'NSYNC star wants to travel N'Space

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Rock star Lance Bass is hoping to top his upcoming Olympic performance with a little vacation at the end of the year. The 22-year-old singer with the boy-band 'NSYNC wants to go in space.

"We're in negotiations," said MirCorp spokesman Jeff Lenorovitz.

MirCorp, which once set its sights on commercial operations of Russia's old Mir space station, was involved in brokering the flight of the world's first space tourist, Dennis Tito, last year. A second space vacationer, Mark Shuttleworth, is scheduled to fly in April.

So far and for the foreseeable future, the only road to space for non-professional astronauts is provided through the Russian Space Agency, which flies two missions a year to the International Space Station to ferry a replacement Soyuz capsule, which serves as the station's crew-emergency escape ship.

Two cosmonauts fly the Soyuz and a third seat is available for researchers or paying customers. Tito paid about $20 million for his ride; Shuttleworth has said his flight is costing about $5 million more because he wants to conduct some experiments while aboard the station.

Bass, a native of Laurel, Miss., now lives in Orlando and is working with Los Angeles-based media company Destiny Productions to arrange the trip.

'NSYNC is scheduled to perform at the closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics and Destiny Productions officials say he may talk about his planned vacation during the performance.

If Bass passes all medical tests and is deemed flight-worthy, the launch would be targeted for November.

Eric Anderson, president of Arlington, Va.-based Space Adventures, a private travel company involved in both Tito's and Shuttleworth's flights, said about a half-dozen more people are waiting in the wings for available flights.