The First Non-Geek To Visit ISS

Cirque founder arrives at space station, Globe and Mail

"Unlike his space-tourist predecessors, however, he is not a "geek," said Keith Cowing, editor at NASA Watch web site. "He's the first person whose sole claim to being there is that he's a performance artist," Mr. Cowing said. "He was amazingly successful at it, and that's what gave him the resources to get there." Though deep pockets are a prerequisite, it also requires determination and rigorous training, he added. "It's not like he decided to go on a cruise. You've got to have this tenacity to go."

Expedition 21 Crew Arrives at the International Space Station

"Flight Engineers Jeff Williams and Maxim Suraev along with spaceflight participant Guy Laliberté have arrived at the International Space Station. They docked their Soyuz TMA-16 to the aft end of the Zvezda service module at 4:35 a.m. EDT Friday. They launched Wednesday at 3:14 a.m. from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. The newest station crew members entered the station after opening the hatches between the two spacecraft at 6:57 a.m."