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 Previous: “Radiation Belt Remediation” Plan Could Affect HF Propagation, Study Suggests |  Next: ARRL First VP Chairs Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference |
 Wearing a Space Adventures jacket, Dice-K stands next to a statue of Russian space hero Yuri Gagarin. [Space Adventures Photo] |
NEWINGTON, CT, Aug 15, 2006 -- If all goes as planned, Japanese businessman and entrepreneur Daisuke "Dice-K" Enomoto will become the fourth civilian space traveler later this summer. He's scheduled to go into space September 14 with International Space Station Expedition 14's NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, KE5GTK, and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, RZ3FT. Space Adventures is coordinating Enomoto's orbital spaceflight for which it's believed he's paid in the vicinity of $20 million. Now undergoing training in Russia, Enomoto will be the first civilian from Asia to visit the ISS and possibly the first person to go into space dressed as a cartoon character.
"We offer our sincere congratulations to Dice-K for being
named to the Soyuz TMA-9 crew," Space Adventures President and CEO Eric
Anderson said recently on the organization's Web site. He was referring to the
three-person Russian vehicle that will carry Enomoto, Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin aloft
from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. "Space Adventures' staff strives, with
each of our orbital spaceflight candidates, to assist them in preparing
themselves for spaceflight."
 Russia's Sergei Samburov, RV3DR (left) demonstrates Amateur Radio operation to Dice-K and back-up candidate Anoushe Ansari. [ARISS Photo] |
 Dice-K works with a camera as part of his spaceflight training. |
The 35-year-old Enomoto will follow in the footsteps of past private space explorers -- American businessman Dennis Tito, KG6FZX, became the first in 2001, followed the next year by South Africa's Mark Shuttleworth. Greg Olsen, KC2ONX, visited the ISS in 2005. The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program arranged for all three space travelers to make contacts with students on Earth.
Dice-K reportedly has been trained and authorized by Russia to operate the ARISS gear aboard the ISS under the RS0ISS call sign and will make some school group contacts.
Until 2003, Dice-K was an executive with Livedoor, a publicly traded information technology company in Japan. He's now an independent investor and strategic business adviser. In his off-time, the father of two enjoys sports cars, go carts and sailing. He now makes his home in Hong Kong.
Enomoto will spend approximately a week aboard the ISS and plans to conduct a variety of experiments while in space. Earlier this year, he sought proposals for experiments to conduct aboard the ISS. He'll also take some commercial experiments into space. He's been in training since last fall.
According to various news accounts, Enomoto is an aficionado of the popular Japanese anime series "Gundam," a cartoon set in the future in which humans are attired in robot-like gear. He's reportedly told Russian space officials that he'd like to go into space costumed as Char Aznable, one of the cartoon's popular characters. There's been no word as to whether Russia will honor Dice-K's request, however.
Enomoto's backup for the Soyuz taxi flight is
Iranian-American Anoushe Ansari, the 39-year-old co-founder -- with her husband
and brother-in-law -- of Telecom Technologies -- acquired in 2000 by Sonus
Networks Inc -- and the investment firm Prodea Inc. She's also training in Russia and could enjoy a Soyuz flight of her own in the future, possibly as early as
TMA-10.
| Previous: “Radiation Belt Remediation” Plan Could Affect HF Propagation, Study Suggests | Next: ARRL First VP Chairs Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference |
