Google honcho Sergey Brin plans first-ever private trip to the ISS

Google co-founder Sergey Brin is about to join an extremely short list of space tourists, according to reports. The search engine-kingpin just dropped a $5 million dollar "investment" on the company Space Adventures, which all but guarantees him a seat on the outfit's next flight in 2011. The trip aboard the Russian Soyuz rocket will take Brin to the ISS in the first-ever private flight to the station (Ubuntu head Mark Shuttleworth has made the trip, though not on a private mission). The company stresses that the ride will be less about tourism and more about commercial exploration, with passengers bringing aboard experiments and taking part in flight operations. Now the only riddle left to solve is whether the last Cylon is Brin or Bezos.

[Via Gear Diary]

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 11th 2008 2:49PM]

Okay, so that's what he looked like in High School. What's he look like now?

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 11th 2008 4:36PM]

Am I the only one afraid that he will use this opportunity to set up his orbiting world domination station and perfect his weather control device? Are you people blind?

[cliffy Posted Jun 11th 2008 11:00PM]

I heard some guy named Pitr from Columbia Internet is going up as well.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 11th 2008 4:45PM]

I think that 5 million is just a down payment of course, it'll probably be somewhere around 30 something million total. As for the ISS, I don't have a problem with space tourist, as long as they're going to use the space station they can pay to maintain it as well. Which they currently do not. As by first ever private space flight, I think what they mean is through the company they formed to do all this. I think before they just gave the Russians a whole bunch of money, and that was it. Now they've got an actual company behind it.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 11th 2008 4:48PM]

Also, by maintain it I mean pay more than just the cost for the flight, and more than just the cost to keep the business in business. Probably a yearly payment to have access to the ISS that insures the maintenance of the ISS for future tourist or something.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 11th 2008 8:19PM]

I totally respect this way of splurging when you have the money, other loaded idiots go and gamble millions at a table in Vegas.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 11th 2008 9:46PM]

Why would you pussnuts give away details about a show not everyone is caught up on. Engadget gets worse every time I come here....I need a new tech blog.

[looselycoupled Posted Jun 11th 2008 10:46PM]

He already donates a lot of money towards good causes.. not to mention the google foundation

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 12th 2008 6:58AM]

This isn't the same Russian company that sent up the DISH Network satellite is it?