Canadian circus tycoon Guy Laliberte and two crew mates lifted off from Kazakh steppe lifted off in a spacecraft on schedule on 30th September and headed for the International Space Station. It was the Soyuz capsule that carried the Cirque du Soleil founder, US Astronaut Jeffrey Williams and Russian Cosmonaut Maxim Surayev towards their destination far out in space.
Friends and family gathered to watch the spacecraft burst in to space and were overwhelmed with joy when the announcement came that the crew of three were safely in orbit on their way to the International Space Station. Laliberte paid $35 million for his trip in to space and plans to use it to help publicize the world’s growing shortage of clean drinking water. The tycoon also made an attempt to make space travel fun by donning his bulbous red clown nose and blowing kisses to fans and supporters. Laliberte also brought several clown noses for his crew mates and stated that he will tickle them when they are asleep.
Singer Garrou said “I feel a lot more mesmerized than I ever thought I would be,” after the launch. “Having your friend rising up that fast and that impressively is beyond what I expected.” All three crew members brought little trinkets that would remind them of the folks back home. Laliberte is scheduled to return to earth in 12 days.