General: Garriott in Space: Details Released

Szark

Space Adventures, Ltd. has sent out a press release confirming Richard Garriott's plans to head to the International Space Station in 2008, as well as providing information about why he's going and what he'll be doing while he's up there.

Vienna, Va. – September 28, 2007 – Space Adventures, Ltd., the world’s leading space experiences company, announced today that famed game developer Richard Garriott, son of former NASA astronaut Owen Garriott, has begun preparations for a “commercially active” mission to the International Space Station (ISS). 

Mr. Garriott’s spaceflight, currently planned for October 2008, will be the first in a series of missions that will accommodate commercial activity aboard the ISS.  Involvement from the private sector can include scientific and environmental research and educational outreach programming.

“It has always been Space Adventures’ goal to open the space frontier.  Now, with Richard’s flight, we have designed a series of missions devoted to increase commercial involvement in manned space missions,” said Eric Anderson, president and CEO of Space Adventures.  “It is a very rare occasion when so many commercial opportunities are available in one space mission. We encourage interested parties to contact us.”

Space Adventures made history in 2001 by organizing the mission of the first private space explorer.  Now, the company continues to bring innovation to manned spaceflight by enabling corporate and non-profit entities to participate in commercial endeavors on the planet’s only orbiting outpost.

“I am dedicating my spaceflight to science,” said Mr. Garriott.  “It is my goal to devote a significant amount of my time aboard the space station to science, engineering and educational projects.  I understand the necessity for conducting research in extreme environments whether it is collecting microorganisms from deep sea hydrothermal vents to carrying out experiments in the continuous micro-gravity of Earth orbit.” He continued, “We need to be adventurous in mind and simulate our intellects to answer today’s most daunting scientific questions and to invent tomorrow’s technological marvels.”

Read the full release here.

Uraziel

Smart guy after all, this is probably the only way to draw the attention from his about to crash and sink Tabula Rasa.

bonobotheory

“It has always been Space Adventures’ goal to open the space frontier.  Now, with Richard’s flight, we have designed a series of missions...

First, Richard will have to collect ten rat tails.

Angelfire

Of course they are launching him into space .. its the only place they could find room for his ego. Seeing all the hyped publicity Tabula Rasa is getting, and knowing from being a beta tester the state that game is going to be released in .. hes probably doing it cause its the only place hes gonna be able to hide from his investors when TR tanks.

Faelan

Originally posted by Szark


Space Adventures, Ltd. has sent out a press release confirming Richard Garriott's plans to head to the International Space Station in 2008, as well as providing information about why he's going and what he'll be doing while he's up there.
He continued, “We need to be adventurous in mind and simulate our intellects to answer today’s most daunting scientific questions and to invent tomorrow’s technological marvels.”

Read the full release here.

Simulate our intellects, eh? I knew it... they're working on some kind of AI!

fiontar

If his plans rely on an optimistic outlook for Tabula Rasa, with his cut footing the bill, he's probably not going anywhere!

Of course, this might explain where a lot of the money that was supposed to go into the game got funneled to...

Flummoxed

Originally posted by bonobotheory

“It has always been Space Adventures’ goal to open the space frontier.  Now, with Richard’s flight, we have designed a series of missions...

First, Richard will have to collect ten rat tails.

lol good one   

man, development on the ISS is going so sloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow, it's going to be another 100 years before they have a viable platform for assembling anything useful like a moon or mars base.  The current maximum size for civilian payloads is a 20 x 20 x 30 cm  (~ 8 x 8 x 12 inch) box.   

Big enough to hold uh... 10 rats.

Lateris

I wonder  if this will influence his perspective on a space game for T.R? Since most of his games have had such an influence from technology and sci fi. And most of his games were designed before we have been lapped with the luxuries of todays game market. In the end we might get what he does best and that is design good space games for those of us not wanting the hack and slash of the EQ lands of  WoW. If my company wanted to send me up to space I would see that as a once in a lifetime chance.  Good for him.

 

Soldarith

I suppose, on a brighter note, that for the next full year he will be so involved with his training, and across the world, that it may allow for the game to mature into a full product (if it lasts that long).

Ackbar

I think its time to take a stand against Richard Garriott and his BS. His new game sucks and I sure as hell ain't giving him or his company any money so he can squander it on some idiotic space journey that normal people like me will never get to do in this lifetime.

JMichael

Originally posted by Ackbar


I think its time to take a stand against Richard Garriott and his BS. His new game sucks and I sure as hell ain't giving him or his company any money so he can squander it on some idiotic space journey that normal people like me will never get to do in this lifetime.

If you knew anything about the man, you would know he doesn't need TR to be a "WoW Killer". The man is allready filthy freaking rich. The man owns a Mansion, is building a new one with handfulls of trap doors and secret rooms. Oh, and I've forgot to mention, he was the big man behind one of the first MMOs and now the longest running MMO. You might know it, It's called Ultima Online.

If you don't like his game don't play it... but don't think he made the game so he could make a space trip. He probably dropped the money for this and didn't even look at the price tag.



He doesn't need your money xD

On topic, Freaking awsome!

I would kill to do that!

Gameloading

Ultima Online was released 6 years after the first mmorpg, I wouldn't call it one of the first.

it isn't the longest running mmorpg either. The realm, Meridian and Nexus have been around longer than UO.

fordiepie

If you knew anything about the man, you would know he doesn't need TR to be a "WoW Killer". The man is allready filthy freaking rich. The man owns a Mansion, is building a new one with handfulls of trap doors and secret rooms. /i>



If YOU really knew anything about him, you'd know he spends like a fool, wants to play or chatter all the time, and invests poorly. He has said in public more than once that he does not have the funds for the space ride. The Mansion #2 has been under construction for almost ten years, and construction stopped after the first year because he was spending so fast. He lost huge in the dotcom bubble bust, and he has said as much.

He's banking on TR in some way. Maybe it's the stock options NcSoft gave him when they paid that astonishing fortune just for the use of the Garriott "brand"--their sale might be tied to the release of TR. That's probably the only way they could get them to do any work at all--tie a big wad on condition that they actually finish and release it. I do know that the Russians are no dreamy-eyed fanboys--they want assurance of payment or they'll go find another touist.


NcSoft has been more than patient, and indulging Lord Pratish for seven years may be the downfall of NcSoft.

Shoal

Richard Garriot  == The New Howard Hughs

Let's all just pray that he could only afford a one-way ticket.

Or, that he is also inflicted with the same astoundingly low drop-rate on those rat-tails that we all have been suffering with for years.

And that he never actually completes the 'mission' because he cannot get a group.

All you folks that are buying into TR?

Bend over and prepare to receive your Pineapple!

 

Uraziel

Originally posted by fordiepie

If you knew anything about the man, you would know he doesn't need TR to be a "WoW Killer". The man is allready filthy freaking rich. The man owns a Mansion, is building a new one with handfulls of trap doors and secret rooms. /i>

 

If YOU really knew anything about him, you'd know he spends like a fool, wants to play or chatter all the time, and invests poorly. He has said in public more than once that he does not have the funds for the space ride. The Mansion #2 has been under construction for almost ten years, and construction stopped after the first year because he was spending so fast. He lost huge in the dotcom bubble bust, and he has said as much.

He's banking on TR in some way. Maybe it's the stock options NcSoft gave him when they paid that astonishing fortune just for the use of the Garriott "brand"--their sale might be tied to the release of TR. That's probably the only way they could get them to do any work at all--tie a big wad on condition that they actually finish and release it. I do know that the Russians are no dreamy-eyed fanboys--they want assurance of payment or they'll go find another touist.

NcSoft has been more than patient, and indulging Lord Pratish for seven years may be the downfall of NcSoft.

You forget one thing though, using the mans name as an intro to the game, means that he stands and falls with the game. This is probably a marketing trick from NCSoft, because they won't take the fall for the game and the guy himself will lose alot of reputation if it dóes fail, so he will put up the best he can.

 

Too bad that last part dn't happen.

Ozmodan

This cracks me up,  experiments huh, what is he going to do, MMO experiments?  LOL.  The last time I looked I did not see any scientific credentials attached to this guy.

Let's call it what it is, a joy ride for a bored rich guy,

fordiepie

He doesn't care about his reputation or a game or his fanboys. He is only obsessed by following Daddy into space, even if it's only LEO (low earth orbit) . He'll take the money and run to Star City, Russia. Watch how fast the Garriott brothers quit NcSoft. Probably before Christmas.

Uraziel

That's why I think the part where NCSoft doesn't get to be blamed for it, was the most important reason why his name is on it :P