how many albums do we need to sell to raise $30m (£17m)

Maybe we should terraform Mars?

US space tourist Richard Garriott has successfully blasted off into space, following in the footsteps of his astronaut father.

Mr Garriott has paid about $30m (£17m) for his 10-day trip to the International Space Station (ISS).

The Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft, mounted on a three-stage rocket, launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, at 0701 GMT (0801 BST; 0301 EDT).

Richard's father, Owen Garriott, spent 60 days on a US space station in 1973.

He took extensive photographs of the Earth's surface during his stay on the Skylab orbital outpost.

Owen, 77, will support his son from mission control in Moscow.

Richard Garriott, a 47-year-old computer game designer, is joined on the flight by US astronaut Mike Fincke, who becomes the space station's commander, and Russian flight engineer Yuri Lonchakov.

The other man on the podium

Tommie Smith and John Carlos gave a gloved Black Power salute on the Olympic podium in October 1968, the story has now been told about the 3rd man on the podium...humanity shines through...need to see that documentary Salute.


"It was Norman who, when John Carlos found he'd forgotten his black gloves, suggested the two runners shared Smith's pair, wearing one each on the podium.

And when, to the crowd's astonishment, they flung their fists in the air, the Australian joined the protest in his own way, wearing a badge from the Olympic Project for Human Rights that they had given him."

America....Do The Right Thing!