[Jason Carroll, Cnn Anchor:] The international space station's guest tourist says he's staying out of trouble. Dennis Tito described his stay so far in the Russian section of the station as surprisingly comfortable. NASA officials have complained the amateur astronaut could disrupt the crew's work, but Tito says he's not getting in the way of the American crew.
[Dennis Tito, Space Tourist:] I know that the crew is due for a little slowdown in their schedule because they've had a lot of work over the last two weeks with the Endeavour mission. However, the American segment is at least 100 meters away from where we're sitting right now, where I spend most of my time. And there's absolutely no way that my presence can interfere with their work.
[Carroll:] All right. Tito is scheduled to return to earth Sunday onboard a Soyuz capsule. Well, is Tito's holiday in space yet another giant leap for mankind? For many stargazers it signals the possibility that they, too, may someday travel beyond the confines of the earth's gravitational pull. CNN's Anne McDermott takes a look at the infatuation with space travel.
[Anne Mcdermott, Cnn Correspondent:] This is what it's all about.
[Tito:] I love space.
[Mcdermott:] And Dennis Tito isn't alone. People have been in love with space since "War of the Worlds," since "Star Wars" and "Star Trek." In fact, on "Star Trek" regular Joes sometimes turned up on the Enterprise, and some thought that might soon happen for real. After all, once man went to the moon Pan Am began taking reservations for lunar flights flights that never took off. So some settled for less, like "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, and noted trip-taker Timothy Leary, they had their ashes sent into orbit. But it's obviously much more fun to take Tito's trip. Trouble is, you need $20 million. Now, "Titanic" director James Cameron says he's interested in going into space. Can you say king of the cosmos? But if you can't scrape up $20 million, you can do what Miami businessman Alan Wolnick did: experience brief periods of zero gravity aboard a Russian cosmonaut training flight for only about $5,000.
[Unidentified Male:] It's exhilarating. It almost makes you want to yell from the exhilaration.
[Mcdermott:] There are a handful of ultimate vacation entrepreneurs that offer such adventures, and some are already taking orders for sub-orbital voyages that they hope to make available in the next few years at a cost of about $100,000 or so. Still, others envision a day when space tourists will stay in hotels up there. It's already on the drawing boards.
[James George, Space Frontier Foundation:] And I believe that the human species must expand past the earth. It's our destiny to become a space-faring species. It's out next evolutionary step.
[Mcdermott:] Well, it's not for everyone.
[Unidentified Female:] Because I don't even go on roller coasters.
[Mcdermott:] How about you guys?
[Unidentified Male:] You'd like to go into space, wouldn't you? Hell yes, man. Yes. Be like "Star Wars," man.
[Mcdermott:] Well, maybe not, man. But it would be something; and it seems we're on our way. Anne McDermott, CNN, Los Angeles.