Son of science-fiction legend will make father’s dream of private spaceflight a reality
Arlington, Va. — March 11, 2005 — Space Adventures Ltd., the world’s leading space experiences company, welcomes Eugene Roddenberry, Jr. as the latest member of its SPACEFLIGHT CLUB. He is the son of legendary science-fiction creator, Gene Roddenberry, whose television series, “Star Trek” and “Earth: Final Conflict,” changed the face of television and drew worldwide audiences in addition to spawning several successful spin-offs and major motion pictures. As a member of the SPACEFLIGHT CLUB, Mr. Roddenberry will be able to attend exclusive events with other spaceflight enthusiasts, acquiring the tools, experience and training needed to achieve the goal of spaceflight.
“In many ways, I feel humanity has moved ahead one more step in a positive direction because of my father’s vision,” said Mr. Roddenberry. “Joining the SPACEFLIGHT CLUB gives me the opportunity to see the dreams my father envisioned come to fruition as we advance human insight and discovery through private space exploration.”
With each year of membership, the Club’s annual dues and a percentage of Space Adventures’ program purchases will be set aside as credit toward participation in a suborbital spaceflight. In addition, members will be kept in the forefront of this new and exciting industry via newsletters, conferences and many other members-only benefits. For more information, please visit http://www.spaceadventures.com/flight/spaceflightclub.
Space Adventures’ suborbital program consists of a detailed four-day flight preparation and training. This highly focused and inspiring pre-flight experience will familiarize each passenger with the flight program, critical vehicle systems, flight operations, zero-gravity conditions, in-flight accelerations and space flight safety procedures. On launch day, flight specialists will assist the passengers in suiting up and guiding each through the final checklist. Each flight will be directed by both a skilled-pilot and a precise computer controlled system. As each vehicle reaches their maximum altitude, the rocket engines will shutdown and the passengers will experience up to five minutes of continuous weightlessness, all the while gazing at the vast blackness of space set against the blue horizon of the Earth below. For more information on Space Adventures’ suborbital program, please visit http://www.spaceadventures.com/flight/suborbital.
“We are thrilled to have Eugene as a Club member,” said Eric Anderson, president and CEO of Space Adventures, Ltd. “With his extensive work in film and television, he will add a unique perspective to the group.”
Mr. Roddenberry attended Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. His entertainment career includes roles as technical advisor for “Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict” where he advised on merging the “Gene Roddenberry philosophy” into each story. In 1987, Mr. Roddenbery was given his first official job as a production assistant on “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. He continued to work as a production assistant over the course of five summers and a school semester on the set of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.”
Space Adventures, the only company to have successfully launched private tourists to the International Space Station, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia with an office in Moscow, Russia. It offers a variety of programs such as Zero Gravity and MiG flights, cosmonaut training, spaceflight qualification programs and reservations on future suborbital spacecrafts. The company’s advisory board comprises Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin, shuttle astronauts Kathy Thornton, Robert (Hoot) Gibson, Charles Walker, Norm Thagard, Sam Durrance and Byron Lichtenberg and Skylab astronaut Owen Garriott. For more information, visit www.spaceadventures.com
