Like with any long-term plan, I had to make reservations. My immediate goal for the flight would be to study Russian and American engineering approaches and to learn from the experience.

I consider my future flight to be a small part of an important trend to make space accessible to more people, not just to experts. I am very much in favor of commercial space travel, which promises to advance technology just like commercial aviation did many years ago.

Basically, most good science in space flight has to do with the behavior of the human body in space. That is where we are lacking info, and where info can only be obtained by flying in space.

With a total endowment of $400 million, [the Institute] has worked with 21 Nobel Prize winners and practically all Fields Medals winners. Very seldom with a modest contribution can you have such a great effect on the advancement of science.

necessary to ensure maintenance of high quality running of the institution.

I believe that the Institute performs a crucial role in nurturing and promoting original thinking and scholarship,