Teams of South African journalists have assembled at Baikonur in Kazakhstan to witness the launch of the Russian Soyuz TM booster rocket that will take IT millionaire Mark Shuttleworth into space, marking the first time a South African has gone into orbit.
The launch, scheduled for 8.26am South African time tomorrow morning, has generated a frenzy of media and public attention, both due to the novelty of a South African cosmonaut and the fact that Shuttleworth will conduct several scientific experiments while in space.
Most newspapers are giving the event front-page coverage, TV and radio stations are broadcasting daily updates and pay station DSTV has dedicated an entire channel to providing coverage of the expedition, which is being beamed to about 30 other African countries.
Thousands of well-wishers have posted letters on Web sites marking his trip, as school children, expatriates, scientists and even government ministers wish him well.
Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, Dr Ben Ngubane, speaking on behalf of President Thabo Mbeki, has commended Shuttleworth on the mission. He expressed the hope that the experiments on HIV proteins would give scientists useful new insights into the virus, and said Shuttleworth`s research would also encourage young learners to embrace mathematics and science in schools.
Deputy president Jacob Zuma expressed pride in Shuttleworth`s mission, describing it as "a great achievement for the continent". Zuma also said he was delighted that Shuttleworth was taking the Orphans of AIDS Trust mascot - a tiny teddy bear named Bephu - along on the mission.
The Soyuz spacecraft, bearing the national flags of the three-man crew, is already in place on the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. It will take the crew, comprising Shuttleworth, Russian space station veteran Yuri Gidzenko, and Nasa-trained Italian pilot Roberto Vittori, to the International Space Station, where they will spend eight days in orbit. During this time, they will orbit the earth 120 times, passing directly over Johannesburg and Cape Town up to five times each.
The crew will conduct several stem cell and HIV protein experiments, and Shuttleworth will communicate with South African schoolchildren via a number of HAM radio sessions while in space.
The communication with school children is part of Shuttleworth`s campaign to stimulate children`s interest in space exploration and science in general. He has also funded an extensive marketing campaign, called Hip2B2, to promote science and maths to the younger generation. Shuttleworth intends to boost his campaign by taking a Soyuz capsule on a tour of SA schools once the mission is over.
The "First African in Space" project is the culmination of a lifelong dream for Shuttleworth.
The trip cost an estimated $20 million in addition to the exorbitant legal costs involved in negotiating with the Russians for his place on the mission. Shuttleworth also negotiated with the US National Aeronautical and Space Administration (Nasa) for a place on one of its space missions.
Along with the rest of the crew, he has undergone seven months of rigorous physical and mental training for the mission, and is currently in quarantine ahead of the launch.
Shuttleworth, who made his fortune in 1999 when he sold his digital certificate authority, Thawte, to American company VeriSign for $575 million, has invested millions of rand in the space mission and related projects.
While he currently lives in London, he has committed himself to substantial investment and development in SA through his venture capital company Here Be Dragons, and TSF, a non-profit foundation focused on innovation in African education. Here Be Dragons recently announced its first local investments, a total of R20 million invested in four local technology companies.
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