Google's Brin Books a Space Flight

coondoggie writes "Google largely conquered the Earth — now it is taking aim at space. At least co-founder Sergei Brin is. Brin today said he put down $5 million toward a flight to the International Space Station in 2011. Brin's space travel will be brokered by Space Adventures, the space outfit that sent billionaire software developer Charles Simonyi to the station in 2007. Computer game developer (and son of a former NASA astronaut) Richard Garriott is currently planning a mission to the ISS in October 2008. Garriott is paying at least $30 million to launch toward the space station aboard a Russian Soyuz spaceship according to Space Adventures." Make sure to wave when you are over Michigan, man. I'll be the one on my lawn, green with envy.

give him more than that

[moderatorrater]

Make sure to wave when you are over Michigan man. I'll be the one on my lawn green with envy.

I hope you'll be wearing at least a bright red shirt or something, because otherwise you're going to blend right in.

one step closer

[cashman73]

Google is now just one step closer to founding the Copernicus Center [google.com],... ;-)

Green Space Adventures

[jason.sweet]

Kinda offsets driving a Prius, doesn't it?

In Michigan?

[larpon]

In Soviet Russia bright red will blend you man.

How do we calculate MPG?

[Bearpaw]

How do we calculate MPG? Sure, it's a shitload of fuel just to go 213 miles up (*), but then you can coast for ~3 million miles!

Front lawn

[CowboyNealOption]

If you live in Michigan and still have a front lawn that hasn't washed away, consider yourself lucky.

Re:How do we calculate MPG?

[jason.sweet]

In that case, he'll have a negative carbon footprint.
Goodbye Tesla.
Hello Lamborghini!

Re:Rather too risky for me

[Anonymous Coward]

I have a billion nanodollars.

Google Earth Budget Cuts?

[L3J]

Perhaps its easier for Google to fire Brin into space with a Canon Point-and-Shoot to update those ever changing Google Earth maps...

$5 Million Is Just The Beginning, Though

[Illbay]

Since the cost of fuel has gone up, NASA has started adding surcharges on everything.

For instance, now you get only one carry-on bag free of charge. Any extra bags cost $100,000 apiece.

You no longer get free beverage service on the shuttle. Soft Drinks are $3,000 each, beer and wine $5,000 and mixed drinks are $10,000.

If you want an in-flight magazine, that'll be an extra $4,000.

Pretty soon, only the really wealthy or business customers will be flying to the ISS, at these prices.