Space tourism: non-professional flights into space throughout the years

Non-professional people who flew into space in this photo gallery by ITAR-TASS

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Jake Garn, US senator. The first non-professional to fly into space. He flew aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in April 1985.

Sultan bin Salman Al Saud (left). Being a member of the Saudi royal family, he was the first astronaut of royal blood. He flew in June 1985 aboard the American Discovery Shuttle

United States Congress member Bill Nelson made a flight on the Space Shuttle Columbia in the beginning of 1986

Journalist Toyohiro Akiyama of Japan is best known for his flight to the Mir space station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 1990

The first non-professional Briton in space and the first woman to visit Mir space station was Helen Sharman, a chemist for Mars Incorporated, who spent six days in space in May 1991

Dennis Tito was the first space tourist at the International Space Station (ISS). He was brought to the station on a Soyuz TM-32 on April 28 2001, and he was there till May 6. During the space flight Tito was a system operator.

In the 1960’s Tito was an engineer in a NASA laboratory. Then he started an investment firm, which today is one of the biggest in the USA. The millionair paid $20 mln for the flight.

South-African businessman Mark Shuttleworth was the second space tourist at the ISS. He was on the ISS from April 27 to May 5 in 2002. Shuttleworth founded Thawte Internet company.

American businessman and scientist Gregory Olsen flew to the ISS in October 2005. The flight cost him $20 mln. At the space station, Olsen conducted a series of experiments. He flew with a Soyuz TMA-7 and landed with Soyuz TMA-6

Anousheh Ansari was the first woman-tourist to arrive at the ISS and the fourth space tourist to travel there. She flew with a Soyuz TMA-9 and spent 8 days at the station, Sep. 20 – 28 2006. The flight cost her $20 mln.

Prodea Systems, the investment firm Ansari is the co-founder of, has a partnership with Space Adventures, Ltd. to create a spaceflight vehicle for commercial flights.

Charles Simonyi, an American businessman of Hungarian origin was the fifth to take a space flight to the ISS. He flew with Soyuz TMA-10 and spent 12 days on the station (April 9-21, 2007), paying $35 mln

American video game developer Richard Garriott was the sixth person to fly to the ISS. He flew with a Soyuz TMA-13 and paid $30 mln. Garriott, the son of NASA astronaut Owen Garriott, spent 10 days on the ISS (October 14-24)

Charles Simonyi is both the fifth and the seventh tourist at the ISS. His second flight cost him $35 mln and lasted from March 29 to April 8 2009. He flew with a Soyuz TMA-14

Guy Laliberte, co-founder and the current CEO of Cirque du Soleil from Canada, travelled to the ISS in October 2009, paying $35 mln

April 28, 2001 American multimillionaire Dennis Tito became the first ever space tourist to fly to the International Space Station. In this photo gallery by ITAR-TASS you will find two parts: the first one features the very first non-professional people to fly into space, and covers the time from 1985 to 1991; the second part features space tourists to fly to the International Space Station from 2001 to 2009.