Misc.: Dennis Tito

Becoming the first civilian space tourist in 2001 made Dennis Tito's name temporarily familiar to the American media audience.

Tito, owner of a highly successful consulting firm in California, was no mere dabbler when he forked over an undisclosed multi-million dollar sum for a "ticket" to ride in a Soyuz spacecraft and to orbit for eight days in the International Space Station. Earlier in his career, he had worked with NASA and had earned a Master's in engineering in addition to a B.S. in aeronautics.