who cares?

It's funny that you have to click half of these people to remember who they were.  I bet NASA just blindfolded this guy and put him in a simulator at Epcott Center or something.

Here, let me be a name dropper. Tito should be famous for his home alone. I was present at a charity cocktail party in his mansion overlooking the Westside of Los Angeles, a couple weeks ago. It is truly spectacular. If you saw the sprawling, meticulously manicured grounds and the majestic home in which he resides on this invaluable real estate, you'd understand why 20 million doesn't seem like a lot to this dude.

For the record, he paid the Russian Space Agency for his trip. Not sure where to put him. I didn't recognize the name right away, so that makes me wonder how famous he ever was. Still, he is a first, and his name will be in the history books.

What a waste of space and time. To think that he got a similar opportunity that the Columbia & Challenger heroes had and he survived is so ironic. The payload he wasted could have been used for a better cause.

It hardly seems fair that everyone else has to pass certain tests and requirments before NASA would even consider having you as an astronaut when this guy can just pay NASA off to be sent into space.

More power to him! He had a dream and now he can finally make it a reality. If I had enough money and that had always been my dream, I'd want to go into space too.

Who's this Guy. Cos i love him already

Don't blame him at all for doing this. After all, you can't take it with you when you go, so you might as well enjoy it. I know if I had enough money, I would pay to be in a Star Wars movie. That's my dream.

No offense to him as a person, but his 15 minutes are up. His trip to space wasn't all that groundbreaking, because he had to shell out so much money that I don't believe the "space tourism" industry has started yet.

The only one I wouldn't rate as bad just because he had the money, he had a dream, and this country is based on realizing your dreams. Thumbs up Tito!

Well, he certainly seems like the nicest monkey in this zoo (category)! Seriously though - he had a dream - he had the means - and he went for it. Nothing wrong with that as far as I can see. You go Dennis!

I do believe that civilians should be allowed to travel into outer space. There is plenty to be offered outside of our little blue ball. The promise of new medicines and technologies that can be created in zero gravity are infinite. Corporations should be allowed to do research in outer space to find new technologies. Frankly, NASA is not cutting it and a fundamental overhaul of that agency needs to take place. Dennis Tito was a pioneer of sorts. He showed us that space can be opened to people outside of the government. His first step will allow the promises of space to be realized.

Kudos to Dennis Tito. Here's a guy who had a dream and was willing to work hard to be able to acheive it. I'm glad he found someone who would take him into space, since NASA didn't seem to think it was a good idea. They made him go through rigorous training and background checks, which should make it more than safe enough for him to be there. They should have been able to tell if he had what it takes to survive in space in that much time. I would think being an aerospace engineer and not being able to go into space would be similar in the feeling of a mechanical engineer who can't drive the car he or she helped design. Another good thing about Tito is that his 15 minutes of fame were just that. He didn't overstay his welcome.

A fantastic story! Well done, Dennis! He has enormous courage to risk his life in this way, and of course he is entitled to spend his money as he pleases. Don't you think, though, that the Russians should give him his money back, less their expenses? The publicity value has done them a lot of good.

Hey, more power to him. The man made his money fair and square so he can spend it however he wants. Sure, it's not a cure for cancer or world peace, but if he is happy with his trip then I,for one, am glad for him. I think it was wiser to enjoy that twenty million now, than to leave it to ungrateful children or a goldiging wife.

Relative to the other people on this list, Tito certainly deserves five stars. I can understand why NASA has reservations about a non-astronaut visiting the International Space Station, but Tito is hardly an inexperienced or untrained guy off the street. He worked for NASA for years, and he's undergone over 900 hours of training with the Russian cosmonauts. Here's a guy who has always dreamed of going into space, and after working hard all his life and enjoying amazing business success, he's in a position where he can realize his dream. More power to him.

You have not heard that much about Tito because America embarrassed themselves, again. Don’t you just love how the media is managed by Government organizations? He is not some twit who decided to by a bus ticket, he is an aerospace engineer who joined NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California in 1964, where he developed trajectories for the Mariner 4 mission to Mars and the Mariner 5 mission to Venus. He has trained in the Russian space program for over six months and is certified by the Russian Space program to make his flight. I don’t think the Russians would jeopardize their own safety or program over the relatively small amount of money this man is paying. Small in scale to the funding and relationships that Russia holds with the international space community. If he has the money and is properly trained, he should be allowed to go.

$20 mil to ride a rocket, man that’s a lot of dough. I guess if I had that kind of money to burn why not. He was some kind of space scientist, engineer, or something, so why shouldn’t he have the opportunity to see and experience what he has helped to build. Stupid bureaucratic NASA, all money and no heart. Tito Rocks!! NASA BAAAH!!! The fools. What is the difference between Tito and Christa McAuliffe?

Well I guess if you have not heard of Mr. Tito it is probably because he has not done anything scandalous like have an affair with the President, he’s not a cast member of Survivor, or a pro wrestler on WWF so the liberal media has not made him front page news. Dennis Tito paid $20 Million dollars to Russia to have the privilege to become the first “Space Tourist” and fly to Space Station Alpha. While Russia granted his request and has trained him for this little excursion, NASA has tried to block his participation and trip due to safety reasons. I do believe that having an untrained person along for a joy ride would create a serious safety concern, Mr. Tito has dedicated quite a bit of time and hard work to become, according to the Russians, acceptable to make the trip. It is somewhat disappointing that an American was not able to make this arrangement with his own American organization. Looks like the Russians will once again beat the U.S. out by taking the first paid tourist into space. There is probably a decent lesson here, money can buy just about anything, but you still have to work for what you truly want. For those having difficulty keeping pace with world events, other than what is posted in the National Inquirer, the news typically runs 4 times a day in the United States and CNN is on 24 hours a day.

I would think that one of the requirements to be listed on this list is that the person is well-known. I've never heard of Dennis Tito. Perhaps Judge Lance Ito would have made a better entry.