Space Adventures Denies Contact With Microsoft Founder

Is the world's richest man aiming even higher? Comments made by Expedition 15 cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin this week, during a televised press conference from the International Space Station, indicate Microsoft founder Bill Gates is considering a flight into space.

Yurchikhin says the report comes from former Microsoft engineer -- and current "tourinaut" -- Charles Simonyi, who rode up to the ISS earlier this week with Yurchikhin and fellow cosmonaut Oleg Kotov.

"Charles said that Bill Gates is also preparing to visit space," cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin told journalists during a video link-up from the space station, reports Agence-France Presse. "So the next time someone will be with Bill Gates. For me this is the biggest surprise of our flight."

It was also a surprise to Space Adventures, the US-based company that organized Simonyi's trip -- as well as flights by Dennis Tito, Mark Shuttleworth, Greg Olsen and, most recently, Anousheh Ansari.

"Space Adventures has had no contact with Bill Gates," spokesperson Natalya Dedovets told AFP.

Simonyi paid a reported $25 million for the flight to the ISS. He will return to Earth April 20 with Expedition 14 crewmembers Mikhail Tyurin and American Miguel Lopez-Alegria.

FMI: www.spaceadventures.com