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Russians: Nyet to Bass' Rocket Ride
The 23-year-old 'N Syncer, who was vying to be the youngest person in orbit, as well as the first pop singer, has been booted from Russia's space training facilities.
The news comes just days after Bass held a giddy press conference trumpeting his planned fall trip to the International Space Station.
The wannabe space cadet got the big nyet Tuesday after failing to come up with a $20 million ticket to ride. The Russian Space Agency had set several payment ultimatums in recent weeks, but Bass and his backers--a consortium of TV producers who wanted to turn the trip into a reality TV special--never met the deadline.
A Russian official said Bass' trip has been scrapped due to "crude violations" of his contract.
"After failing to fulfill the conditions of his contract, Lance Bass has been told that his training at the Cosmonaut Training Center has ended and that his flight to the ISS is impossible," spokesman Sergei Gorbunov tells Reuters.
"Bass is now at Star City, gathering his stuff and preparing to leave."
Bass announced his space aspirations in February, confirming he was in negotiations to become the third space tourist, following in the flight suits of U.S. rich guy Dennis Tito and South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth--both of whom coughed up the $20 million to Russia's money-hungry space program.
Despite NASA fears that he would be ill-prepared for the October 28 liftoff, Bass signed a preliminary contract and began training in July at Star City, cramming on such topics as space-flight theory and physics, while also polishing his Russian and survival skills. He spent last week as NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston doing flight-simulator work with the other two crew members (Russian commander Sergei Zalyotin and Belgian flight engineer Frank DeWinne), capped by a press conference Friday in which he vowed to sing in space.
He returned to Russia on Sunday to continue his regimen.
While the Russian officials insist Bass' rocket ride dream "is over," the popster's camp is still hopeful a deal can be clinched, blaming paperwork problems and red tape for the delay in finalizing a contract.
"It is a little dramatic to say he was kicked out," Jeff Manbar, president of MirCorp, tells the Associated Press. Manbar, whose company is working with Destiny Productions on Bass' behalf, says he will continue to meet with Russian officials in hopes of hammering out a contract.
"He was training at Star City yesterday. He is not training today, but he will be back there probably tomorrow or the day after."
Bass' publicist, Jill Fritzo, adds, "The trip is not over...We feel very confident that there will be a resolution soon and the trip will go on as planned."
A NASA spokesperson, meanwhile, says the U.S. space agency has yet to hear anything official regarding Bass' dismissal.
But things don't look good for the singer. The Russians have already announced his replacement on the Soyuz rocket--a cargo container stuffed with extra equipment for the International Space Station.
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