spacetoday.net: Proposed Soyuz crew manifest includes Bass

Updated: Wed, Jul 17, 2002, 7:47 PM ET (2347 GMT)
Originally Posted: Wed, Jul 17, 2002, 12:41 PM ET (1641 GMT)
ISS illustration (NASA)

Pop star and potential space tourist Lance Bass has been included in the proposed crew of a Soyuz taxi mission to the International Space Station in October, MSNBC reports. The article notes that a letter sent from the Russian space agency Rosaviakosmos to the ISS partner nations, listing the crew of the Soyuz taxi flight scheduled for October, includes Bass's name as a potential crewmember. Officials with both NASA and the Canadian Space Agency confirmed that Bass was listed as the third member of the crew, along with Russian commander Sergei Zalyotin and Belgian astronaut Frank De Winne. The article notes that negotiations between Rosaviakosmos and Bass continue, and no deal has been reached; a NASA spokesman said that the letter was a "long lead item" that needs to be handled now if Bass later signs a contract for the flight. SPACE.com reported late Wednesday that Bass was in negotiations with MTV to fund the flight and create a TV special about it; MTV has recently aired reality TV shows featuring music stars such as Ozzy Osbourne. The crew must be approved by a committee of ISS partner representatives, meeting this week in Canada. Some partners have reportedly raised concerns about the limited training time Bass will have: less than four months, compared to the typical six-month training period for previous Soyuz professional fliers and tourists.