"If you are a billionaire, you really wanted to fly to the International Space Station and you were watching this closely, the lesson that you would take away from it is that if you walk up with the right amount of money, the Russians are willing to bet they can get away with ignoring the rules, and there's nothing NASA can do about it," Day said.

People who have negotiated with the Russians for similar trips are not surprised.

"The Russians were very clear on this: It is all about the money. It has always been all about the money," said Lori Garver, an aerospace executive and ex-NASA official who was bidding for a Soyuz ride until Bass showed up. "Many people have said too bad Lance got selected over me. That's not it. It's whoever has the money. I've always understood that. I never felt it was unfair."

Why the rules?

International space agencies hammered out criteria for visiting crewmembers last fall, after disputes arose over Russia sending tycoon tourist Dennis Tito to Alpha. The new rules not only set criteria, but they gave the ISS partners veto power over a nominee that didn't meet the requirements.

So when South African businessman Mark Shuttleworth went up with the Russians earlier this year, he had NASA's blessing because the protocols were followed. This week, as an international panel met via secret teleconference to consider Bass, NASA spokeswoman Debbie Rahn said the criteria were not "rules" but only "guidelines."

Either way, the criteria are vague on so many critical issues that it's impossible for outsiders to assess Bass' qualifications and the partners are keeping secret the kind of details that might allow anyone to second-guess them.

For example, the crew criteria set no minimum training period. The sponsoring agency, which is Russia in this case, simply determines how much and what kind of training are necessary and asks the partners to sign off. If the Soyuz launches on time Oct. 28, Bass will have trained for about four months instead of the six months the Russians have long cited as the minimum necessary.

Another criteria is "general suitability," which is more about character than qualifications. Among the problems that could disqualify someone are drug and alcohol abuse, dishonesty or membership in a group that might make one of the station partners look bad.

To get that kind of information, the Russians were required to do a background check, but none of the agencies involved would confirm a check was done or release any results.

The criteria do not discuss height or weight limits, but that is less of an issue now than in the past because the modified version of the Soyuz flying in October is less cramped than its predecessors.

On more important medical questions, the sponsoring agency must deem a candidate physically and mentally fit. Russian doctors cleared Garver and Bass for launch months ago, but not before Bass underwent surgery to correct a minor heart irregularity. Station partners will get a second opinion from their doctors before Bass is approved, Rahn said.

The mental guidelines are not well defined, but require experience in similar conditions: working as part of a team under stress, for example.

The two clearest guidelines deal with language and deadlines -- both of which directly relate to the questions the international partners said they raised with the Russians regarding Bass' suitability.

Closed-door meeting

NASA, the Europeans and the Canadians would not give details. Canadian Space Agency spokeswoman Monique Billette said the Multilateral Crew Operations Panel, the international body reviewing Bass' eligibility, met behind closed doors and no documents were released.

"The only thing we know is that MCOP has requested more information regarding Lance Bass' education, work experience and fluency in foreign languages," she said. A dossier sent by the Russians is now in the hands of decision-makers, Billette said. NASA's Rahn gave an identical answer and refused to release any documents, saying they were "pre-decisional" and therefore not public records.

The rules require a visiting crewmember on a Soyuz to speak at least enough Russian to communicate with crewmates unless those crewmates speak English well and can translate. The Russians concede Bass can't speak the language, but his Russian and Belgian crewmates speak English. NASA's Rahn said, if so, the Russians have met that criteria.

However, the Russians violated every deadline in the agreement. They were supposed to nominate Bass no later than six months before launch, giving the other agencies time to carefully consider his qualifications. They were supposed to get approval four months before the flight and before they started training him.

Instead, the Russians nominated Bass in mid-July. By then, he had been in Moscow for months, taking tests in the spring and beginning training at least several weeks before being nominated. The ISS partners still haven't officially signed off on Bass flying.

"Any piece of paper is only worth what the parties are willing to invest in it," Day said.

Cash strapped

The Russians are asking for leniency.

In a letter to NASA, Russia's director of space flight said "extenuating circumstances regarding funding forces us to come up with this late nomination."

The Russian agency is short of money to build Soyuz, a ship critical to the space station. Not only do Soyuz spacecraft deliver people and supplies, but one always is docked there as an emergency escape pod for the station residents.

Russia also builds the unmanned Progress cargo ships that regularly deliver supplies to the station. So without Russian ships, the only other way to get people and supplies to the station is via the increasingly infrequent and oft-delayed flights of NASA's space shuttle.

Russian space officials have said if their money problems continue, it's possible the international partners would have to abandon the space station.

Garver, the Russians' other candidate, and Eric Anderson, the Space Adventures chief executive officer who helped arrange the Tito and Shuttleworth trips, said the Russians seem sincere about wanting to satisfy the international partners' concerns about so-called "space tourists."

While in Russia for testing and training, part of the time alongside Bass, Garver said Russian officials told her the same story about why they needed the money. The Russians were in a hurry to nominate someone in the spring, but she said the medical and other tests were thorough. They did not want to cut corners on safety just to meet a deadline, she said.

"They've been honest about saying they were training this guy," she said.

M.V. Sinelschikov, Russia's space flight chief, asked station partners' to overlook the late notice in the letter nominating Bass, writing "We do seek to follow the MCOP processes, we are committed to follow them in the future."

In that same letter, the Russians address what they and outside experts said was the bottom line: Bass is fit to fly.

The Soyuz being launched is the first of a modified version, which requires less flight work for the person occupying the third, far-right seat reserved for Bass.

Garver said her impression while in Russia was the focus was on making sure a visitor in that ship could handle the trip more than any specific in-flight duties. And visiting crewmembers are not permitted to do work on the station that could affect operations.

"The flight activities planned for Mr. Bass will be tailored to accommodate the shorter-than-usual training template," the Russian wrote.

Bass' sponsors say he will conduct experiments in space, but none of the space agencies have provided specifics about his in-flight tasks.

No protests yet

After expressing concerns in the past, none of the international partners seem to be shouting out in protest about the Bass' flight. In announcing they were preparing a training session for him, Johnson Space Center officials said this week they had heard via the grapevine his flight was going to be approved.

Despite its own financial problems, and calls from high-profile people such as former astronaut Buzz Aldrin to start selling seats on shuttle flights, NASA continues to take a stand that it's not ready to follow the Russians lead.

However, NASA officials are not faulting the Russians' decision-making.

"The Russians have a different approach and reasons why they want to fly people," Rahn said. "Their categories of space flight participants are different. We recognize there are differences and we have, as a result, the entire partnership did establish the space station crew criteria to make certain that anyone that does fly does meet the criteria."

While Rahn conceded deadlines were not met and the partners might have some concerns, she said the criteria set in November are not being ignored. She said this case shows the system working because the partners get to review Bass' qualifications.

Increasing interest

Regardless, Garver and other space tourism proponents said when any civilian, famous or not, goes to space, it increases interest in the industry. At least some of Russia's international partners agree.

European Space Agency spokesman Franco Bonacina said the agency will not oppose the flight "in principle" as long as Bass and the Russians are found to have complied with the crew criteria procedures.

If so, he said the Europeans are happy to see Bass along for the ride because it "shows the value of the ISS as a tool for implementing activities that go beyond science and research and that can benefit the public at large, triggering in particular the interest of young people in space activities."

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