American millionaires fly into space

American millionaire Richard Garriott got into the Soyuz TMA-13 ​​spacecraft with two astronauts and left the launch pad yesterday.

Garriott became the 6th tourist to fly into space. Along with an American astronaut and a Russian, the video game maker left the ISS International Station in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, to fly into space.

To make the 10-day trip, Garriott had to spend 35 million USD. Unlike the previous five space travelers, Garriott considers flying into space as a family tradition. His father, former American astronaut Owen Garriott, worked for two months in the orbital Skylab space station in 1973.

"I was born into an astronaut's family, and always wanted to do what my father did," the 47-year-old millionaire said before the flight.

Hundreds of people were there and cheered as the result on the fire rushed into the sky. Only 10 minutes later, the technical staff confirmed the spacecraft was in orbit as intended.

(Photo: AP)