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04.02.2011
Space tourists can really get the opportunity to fly around the Moon and get back to the Earth in Russian Soyuz, Roscosmos Human Spaceflight Directorate Head Alexey Krasnov told news media.
“It is technically feasible”, Krasnov said, quoted by Interfax-AVN. Roscosmos official was commenting the statement by Space Adventures which had revealed the information about selling the first ticket for the lunar fly-around.
Soyuz fly around the Moon (photo-montage using Apollo 8 picture and Soyuz undocking to ISS, by Orbiter.ch)
According to Krasnov, this objective will demand negligible Soyuz upgrading. In addition, several Soyuz-orbital ferry docking operations are to be carried out in orbit in order to make the mission of 3 humans to the Moon true. The space tugs are required to deliver the vehicle to the LLO, make a fly-around and return to the Earth.
Use the space station as "transit port" for the trip to the Moon is a possibility
Roscosmos official also stated that an additional Soyuz for touristic missions would be built on the edge of 2013-2014. The vehicle with two tourists onboard will be controlled by one commander. This Soyuz will undergo extra-certification.
Images, Text, Credits: ROSCOSMOS / NASA / Orbiter.ch.
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