Tourist, Crew Dock at Space Station

Garriott will perform experiments, take photos from space
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 14, 2008 9:37 AM CDT
Tourist, Crew Dock at Space Station
In this picture provided by NASA, the Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft, carrying multimillionaire Richard Garriott, launches, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.    (AP Photo/NASA, Bill Ingalls)

American space tourist Richard Garriott arrived safely at the International Space Station today for a 10-day visit, Space.com reports. “I can fly!” Garriott told Russia’s command center, where former NASA astronaut and dad Owen watched his son become the first second-generation space-traveler. Also aboard the Soyuz craft was a replacement crew for current station residents, who haven’t had any visitors since June.

Garriott will carry out experiments while in space, and plans to photograph some 500 locations around the globe. Two of three current crew members will soon return home as the new crew begins its six month mission; engineer Greg Chamitoff will remain aboard temporarily to help the newbies get settled. Other good news for the crew: the briefly dysfunctional station bathroom is now working.
(More space tourism stories.)

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