Lance Bass, teen heartthrob from the pop group N’Sync, drew closer to his dream of space flight on Tuesday after the US space agency Nasa and other agencies approved his trip to the International Space Station.
But Russian officials said Bass will not be going anywhere if he does not soon come up with the 20-million-dollar fare. The two sides have been haggling over payment deadlines.
A publicist for Bass said he has not yet been confirmed for the October 28 launch from Kazakhstan because of the payment issue. The 23-year-old singer is seeking funding from various TV and film production companies.
Meanwhile, Bass, who has spent months training in Russia for the flight, was in Houston this week putting the finishing touches to his preparations at Johnson Space Centre.
The training, which began on Monday, is compulsory for all astronauts who want to visit the American side of the International Space Station, and is designed ”to familiarize crew members with Nasa operations, systems, and emergency procedures,” space centre representative Kylie Moritz said.
”While they’re here, they have an opportunity to meet mission control personnel and are meeting with astronauts to understand what the flight will be like.”
Bass would be just the third space tourist — after Californian businessman Dennis Tito and South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth — to rocket into space courtesy of the financially-strapped Russian Aviation and Space Agency.
Both Tito and Shuttleworth shelled out $20-million from their own pockets for their trips.
Bass is slated to fly alongside a Russian and a Belgian aboard the three-person Russian Soyuz capsule. The goal of their 10-day mission is to replace a lifeboat capsule for the station.
Russian officials have said the mission will go as scheduled with or without Bass. – Sapa-AFP