Rensselaer Alumnus and First Space Tourist Working on Mars Project

Rensselaer Alumni in Space

Dennis A. Tito ('64 M.S. Engineering Science), founder and CEO of Wilshire Associates, Inc., became the world's first space tourist, traveling aboard a Soyuz spacecraft with a Russian crew to the International Space Station (ISS) in April 2001. Tito paid close to $20 million for a seat on the spacecraft. He spent two weeks in space during late April and early May, including a stay on the ISS. As a graduate student, Tito worked at United Aircraft in Windsor Locks while studying in the aerospace program.

Tito has founded a new nonprofit called the Inspiration Mars Foundation, with a plan to launch a manned Mars flyby mission in 2018. The announcement has generated a lot of excitement. Read more about it and watch interviews with Tito at:

http://www.space.com/19981-private-mars-mission-married-2018.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feedutm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29

http://www.space.com/19983-private-mars-mission-dennis-tito-interview.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/inspiration-mars-dennis-tito-millionaire-space-tourist-announces/story?id=18610223

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/video/inspiration-mars-sending-married-couple-red-planet-18609841

Birthday Wishes to Rensselaer Alum George Ferris, a Google Doodle, and an Interesting Article about the Inventor

Happy Birthday to Rensselaer alumnus and Hall of Fame member, George W.G. Ferris, who designed the original Ferris wheel! Learn more about his induction into RPI's Alumni Hall of Fame: http://www.rpi.edu/about/alumni/inductees/ferris.html.

Google celebrates with a two-in-one doodle today. Read more about Google's homage to the inventor in this fascinating article: http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/2013/0214/George-Ferris-How-a-farmer-s-son-invented-the-best-ride-on-Earth

President Jackson Interviewed in the Financial Times about "Big Data"

Please see the article:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/ff439394-6a73-11e2-a7d2-00144feab49a.html#axzz2JxwZlo1i