Dennis Tito facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dennis Tito
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| Born | August 8, 1940 Queens, New York City, U.S.
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| Alma mater | New York University (B.S.) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (M.S.) |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Space career | |
| Space tourist | |
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Time in space
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7d 22h 04m |
| Selection | 2000 |
| Missions | ISS EP-1 (Soyuz TM-32 / Soyuz TM-31) |
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Mission insignia
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Dennis Anthony Tito (born August 8, 1940) is an American engineer and entrepreneur. In 2001, he made history by becoming the first person to pay for his own trip to space. He spent almost eight days orbiting Earth as part of a mission to the International Space Station (ISS). His journey began on the Soyuz TM-32 spacecraft.
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Who is Dennis Tito?
Dennis Tito was born in Queens, New York. He studied engineering and astronautics at university. He even worked as a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). At JPL, he helped figure out the paths spacecraft would take.
From Space to Business
In 1972, Dennis Tito started his own company called Wilshire Associates. This company helps people manage their investments. He used his engineering skills and math knowledge, similar to how he tracked spacecraft, to understand money markets. Even though he changed careers, he always loved space. In 2020, he sold his part of Wilshire Associates.
His Family Life
Dennis Tito is married to Akiko Tito. She is also an engineer and pilot who loves space travel. They live in Los Angeles.
His Journey to Space
Dennis Tito always dreamed of going to space. He worked with the Russian Federal Space Agency to make his dream come true. Some people at NASA, like its leader Daniel Goldin, were not happy about a "tourist" going to space. They thought it was not right for someone who wasn't a professional astronaut.
However, Dennis Tito went ahead with his plan. He joined the Soyuz TM-32 mission, which launched on April 28, 2001. The spacecraft traveled to the International Space Station. Dennis Tito and his fellow cosmonauts spent nearly eight days in space. They orbited Earth 128 times! While in orbit, he even did some science experiments.
After his space trip, he spoke to government committees about commercial spaceflight. He also shared his story with BBC News ten years later.
Future Space Dreams
Dennis Tito continues to be very interested in space exploration.
Inspiration Mars Foundation
In 2013, Dennis Tito announced a big plan. He wanted to send a privately funded mission to Mars by 2018. He believed the technology was ready. The main challenges were how the long 501-day trip would affect the astronauts physically and mentally. However, he later realized that this mission would need a lot of help and money from NASA to happen.
Around the Moon with Starship
In 2022, SpaceX announced exciting news. Dennis Tito and his wife, Akiko Tito, plan to be on the second commercial spaceflight of Starship around the Moon! This shows his continued passion for space travel.
See also
In Spanish: Dennis Tito para niños
- List of space travelers by name
