Ruralite Cafe: Published 05/03/01

By Lisa Majors-Duff - News Editor

$20 million trip leaves much to be desired?

I assume that was a round-trip ticket the world's first space tourist bought, though I don't think I've heard that for certain.

Then there are the hidden costs, which to someone like Dennis Tito - who just gave away $20 million for the ultimate (though temporary) fat farm experience - can't really be worth losing sleep over.

One of those hidden costs comes straight from NASA officials, who say the slogan "You broke it, you bought it" applies in outer space. For $20 million, I'd expect a little leeway. I wouldn't ask for the controls the first day out, but if I accidentally knocked a test tube against the ceiling and it shattered, I'd hate to find a $46,583.22 charge on my MasterCard bill a week or two after arriving home.

I suppose vacationing in space will one day be a lot like going to Disney World is today. The admission ticket price seems outrageous at first - $50 for adults, $43 for children under 12. But then you have to eat, drink and buy all those Mickey Mouse souvenirs.

On the subject of meals, I wonder how much extra Mr. Tito is being charged for freeze-dried mashed potatoes and roast beef with gravy. By the way, do they still drink Tang in orbit? They must because I don't know anyone here on earth who drinks the orange powder originally designed to quench an astronaut's thirst. For $20 million, a little champagne and strawberries for breakfast shouldn't be out of the question.

Don't think for a minute that $20 million gets you the penthouse suite on the Alpha space station either. King-sized beds are not yet available, much less chocolate mints on your pillow. Mr. Tito, news reports say, is napping instead in a sleeping bag tied to the walls of an escape pod.

The natural human desire to explore is the reason some of us choose to climb Everest, search for El Dorado or seek out Atlantis. For Mr. Tito, I suppose, those options were just a little too passe and inexpensive. His money, after all, has bought him what few others will ever experience - weightlessness, extremely friendly Russian hosts and some pretty impressive views of the blue planet.

Apparently $20 million is not a big deal anymore in the realm of multimillionaires. That kind of cash ebbs and flows daily from Stock Market accounts, without the portfolio holders ever batting an eye.

Not so in the Cafe. Most of us here are still reeling over filling up at the pump this weekend. And we're told it's not over yet. By the end of summer, the experts say, gas prices could be as high as $3 a gallon, which could put a considerable crimp in our meager travel plans down the road to the nearest beach.

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