Cirque du Soleil Founder Goes to Space
Lalaberte plans two-hour webcast for October 9
by Carol Pinchefsky
by Carol Pinchefsky with G.B. Leatherwood
Being the founder of the world-famous acrobatic troupe Cirque du Soleil has its benefits: free clown noses and a huge rolodex of friends to call on. And when Guy Laliberte, ringmaster of the Cirque du Soleil, launched toward the International Space Station
(
ISS) today with the crew of the Expedition 21 (Russian cosmonaut Maxsim Surayev and NASA
astronaut Jeffrey Williams), he brought both of them with him.
The clown nose he wore to the launch. And as for his friends, which include the pop group U2, singer Shakira, and former US vice president Al Gore, they will join him for an online event on October 9, 2009, at 8 pm EST (simulcast in 14 cities around the world).
When not running the circus, Laliberte is also the founder of the One Drop Foundation, a foundation dedicated to raising awareness about the critical importance of water and the need for access by water-poor countries. And he’s using the ISS as a intermediary Big Top for his two-hour broadcast.
Although Space Adventures, who brokered the flight, and the One Drop Foundation haven’t set a schedule for the event, knowing Laliberte and his flair for the dramatic—after all, he created the modern circus—it should be an experience worth sharing.
According to the Space Adventures press release, Laliberte said, “Traveling has always been my way of life and I have been researching the possibilities of space travel with Space Adventures since 2004. But I needed it to be the right time and for the right purpose. This is the time. And the purpose is clear: to raise awareness on water issues to humankind on planet earth,” said Laliberté. “My mission is dedicated to making a difference on this vital resource by using what I know best: artistry. This will be the first poetic social mission in space.”
You can follow Laliberte's adventures through www.onedrop.org.
Being the founder of the world-famous acrobatic troupe Cirque du Soleil has its benefits: free clown noses and a huge rolodex of friends to call on. And when Guy Laliberte, ringmaster of the Cirque du Soleil, launched toward the International Space Station
(
ISS) today with the crew of the Expedition 21 (Russian cosmonaut Maxsim Surayev and NASA astronaut Jeffrey Williams), he brought both of them with him. The clown nose he wore to the launch. And as for his friends, which include the pop group U2, singer Shakira, and former US vice president Al Gore, they will join him for an online event on October 9, 2009, at 8 pm EST (simulcast in 14 cities around the world).
When not running the circus, Laliberte is also the founder of the One Drop Foundation, a foundation dedicated to raising awareness about the critical importance of water and the need for access by water-poor countries. And he’s using the ISS
as a intermediary Big Top for his two-hour broadcast. Although Space Adventures
, who brokered the flight, and the One Drop Foundation haven’t set a schedule for the event, knowing Laliberte and his flair for the dramatic—after all, he created the modern circus—it should be an experience worth sharing. According to the Space Adventures
press release, Laliberte said, “Traveling has always been my way of life and I have been researching the possibilities of space travel with Space Adventures since 2004. But I needed it to be the right time and for the right purpose. This is the time. And the purpose is clear: to raise awareness on water issues to humankind on planet earth,” said Laliberté. “My mission is dedicated to making a difference on this vital resource by using what I know best: artistry. This will be the first poetic social mission in space.” You can follow Laliberte's adventures through www.onedrop.org.
