6th space tourist takes flight

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Source: CCTV.com | 10-13-2008 13:38

An American video game designer has reached space aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Richard Garriott is the sixth space tourist, who paid for his trip to fulfill a dream.

U.S. space tourist Richard Garriott gives a thumbs-up after donning his spacesuit at Baikonur cosmodrome  October 12, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

The spacecraft lifted off from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan on Sunday.

Garriott is travelling on the landmark 100th manned Soyuz flight with Mike Fincke, an American astronaut, and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Lonchakov.

Their spacecraft is due to dock Tuesday with the international space station, where Garriott will spend about 10 days conducting experiments.

He will also photograph the Earth to measure changes since his astronaut father snapped pictures decades ago.

Garriott's father Owen watched the blast off from an observation platform. He traveled to space during the 1970s and 80s.