Recently in Space Tourist Category

Leave it to Sir Richard Branson to put on a show. A lavish unveiling was scheduled for SpaceShipTwo now known as Virgin Mothership (VMS) Eve carrying Virgin Space Ship (VSS) Enterprise. Unfortunately mother nature was not being co-operative with strong winds and a frigid night with even the possibility of snow. Leaving the theatrics behind after a roll-out of the VMS Eve carrying VSS Enterprise everyone, including some 800 strong media, celebs, customers and the like headed indoors for speeches and to mingle.

It would seem Guy Laliberté really got good value for the $35 million he spent on his flight in October to the International Space Station. According to Influence Communication of Montreal who were authorized by Laliberté to assess the value of the media coverage, the total advertising value of Laliberté's media coverage between June 4 and October 14, 2009 was CAN$592 million.

Guy Laliberté the the founder of Cirque du Soleil landed in the Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft
on the steppes of Kazakhstan earlier today after completing his 11 day Poetic Social Mission. Returning with Laliberté were International Space Station Expedition 20 Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Michael Barratt who have just completed a six-month stay.

Guy Laliberté arrived at the International Space Station with his fellow crew mates Flight Engineers Jeff Williams and Maxim Suraev at 6:57 a.m. EDT this morning. Laliberté will be on the ISS until 9:05 p.m. EDT on October 10 conducting his Poetic Social Mission.

Keith's note: I will be interviewed on CBC Radio this morning to talk about Guy Laliberté's flight.

This is the schedule:

6:00 am EDT Sudbury, 6:20 Quebec City, 6:40 Thunder Bay, 7:00 Winnipeg, 7:10 Corner Brook, 7:30 Yellowknife, 7:50 Victoria, 8:15 Regina, 8:30 Kelowna, 8:40 Vancouver

Flight Engineers Jeffrey Williams and Maxim Suraev of the 21st International Space Station crew launched in their Soyuz TMA-16 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 3:14 a.m. EDT Wednesday to begin a six-month stay in space. Less than 10 minutes after launch their spacecraft reached orbit, and its antennas and solar arrays were deployed shortly afterward. With Williams, a retired U.S. Army colonel, and Suraev, a colonel in the Russian Air Force, is spaceflight participant Guy Laliberté, flying under an agreement between the Russian Federal Space Agency and Space Adventures, Ltd.

Guy Laliberté the founder of Cirque du Soleil and the One Drop Foundation is to launch on the Russian Soyuz TMA-16 rocket on Wednesday, September 30th at 3:14 a.m. EDT from the Baikonur launch complex in Kazakhstan. Laliberté will become Canada's first private space explorer.