Posted: Thu, Aug 15, 2002, 2:03 PM ET (1803 GMT)
The Russian space agency Rosaviakosmos has suspended the training would-be space tourist Lance Bass had been undergoing because of a lack of funding, according to media reports. Rosaviakosmos officials said that they stopped Bass from continuing his training because his backers failed to provide a scheduled payment that is part of the estimated $20-million fee for the flight. David Krieff, the producer rounding up the sponsorship needed to pay for the flight, had said earlier in the week that money had been wired to Moscow to allow Bass to continue to train, but he told MSNBC on Wednesday that the transfer had been halted because some contract issues had not been completely addressed. SPACE.com reported that while Bass will not be allowed to participate in simulations and training at Star City, he is remaining in Moscow and continues to study documentation related to the flight. Bass is still expected to travel to Houston later this month with the rest of the Soyuz taxi flight crew for a week of training at the Johnson Space Center. However, any significant break in his training regime could prevent him from being ready in time for the October flight.

Related Links:

•  AFP article
•  SPACE.com article
•  MSNBC article