Circus magnate returns safely from space
- 00:00:48
- ITN
Circus magnate returns safely from space
Circus billionaire Guy Laliberte returned to Earth on Sunday wearing his trademark clown's red nose, landing as planned in Kazakhstan after a landmark space performance to highlight water shortage problems. A Russian Soyuz space capsule carrying the Canadian Laliberte and a Russian-American crew touched down in the vast steppe near Arkalyk in northern Kazakhstan. Mr Laliberte, a former fire-breather and founder of the Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil, spent just under two weeks in space. The 50-year-old, who is worth an estimated $2.5 billion (£1.57 billion) and was reported to have paid more than $35 million (£22 million) to become Earth's seventh space tourist, entertained the crew of the International Space Station and hosted a show from the space outpost. The show, aimed at highlighting the scarcity of clean water for people in many parts of the world, involved singers, dancers and celebrities in 14 cities around the world. Organisers called the Moving Stars and Earth for Water spectacle the first of its kind to be hosted from space. Mr Laliberte, who referred to himself as the "first clown in space", was accompanied by Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka and US Flight Engineer Michael Barratt, whose space odyssey lasted for more than half a year. During the space show, Irish singer Bono chatted with Mr Laliberte from a U2 concert in Florida, while Cirque du Soleil acrobats gave water-themed performances from Montreal and Las Vegas.
ITN | October 11, 2009
