other people achieve their dreams.

"It's already helped me so far because the training experience was very rewarding. But this experience will be unsurpassed by any experience and I think it will be part of myself as person. I plan to go back to my normal life."

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