
First space tourist: 'It was the greatest moment of my life'
CNN
It's 20 years since the first private citizen traveled to space. In the two decades since Dennis Tito went into orbit, only a handful of space tourists have followed in his footsteps, but companies like SpaceX are hoping your next big vacation might be out of this world.
(CNN) — On April 30, 2001, US millionaire Dennis Tito arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) via a Russian Soyuz rocket, becoming the world's first space tourist. For Tito, then 60, it was the culmination of a dream he'd held since he was a young man, one he'd shelled out a cool $20 million for to make a reality. Billionaire Virgin CEO Richard Branson is now set to follow in his footsteps. On July 11, Branson is due to blast off into suborbital space via his company Virgin Galactic.
Janet Mills and her allies are counting on a gender gap to narrow Platner’s wide lead ahead of the June 9 primary to decide who will face incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins. They are betting that the unfiltered style that has brought Platner widespread attention as someone who could help Democrats reach young men will backfire with women.

As a shrinking number of Transportation Security Administration agents work to keep hourslong security lines moving despite not being paid, President Donald Trump stepped into the fray Saturday, announcing he will send Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to airports by Monday if Congress doesn’t agree to a plan to end the partial government shutdown.











