Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home IT Management
    • IT Management
    • Networking

    Former Microsoft Executive Charles Simonyi Returns to Earth

    By
    Nicholas Kolakowski
    -
    April 8, 2009
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Former Microsoft Executive Charles Simonyi successfully touched down in Kazakhstan on April 8 after a second trip to the International Space Station, making him the first “space tourist” to complete two successful orbital jaunts.

      Simonyi spent 13 days in orbit, and paid $35 million for the privilege. His first trip, in April 2007, cost roughly $20 million. Two other astronauts, flight engineer Yuri Lonchakov and commander Michael Fincke, took the three-hour return trip from the station with Simonyi; their capsule parachuted to the Kazakhstani earth at 3:16 a.m. EDT, according to NASA.

      Soon after their landing, a joint recovery team of Russian and NASA personnel reached the site and immediately subjected all three voyagers to medical tests.

      Simonyi spearheaded the development of a number of Microsoft applications, including Word and Excel, during the 1980s. He also created the concept of the “revenue bomb.”

      In 2002, however, he left Microsoft to create Intentional Software, a company devoted to developing software tools based on intentional programming precepts.

      Simonyi’s second space-trip began on March 26, with the launch of the Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakstan. It rendezvoused with the International Space Station two days later. Among the crowd seeing him off was Paul Allen, who reportedly opened bottles of champagne, and Simonyi’s wife Lisa Persdotter.
      According to Space Adventures CEO Eric Anderson, the market for space tourism has been affected by the global economic recession; in interviews, however, both he and others seem optimistic in the industry’s long-term prospects.

      Reuters quoted a source within Russia’s space industry as saying two unidentified space tourists could launch in 2011. Since the destruction of the U.S. space shuttle Columbia in 2003, Russia has taken on the responsibility of transporting personnel and supplies to the station.

      While his second space odyssey would suggest a lifelong obsession with traveling beyond the surly bonds of Earth, Simonyi didn’t consider venturing into orbit until later in life.

      “Everybody’s interested in space as a child, I think, but I didn’t take it seriously early on,” Simonyi said in an interview with Private Air magazine after his first flight. “My calling wasn’t space; it was computers. I started thinking about space only once it became practical.”

      Before the 2007 liftoff, he also consulted some experts for advice.

      “I talked to Neil Armstrong and John Glenn,” he said in that same interview. “I asked if I should go, and they said, ‘By all means.'”

      Nicholas Kolakowski
      Nicholas Kolakowski is a staff editor at eWEEK, covering Microsoft and other companies in the enterprise space, as well as evolving technology such as tablet PCs. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Playboy, WebMD, AARP the Magazine, AutoWeek, Washington City Paper, Trader Monthly, and Private Air. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×