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First woman space tourist

STAR CITY (Russia): Like millions of people fascinated by space, Anousheh Ansari said she remembers wondering as a child if somebody else like her could be out there among the stars. Next month the Iranian-born U.S. entrepreneur can get a closer look, as she rides a Russian capsule to the International Space Station and becomes the first woman space tourist.

The most exciting moment in her voyage will likely come when she first sees Earth ``as a blue, glowing globe against the dark background of the cosmos,'' Ms. Ansari (39) told a news conference on Wednesday at the Russian cosmonaut training centre outside Moscow.

Ms. Ansari is scheduled to ride to the station aboard a Soyuz TMA-9 capsule, along with Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin and Spanish-born U.S. astronaut Miguel Lopez-Alegria. She will spend 10 days at the station before returning to Earth with its current crew, Pavel Vinogradov and Jeff Williams, who have been on board since April 1.

The Soyuz launch is scheduled for September 14, but will take place on September 18 if Florida weather permits the U.S. shuttle Atlantis to take off for the station on September 6-8, which is likely, said the head of state-controlled RKK Energiya, Russia's leading space company. Whatever the date, the trip promises a dream come true for Ms. Ansari, who said space was ``in my heart and in my soul. ``Ever since I was child I always used to gaze at the stars and wonder what's out there in the universe... " — AP

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