Travelers interested in a behind the scenes tour of the Russian space program will have a rare opportunity to experience just that this fall.
Starting at $14,495 per person, the nine-day "Inside the Russian Space Program" tour will allow visitors to witness the manned launch of the Soyuz spacecraft, tour the country's top cosmonaut training facility and take in the live Soyuz-International Space Station docking at Mission Control Center.
The tour, which is being offered by the Seattle-based MIR Corporation and is limited to just 16 passengers, is slated to begin Sept. 17 and continue through Sept. 25.
The guests' journey will begin in Moscow, where they'll visit the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC). Here, visitors will have the option of participating in cosmonaut training, which includes experiencing 4 Gs on the world's largest centrifuge and a parabolic zero-G simulation flight.
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Visitors can also try on a Russian-engineered Orlan space suit and try their hand at opening and closing hatches as well as other important space tasks.
Later, guests will explore the MIR Space Station simulator, visit the Soyuz-TMA integrated simulator and the mock-up of the International Space Station.
"We will observe the early morning roll-out of the Soyuz Rocket and follow it to the launch pad site together with the press, military personnel, cosmonauts and their relatives," said MIR Corporation President Douglas Grimes in a statement. "The following day we will gather in a VIP seating gallery at Mission Control Center for the live satellite feed of the Soyuz docking."
The MIR Corporation has specialized in journeys to Russia and surrounding destinations for the past three decades and has earned National Geographic Adventure's "Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth" honors on multiple occasions.
Travelers can click here for more information on the unique tour.
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