This trip has been completed.

October 5-15, 2008 with Entrepreneur-in-residence Greg Olsen With special VIP access, this program offers more than just a grown-up “space camp.”

If ever you’ve dreamed of space travel, this compelling exploration was made for you. Princeton Alumni and friends are invited to make a journey into the secret world of the Russian Space program with Princeton engineering school’s “entrepreneur-in-residence,” Greg Olsen, who was among the world’s first private citizens to become a self-funded astronaut.

On this special-access program visit the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center at “Star City.” Explore the Mir Space Station simulator and the International Space Station simulator, and, if you choose, experience a zero-G flight or float in the Neutral Buoyancy Lab. Then travel to Kazakhstan’s Baykonur Cosmodrome, the Russian space launch facility, to witness the manned launch of the Soyuz spacecraft with unparalleled access to VIP viewing areas and briefing sessions. Return to Moscow to take in the classic sights such as the Kremlin and Red Square before watching the Soyuz-Space Station docking from Mission Control Center, an event that very few have experienced in such a personal way.

About the Study Leader
Greg Olsen, the first-ever “entrepreneur-in-residence” at Princeton’s School of Engineering and Applied Science and a pioneer in the sensors industry and in space travel, will serve as study leader for this program.

Olsen went into space in October 2005 as one of the world’s first private citizens to become a self-funded astronaut. He traveled on a Russian Soyuz rocket (TMA-7) for a 10-day visit to the International Space Station where he was able to conduct experiments in remote sensing. Since then he has been devoting much of his time encouraging American students to pursue careers in science and engineering.

A graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson, he received his doctorate in materials science from the University of Virginia. He was a research scientist at the University of Port Elizabeth in South Africa and then at RCA Laboratories (now Sarnoff), where he developed a photodetector made of the exotic metals indium-gallium-arsenide. He co-founded his first company, Epitaxx, which manufactured emitters and detectors for fiber optics and later co-founded, Sensors Unlimited. He is currently President of GHO Ventures, LLC, in Princeton.

During his illustrious career as a researcher, he was awarded 12 patents, wrote more than 100 technical papers, co-authored several book chapters and has given numerous invited lectures to both technical and trade journal audiences. Olsen is an IEEE LEOS Fellow and the first recipient of the prestigious IEEE Aron Kressel Award.

Please note, we will be sharing this journey with travelers from the MIT Alumni Association.

To make reservations, fill out the form in the brochure or contact Princeton Journeys at (609) 258-8686 or journeys@princeton.edu.