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Russians say 'NSYNC boy band star got the "right stuff" for space travel
July 19, 2002
AFP
Teen pop idol Lance Bass of the hit boy band 'NSYNC has been picked by Russia to be blasted into space later this year, NASA officials revealed.

The Russian Space Agency informed the US National Aeronautical and Space Agency (NASA) last week that it was nominating Bass as a prospective -- and high-paying -- cosmonaut for its October Soyuz space mission

"We received a letter from the Russian space agency proposing to have Lance Bass as the third member of the Soyuz mission in October," NASA spokesman Mike Braukus told AFP from Washington.

"This is just a first step," he said.

Bass would now have to seal a contract with Russia to fly into space, then win the approval of a multi-national space panel that controls the International Space Station, Braukus said.

The panel is thought to have discussed Bass's application at a meeting in Canada earlier this week, Braukus said.

The singer is seeking to become the third space tourist after US businessman Dennis Tito in April last year, and South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth last April.

But Bass' publicist Jill Fritzo said it was "90 percent sure; very, very likely" that the pop star would find himself in orbit by this autumn.

Bass, 23, is already in Russia training to achieve his lifelong ambition of becoming a space traveller and was looking forward to his adventure.

"He'll be in Russia for the next four or five months training," Fritzo said. He's training hard, is doing great, passing everything with flying colours.

"He's ecstatic, very excited and is just hoping everything will fall into place with all the paper work we have to get done so he can do this thing hae has dreamed about since he was four," Fritzo said.

CNN television reported that Bass's representatives met with his sponsors -- including MTV music television -- and Russian Space Agency officials Wednesday to strike a deal over his trip.

The station, quoting sources close to the negotiations, said an agreement has been reached, but that the Russians were "resisting making an announcement" until they receive a down payment of around 20 million dollars from Bass.

If Bass is approved for the mission, he will join professional cosmonauts Sergei Zalyotin of Russia and Frank De Winne of Belgium on a 10-day trip to the space station -- making Bass the youngest person to go into orbit.

Negotiations for the high profile space flight have been continuing since last year.

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