Russia 2010
Russian Space Program, May 23-June 2
Index
Itinerary
Enrichment Lecturer
What to Expect
Details & Pricing
With astronaut Leroy Chiao, PhD
11 days/9 nights
• 6 nights Moscow (split)
• 3 nights Baykonur
Physical ctivity Rating: Level 2
Co-Share: Cal Berkeley
Maximum group size: 24 travelers
Trip Brochure (PDF)
This journey is as close as it gets to space travel, unless you're an astronaut. Join us in May 2010 for a special program to Russia with study leader and astronaut Dr. Leroy Chiao, a veteran of four space missions and a certified co-pilot of the Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
Begin in Moscow, exploring Star City, the premier training facility for cosmonauts. Along with Dr. Chiao, fly to Baikonur, the Russian launch facility on the Kazakh steppe where in 1961 Yuri Gagarin left the earth on the first-ever manned space flight. Get up close and personal with the Soyuz spacecraft at the early-morning rollout to the launch pad. Attend the press conference with the departing crew and ask some questions of your own. Gather with the family and friends of the space crew in the VIP section to witness the launch, and again back at Moscow's Mission Control Center for the live satellite feed of the Soyuz-ISS docking.
During the program, you can participate in an optional cosmonaut training yourself such as a zero G flight, where you experience weightlessness. Inspect the international Space Station (ISS) mock-up and the enormous Hydrolab, where cosmonauts get accustomed to the sensations of a space-walk.
*Please note: travelers should keep travel plans flexible for about two weeks on either side of these dates in case the launch date of the Soyuz changes.
To reserve your space on this program, please call the MIT Alumni Travel Program at 800-992-6749 or email the Travel Program at compass@mit.edu.
