Space dynasty? Richard Garriott & Owen Garriott discuss Sunday's Soyuz launch

October 11, 11:22 PMSpace News ExaminerPatricia Phillips

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Space News Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Preparations are moving along at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for Sunday's 3:01 a.m. EDT launch of the Mission 18 flight to the International Space Station (ISS). Aboard: Tabula Rasa game developer Richard Garriott, who's paying about $30 million to ride a  Soyuz rocket and visit the ISS.

Garriott, the sixth space tourist sent aloft by Space Adventures ,holds a uniqe place in space history to date. Tthe son of Skylab and Spacelab astronaut Owen Garriott, Garriott is so far the only child of a professional astronaut  to attempt to become a second-generation space flyer.

Forbes Magazine reporter Jim Clash caught up with the father-son duo for an interview about both their places in space.

Garriott is flying with Expedition 18 commander Michael Fincke  and flight engineer Yury Lonchakov to the ISS. Enthusiastic about his spaceflight, Garriott  wrote a pre-launch blog entry at his website  tonight.

Dear Friends and Family

It is less than 24 hours before I will leave the earth for a while. It is incredible to be able to say that and mean it!

 

I feel well prepared for this flight, and have complete faith in my crew mates, our beautiful rocket, and the huge number of people it takes to launch our Soyuz and operate the ISS. I am so very thankful for this opportunity. I am also thankful to all of you, my friends family and supporters. I wish I could share this experience with each of you, in the way I have had the opportunity to experience it.

 

These last two weeks have been filled with a wonderful combination of final reviews of the specific data for our flight, final inspections of the vehicle and rocket, along with plenty of time to rest and reflect about what is about to happen,

 

I will return to our earth in a few weeks, with a vast array of photographs, and a lifetime of new stories. I look forward to sharing them with you!

 

Oh, if you are watching the launch... I have a message for you!

 

Fare the well, see you soon, much love to you all,

 -Richard

NASA TV will cover tonight's launch, and other flight milestones, live. Garriott's website will also stream the NASA feed.

Here's the schedule of the key events:

October 12, Sunday
1:15 a.m. - Video Feed of Expedition 18/Spaceflight Participant Launch Morning Activities in Baikonur, Kazakhstan - JSC via Baikonur (Public and Media Channels)
2 a.m. - Coverage of Expedition 18/Spaceflight Participant Launch to the International Space Station (launch scheduled at 3:01 a.m.) - JSC/Baikonur (Public and Media Channels)
6 a.m. - Video File of Expedition 18/Spaceflight Participant Prelaunch and Launch Material - JSC (Public and Media Channels)
10 a.m. - Replay of Expedition 18/Spaceflight Pre-launch and Launch Material - HQ (Public and Media Channels)

October 14, Tuesday
4 a.m. - Coverage of Expedition 18/Spaceflight Participant Docking to the International Space Station and Post-Docking News Conference (docking scheduled at 4:38 a.m., news conference follows) - JSC/Moscow (Public and Media Channels)
5:30 a.m. - Coverage of Expedition 18/Spaceflight Participant Hatch Opening and Welcoming Ceremony (hatch opening scheduled at 6 a.m.) - JSC/Moscow (Public and Media Channels)
9 a.m. - Video File of Expedition 18/Spaceflight Participant Docking, Hatch Opening and Welcoming Ceremony - JSC (Public and Media Channels)

October 16, Thursday
12:30 - 12:50 p.m. - ISS Expedition 18/17 In-Flight Interviews with CBS News and ABC News - JSC (Public and Media Channels)

October 20, Monday
1:20 - 1:40 p.m. - ISS Expedition 18/17/Spaceflight Participant Crew News Conference - JSC (Public and Media Channels)

October 22, Wednesday
1:40 - 2:10 p.m. - ISS Expedition 18/17 Change of Command Ceremony - JSC (Public and Media Channels)

October 23, Thursday
4:45 p.m. - Expedition 17/Spaceflight Participant Farewells and Hatch Closing (hatch closing scheduled at 5:15 p.m.) - JSC (Public and Media Channels)
8 p.m. - Expedition 17/Spaceflight Participant Undocking from the International Space Station (undocking scheduled at 8:15 p.m.) - JSC (Public and Media Channels)
10:30 p.m. - Expedition 17/Spaceflight Participant Deorbit Burn and Landing Coverage (deorbit burn scheduled at 10:44 p.m., landing scheduled at 11:36 p.m.) - JSC/Kazakhstan (Public and Media Channels)

Will you be watching the launch? Blog your reaction in the comment section, below.