Billionaire Charles Simonyi, who led development of Microsoft’s Word, will lift off from Kazakhstan at 1731 GMT.
The $20m ride will make him the 450th person to enter orbit and by his own admission “the first nerd in space”.
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Once on the space station, Dr Simonyi will carry out a series of experiments including measuring the amount of radiation that he is exposed to while onboard the ISS.
The aim is to help to generate an accurate map of the radiation environment onboard the space station.
He will also be updating his website, charlesinspace.com, and taking time to gaze down on the planet.
There was a time that being an astronaut was all I could think about. This is after the time that I wanted to be a palentologist. I ignored the fact that I lacked the proper math skills, no matter how hard I studied and tried to improve them, and pushed forward with this idea/dream. Years passed, and it slowly became apparent that I would never reach this goal. Painfully apparent, in fact.
Thoughts of bouncing around weightless in low orbit gave way to thoughts on how the fuck was I going to make a living on Earth. Which, I suppose, will be the only way that I’ll ever reach the top of the world. I’ll have to pay for it like a common John. A super-rich common John.
These days I feel bad that Lance Bass never got the chance to go up with the Russians. It would have been one hell of an experience and would have validated untalented space nerds everywhere.
Now I think I’ll transfer my hope onto the winning pony. Charles Simonyi, I’ve got my eye on you, you rich bastard. Share everything you experience so that we can live the life, too. I know you have the means to type-up your words, you help invent Microsoft Word.
There’s a slim chance in hell us less-than-wealthy geeks will have the space experience. Virgin’s first Galactic Spaceport ride is scheduled for 2008(as of an article dated 2005). Maybe by then, I can afford my one ticket to ride.
