/ 13 June 2001

SHUTTLEWORTH – OUR MAN IN SPACE?

A SOUTH African millionaire was in line to follow in the footsteps of US businessman Dennis Tito and become the second paying space tourist, a Cape newspaper has reported. The Argus newspaper quoted the Russian press as saying a South African citizen had passed a medical selection test and had received access to the Gagarin centre outside Moscow to train for a space trip. A representative for Mark Shuttleworth, who has made a fortune in information technology, confirmed that he had spent two weeks in Russia but said as far as the space tour was concerned, “nothing had been signed yet”. Representative Andrew High said, however, that a Russian rocket was expected to be launched in October and that Shuttleworth “would love to go.” – AFP