Private Spacefarer Sarah Brightman Undergoes Medical Tests

On Wednesday, October 10 it was announced in Moscow that UK private spacefarer Sarah Brightman had passed the required mental and physical examinations to fly into space. In 2013 she will undertake six months of training at Star City in Moscow in preparation for her mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

In her announcement in Moscow she described how as a child she was inspired by the Apollo 11 landing on the moon. Sarah said the trip would serve as a way to encourage women’s education in the sciences and environmental awareness helping to close the gender gap in the sciences.

It was not announced how much she had paid for the mission. The last private spacefarer paid $35 million and there has been speculation in the press that she may have paid $51 million.

Follow Sarah Brightman on her journey into Star City, Russia
to begin medical assessment by the Russian Federal Space Agency

Sarah started her singing career in the 1970’s and had hits such as “I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper” and “Love in a UFO”. She is now a a classical crossover artist.

In 2012 in conjunction with Virgin Galactic, The Brightman STEM Scholarship program (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) was launched. It will help young women in the US pursue STEM education across their four year college careers.

Her new album, “Dreamchaser” is to be released on January 22, 2013. The “Dreamchaser” World Tour, covering five continents and over 100 concert dates, kicks off in North America on January 29, 2013. She intends to become the first professional musician to sing from space.

She said “I don’t think of myself as a dreamer. Rather, I am a dream chaser, I hope that I can encourage others to take inspiration from my journey both to chase down their own dreams and to help fulfill the important UNESCO mandate to promote peace and sustainable development on Earth and from space. I am determined that this journey can reach out to be a force for good, a catalyst for some of the dreams and aims of others that resonate with me.”

It is not yet known if she will make any amateur radio contacts while on the ISS. In 1991 the first UK astronaut Helen Sharman was issued with a special callsign GB1MIR by the Radiocommunications Division of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). She was then able to contact radio amateurs on Earth during her stay on the MIR space station.

Sarah Brightman’s announcement in Moscow

You can sign up to receive updates on Sarah’s mission at  http://www.sarahbrightman.com/

Wiki – Sarah Brightman http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Brightman

Space Adventures http://www.spaceadventures.com/

Peter Gülzow, DB2OS, visited Star City in 1995 see his report at http://www.amsat-dl.org/starcity/