Japanese billionaire and space tourist Yusaku Maezawa told Sputnik he needed to take so many props to complete tasks from the "100 Things You Want MZ To Do in Space!" challenge that he had to negotiate with Roscosmos to decide what could be packed into the designated space on the Soyuz MS-20 spacecraft
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th December, 2021) Japanese billionaire and space tourist Yusaku Maezawa told Sputnik he needed to take so many props to complete tasks from the "100 Things You Want MZ To Do in Space!" challenge that he had to negotiate with Roscosmos to decide what could be packed into the designated space on the Soyuz MS-20 spacecraft.
"We have most likely managed to load everything into it (Soyuz MS-20 spacecraft) and take to the International Space Station (ISS). We had to conduct quite serious negotiations with Roscosmos and S. P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia to discuss what could be taken and what could not," Maezawa told Sputnik in an interview.
Maezawa also said he was looking forward to playing badminton in zero gravity with Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, among other tasks. The list also included an arm wrestling matchup with the ISS Commander Anton Shkaplerov. Also, the entrepreneur would try to help astronauts in their scientific experiments, answer questions against the background of the Earth, blow soap bubbles and try to capture northern lights, lightning and meteorite showers.
In May, the billionaire launched the website called "Wanted! 100 Things You Want MZ To Do in Space!," where everyone could suggest an interesting activity, which the space tourist should perform in orbit. Maezawa`s actions will be filmed by his assistant Yozo Hirano. The videos are expected to be posted on YouTube.
The launch of the Soyuz MS-20 spacecraft by the Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome is scheduled for 10:38 a.m. Moscow time (07:38 GMT) on December 8, 2021. Its crew included Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, and two space tourists, Japanese billionaire Maezawa and his assistant Hirano. They are expected to spend 12 days on the ISS and return to Earth at 16:41 p.m. Moscow time (13:41 GMT) on December 20.
