the klog

Iranian-American entrepreneur Anousheh Ansari, whom the Ansari X Prize was named after, is set to become the world's 4th space tourist on September 14. [BBC News] The multi-million dollar donation to the X Prize from her and her brother-in-law led to the successful launch of SpaceShipOne in 2004. She is also the co-founder and CEO of Prodea Systems, which is working with Space Adventures and the Russian Federal Space Agency to develop a suborbital tourist space plane called the Space Adventures Explorer. (Space Adventures is the same company that's been working with the FSA to provide all the space tourism we've had to date, including Ansari's upcoming mission.)

Ansari had been training as the backup for Japanese businessman Daisuke Enomoto, but he was recently pulled from the mission for medical reasons. She will also be the first female space tourist, which is what a lot of the articles seem to be harping on. I'm going to get on my high horse here and say that's she notable for being way more than a "female tourist". Actually, the coolest part is that someone who's given (and is giving) so much to the cause of space tourism will have the chance to experience it first-hand.

Then again, I'm also being totally hypocritical by putting up a picture of her because I think she looks hot in a spacesuit. :P Of course, Enomoto was planning to go up in a suit modeled after the outfit of Char Aznable, the villain from Mobile Suit Gundam. That definitely would've been an even better picture! Forget about "first female tourist in space"; I wanna see headlines that say, "first cosplayer in space"! :D