Space Participant Greg Olsen

One of the members of our tour group inside the Russian space program was Greg Olsen, who was the third space participant, or space tourist. Working with the company called Space Adventures, Greg arranged to train with the Russian cosmonauts at Star City. He and his fellow crew members launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on October 1, 2005. Greg spent 10 days in space and had quite a bit to share with us about his experience.


When we were in Star City or Baikonur, it was common for Greg to receive shout-outs and bear hugs from the many people who worked with him during his training. At the rocket raising, the press from the BBC, some Russian stations, and other news reporters interviewed him. Since there are so many members of the press on hand for this launch, Greg often got pulled away for interviews. Since there have only been five space participants from Space Adventures, (soon to be six with this launch), the Russians are still very intrigued by someone willing would spend millions of dollars for the opportunity to launch into space.
Greg has many contacts within the cosmonaut corps, so we had some great opportunities. We had dinner with former cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev. He still holds the record for spending the most days in space-804 to be exact. Although he is no longer flying, Krikalev remains very active with the Russian space program. He works for the company Energia, an aerospace company which is the major producer of spacecraft, launch vehicles, rockets, missiles, and which built the first artificial satellite, Sputnik. Energia is the main contractor for the ISS and built the Zvezda module, for example. Krikalev was happy to answer our questions about space travel.
On another evening, Greg arranged for us to have dinner with his commander on his flight, Valeri Tokarev. After dinner, Tokarev answered questions for our group and showed photos of his days training in the Russian Air Force and his work as a test pilot.



On the day we participated in the crew press conference, Greg explained the procedures they went through while in quarantine the last two weeks before the launch. Even their families are not allowed to have contact with them at the end. Only medical personnel and the back up crew have close access to the prime crew at that point, to avoid passing on an illness that would make the crew sick in space. A photographer at Greg's press conference captured a wonderful photo of Greg's four-year-old grandson "touching" hands with his grandfather on the other side of the glass. The next day, at the suit check for Expedition 18, Greg shared what was going though his mind as he prepared for his launch in 2005. It was terrific to travel with someone who had been to the ISS and spent 10 days in space! To see Greg's photos of his training, launch preparation, and flight, visit his website by clicking here.

Russian Trip Day #6 Press Conference

We began the day by attending the press conference for Expedition 18. Held at the Cosmonaut Hotel, it was jam packed with the international media, Russian dignitaries, crew families and friends, and us lucky few who were traveling with Mir Corporation's "Inside the Russian Space Program." The cosmonauts and astronauts spend their last two weeks before their launch living at the Cosmonaut Hotel. They are in quarantine, and cannot see their family or friends unless they are separated by glass. The only people they have close contact with are the medical personnel who monitor their health. During the press conference, where the media is invited to ask them questions about their upcoming launch and mission to the International Space Station, the prime crew and the backup crew sit in a room behind glass. Photographers crowd up close to the glass, and those reporters wanting to ask questions step up to a microphone which relays the question to the crew inside the glass room. Interestingly, most of the questions were asked of American space participant Richard Garriott, who is paying to fly to the ISS. People asked him to describe the projects he intended to accomplish while in space.






Garriott, son of former NASA astronaut Owen Garriott, plans to complete science experiments and participate in webcasts with American schools during his 10 day stay in space. To hear his first audio downlink from space,
click here. Garriott is also planning some art activities to do in microgravity. He planned those with his mother, who is an artist. To view photos of Richard creating his art in space,
click here. Questions directed at Garriott also asked whether or not he was nervous about the launch. He replied that he has complete confidence in the Russian technology and the Soyuz rocket. He said the Russians have launched rockets successfully from the Yuri Gagarin launch pad for decades and that after spending a year training at both Star City and Baikonur Cosmodrome, he remains extremely impressed with Russian space technology. Questions for Mike Fincke, Expedition 18 commander, included inquiries about the purpose of the mission regarding both the continuation of construction of the ISS and the science on board. At the end of the press conference, the crew spoke of their dedication to the mission, their faith in space technology, and their respect for one another. They ended the press conference with a great group shot.









After the conference, our group set out for a visit to the various monuments scattered around the town of Baikonur, all dedicated to the exploration of space. Here you can see space participant Greg Olsen in front of the gigantic statue of Yuri Gagarin. At the next stop, we got up close to a Soyuz rocket just like the one that we watched on its way to the launch pad for the Expedition 18 flight. It is incredible to be this close and imagine the explosive power of this rocket. And tomorrow, that power will carry three men into space!