Mir Space Station Could Become High-Priced Hotel

By Sushuma February 17, 2000 10:36 AM

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(Reuters)-It could be the ultimate tourist destination -- the Russian Mir space station decked out as a luxurious resort orbiting 200 kilometers (125 miles) from earth.?This is no James Bond fantasy.?A group of investors has signed a $20 million deal to rent Mir and turn the aging space station into an out-of-this-world holiday spot and commercial laboratory.?"We're sending a mission up in March to knock on the door, switch on the lights and see how everything's going up there.?It's a risky venture but we're feeling confident," said Jeffrey Manber, president of MirCorp, the company behind the venture which is due to be unveiled in London on Thursday.?But it doesn't come cheap.?Space tourists will be asked to fork out $20 million a head to visit the outpost which measures five school buses in size.?"We may even have a visitor in the first mission.?He's a Russian actor who's been in space training for many months but it's still a bit uncertain because he doesn't know if he's going to be able to raise the money in time," Manber told Reuters.?"Citizen explorers" plans to travel aboard three-person Russian Soyuz rockets to the space station which is expected to be able to accommodate five guests at a time.?Read more ...

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