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Millionaire Dennis Tito becomes the world's first space tourist

Space tourism is human space travel for recreational purposes. There are several different types of space tourism, including orbital, suborbital and lunar space tourism.

Space tourism is human space travel for recreational purposes. There are several different types of space tourism, including orbital, suborbital and lunar space tourism. Tourists are motivated by the possibility of viewing Earth from space, feeling weightlessness, experiencing extremely high speed and something unusual, and contributing to science.

Space tourism started in April 2001, when American businessman and engineer Dennis Tito became the first ever space tourist to travel to space aboard a Soyuz-TM32 spacecraft. During the period from 2001 to 2009, seven space tourists made eight space flights aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station, brokered by American company Space Adventures in conjunction with Roscosmos and RSC Energia.

Historical Significance

Space tourism is human space travel for recreational purposes.

Events Before

  1. Gisborne, New Zealand, with a population of approximately 32,754, is the first city in the world to welcome the new Mill

    Gisborne, New Zealand, with a population of approximately 32,754, is the first city in the world to welcome the new Millennium

  2. Microsoft chairman Bill Gates steps aside as chief executive and appoints company president Steve Ballmer as his success

    Microsoft chairman Bill Gates steps aside as chief executive and appoints company president Steve Ballmer as his successor

  3. NASDAQ Composite stock market index peaks at 5132.52, signaling the beginning of the end of the dot-com boom

    NASDAQ Composite stock market index peaks at 5132.52, signaling the beginning of the end of the dot-com boom

  4. South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje is charged by Delhi police with fixing One Day International matches against

    South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje is charged by Delhi police with fixing One Day International matches against India

  5. Metallica files a lawsuit against the peer-to-peer sharing platform Napster, accelerating a movement against file-sharin

    Metallica files a lawsuit against the peer-to-peer sharing platform Napster, accelerating a movement against file-sharing programs

Events After

  1. Euro banknotes and coins become legal tender in twelve of the European Union's member states

    There are eight denominations of euro coins, ranging from one cent to two euro (the euro is divided into a hundred cents). The coins first came into use in 2002.

  2. 29th American Music Awards: Janet Jackson and Lenny Kravitz win. Michael Jackson receives Artist of the Century award.

    29th American Music Awards: Janet Jackson and Lenny Kravitz win. Michael Jackson receives Artist of the Century award.

  3. US President George W. Bush in his State of the Union address describes "regimes that sponsor terror" as an "Axis of Evi

    US President George W. Bush in his State of the Union address describes "regimes that sponsor terror" as an "Axis of Evil," which includes Iraq, Iran, and North Korea

  4. "Blue" country and pop singer LeAnn Rimes (19) weds backup dancer Dean Sheremet (21) at Perkins Chapel in Dallas, Texas

    "Blue" country and pop singer LeAnn Rimes (19) weds backup dancer Dean Sheremet (21) at Perkins Chapel in Dallas, Texas

  5. US invasion of Afghanistan: US conventional forces first deployed as part of Operation Anaconda

    Shortly after the September 11 attacks in 2001, the United States declared the war on terror and subsequently led a multinational military operation against Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

More from the 2000s

birth

Angourie Rice is born

Angourie Rice, Australian actress, known for australian actress, was born on 2001-01-01. Angourie Isabel Teresa Rice is an Australian actress.

death

Shirley Chisholm dies

Shirley Chisholm politician, known for american politician, died on 2005-01-01. Shirley Anita Chisholm ( CHIZ-əm; née St.

Gisborne, New Zealand, with a population of approximately 32,754, is the first city in the world to welcome the new Mill

Gisborne, New Zealand, with a population of approximately 32,754, is the first city in the world to welcome the new Millennium

Euro banknotes and coins become legal tender in twelve of the European Union's member states

There are eight denominations of euro coins, ranging from one cent to two euro (the euro is divided into a hundred cents). The coins first came into use in 2002.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on April 28, 2001?
Space tourism is human space travel for recreational purposes. There are several different types of space tourism, including orbital, suborbital and lunar space tourism. Tourists are motivated by the possibility of viewing Earth from space, feeling weightlessness, experiencing extremely high speed and something unusual, and contributing to science.
Why is Millionaire Dennis Tito becomes the world's first space tourist significant?
Space tourism is human space travel for recreational purposes.

Explore More

April 28 in HistoryYear 2001