Former Microsoft Developer Passes Medical Exam, One Step Closer to Spaceflight
Former Microsoft developer Charles Simonyi is one step closer to achieving his dream of visiting the International Space Station after a Russian medical review board recently green-lighted him for spaceflight, the orbital tourism company Space Adventures announced last Thursday.
The medical review board of the Russian Federation, called the Government Medical Commission (GMK), convened on Aug. 8 to review Simonyi's general medical condition and fitness.
A date for Simonyi's launch has not been announced yet, but it will come after the planned September launch of Japanese entrepreneur Daisuke Enomoto, who is currently training for his trip to the ISS with the Expedition 14 astronaut crew.
"I'm looking forward to continue to work with the medical team during my training period, and, of course, looking forward to the incredible experience that I'll be training for," Simonyi said.
The 58-year-old American and co-founder of Intentional Software Corp. will ride aboard a Russian-built Soyuz spacecraft to the ISS, where he will spend eight days.
Eric Anderson, the president and CEO of Space Adventures president, said that Simonyi has already started some training for his mission.
"He's not in full fleshed cosmonaut training yet, although he's been approved for all training and flight," Anderson told SPACE.com.
Born in Budapest, Hungary, Simonyi joined Microsoft in 1981, where he served as director of application development, chief architect and ultimately distinguished engineer, according to his corporate profile. He studied engineering mathematics at the University of California at Berkley before earning a doctorate in computer science from Stanford University. Simonyi co-founded Intentional Software Corp. with Gregor Kiczales in 2002.
Space Adventures has brokered ISS-bound flights for American businessmen Dennis Tito and Gregory Olsen, South African Internet entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth and most recently Enomoto. Each of those private spacefarers paid a reported $20 million for a 10-day spaceflight, eight of which are spent inside the space station.
Space Adventures also recently announced plans for $100 million trips around the Moon, and spacewalks for wealthy space tourists prepared to shell out an additional $15 million dollars on top of their $20 million dollar space ticket.
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