NEW YORK, May 8 -- Results of an ongoing SPACE.com poll released today show strong support for Dennis Titos controversial flight to the International Space Station (ISS). Tito, who paid MirCorp an estimated $20 million to become the worlds first private space traveler, landed early Sunday morning in central Asia after launching from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket on Saturday, April 28.

As of today, an online survey of SPACE.com Web site visitors shows 75 percent of respondents support Titos flight; 24 percent believe he shouldnt have flown and 1 percent are undecided. Originally scheduled to fly to Mir, which plunged into the south Pacific in March, Russian officials honored their agreement with Tito by agreeing to send him to the ISS. However, NASA officials believed that the timing was not right for a civilian to visit the station due to safety concerns and a potential work slowdown during the installation of the Canadian robotic arm.

"Titos historic flight has paved the way for future civilian space tourists and by evidence of this poll, people are behind him and feel strongly about others following in his footsteps," said Fred Abatemarco, senior vice president and editor in chief of SPACE.com. "Space isnt just for astronauts anymore."

Comments posted on SPACE.coms message board from Tito supporters included, "He should be allowed to fly," and "We need something to spice things up and get interest back into NASA, and people watching again." Others echoed their support for Titos flight as well. "If humanity had constantly waited for the right time, we'd still be flaking stones for knives and spears and living in caves. NASA is completely off base here," was the opinion of one supporter. "Ironic, isn't it, that Tito had to go to a former communist country to fulfill the American dream," posted another. "Why do astronauts get to go into space? And we pay for them to go! Tito is paying his way at least."

Others did not share the same feelings about the first paying space tourist. "I don't think that Mr. Tito should be allowed to fly to the space station. In the future I could see non-astronauts flying to space, but for now the station is just being set up and tried and therefore, any person who hasn't been properly trained as an astronaut should not interfere with the activities of the crew. The space station is a scientific outpost and not a playground for a rich person," wrote one opponent. Another added, "We have to remember who is paying the bill. It's the American taxpayer who is paying for the majority of the space station -- not the Russians, not the Europeansthe Americans!"

For a complete archive of the Dennis Tito mission, visit www.SPACE.com.

SPACE.com, Inc. is the first multimedia company dedicated to space and space related content and to serving its audience on a wide variety of platforms. Anchored on the Web, the company has rapidly expanded across media with its print and software offerings. SPACE.com, the definitive space Web site, offers the richest and most compelling content, featuring news, information, education, entertainment, games, science fiction and a kids channel. SPACE.com is also at the forefront of broadband content and technology, having launched the broadband channel SPACE.com TV.

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