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Millionaire begins training for Mir trip

(CNN) -- A wealthy U.S. businessman has received medical clearance from Russian space agency doctors to begin training for a commercial flight to the aging Mir space station, the Itar-Tass news agency reported Thursday.

Dennis Tito, 59, a former U.S. space program engineer who manages an investment fund, plans to ride with two cosmonauts aboard a Soyuz transport craft to Mir sometime next year, according to a private company that is leasing the space station.

Tito agreed to pay millions of dollars to MirCorp for the company's inaugural tourist excursion, expected to last seven to 10 days. The Holland-based company charges about $20 million per trip.

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After passing mental and physical training tests, Tito was able to begin training at the Star City cosmonaut instruction center outside Moscow, said a MirCorp executive.

The Santa Monica, California-based businessman will shuttle back and forth between Russia and the United States in order to manage his company during the training program.

A previous attempt by MirCorp to put a paying customer in orbit ended in embarrassment when the candidate -- British businessman Peter Llewelyn -- turned out not to be the multimillionaire he claimed to be.

The Amsterdam-based MirCorp has signed an agreement with the producer of the chart-breaking "Survivor" reality-TV show, Mark Burnett, for a possible program based at Star City.

The cash-strapped Russian space agency planned to retire Mir, but the 14-year-old outpost won a reprieve this year when MirCorp and the Russian Energia corporation agreed to lease it for commercial ventures.



RELATED STORIES:
Cosmonauts back on board Mir
April 6, 2000
First privately funded manned space mission blasts off for Mir
April 4, 2000
Cosmonaut docking with Mir under way
April 5, 2000
Mir to stay aloft with International Space Station hardware
January 20, 2000

RELATED SITE:
Mir
Mir Space Station
MirCorp
NASA

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