garriott

Garriott makes his way past the solemn armed guards at the gate and follows a trail through the towering pines.

The reality, Garriott discovers as he checks in at the security booth on his first day of training in January, is a bit different.

Garriott, flush with wealth from the sale of Origin, says he gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to finance the research.

"It was just kind of a shock, " Garriott says, sawing away at his glistening pile of meat.

To use it, Garriott will have to position himself over the bucket, and a suction tube will Hoover up his crap.

But they sometimes call him something else, too. As Garriott steps out of the Soyuz, a Russian guard in green fatigues is there to meet him.

Mr Garriott, however, is not just a holiday-maker.

But everyone is staring at Garriott and Halik as they walk in, and the two feel like they've been caught trespassing.

But on this May afternoon in a cramped classroom northeast of Moscow, Garriott is not playing a game.

Halik told Garriott of his childhood spent indoors with chronic asthma.

One minute later, Garriott begins a second countdown, this time to signal the end of the thruster burn.

When Garriott was a preteen, his family doctor at NASA showed him the results of his eye test.

Garriott believes the United States hasn't fulfilled the promise of the Apollo program yet.

Richard Garriott had more reason than most to dream the Apollo moon landings would rapidly expand space travel.

Garriott underwent surgery to have it removed.

Garriott points at Halik and jokes, "I'm the one going to space, unless this guy breaks my legs. "

Garriott will be tasked with similar grunt work, like pumping out condensation.

Garriott and Halik can now joke around with the residents of Star City.

In 1992, Electronic Arts bought Origin for $35 million in stock, making Garriott a very wealthy geek.

Garriott arrives at his new quarters, a drafty little apartment on the third floor of the Prophy.

Garriott didn't flinch. He signed up, figuring he was first in line. His trip was set for April 2001.

His father, Owen Garriott, rocketed to Skylab in 1973 and to Spacelab-1 in 1983.