The Cirque de Soleil's founder blasted off today to claim the title of first clown in space. Guy Laliberte, who owns the planet's dominant circus brand, took his show deeper into the galaxy wearing a big red nose and singing a pop song. The Soyuz capsule took off from Kazakhstan towards the International Space Station carrying the Canadian business-clown who was accompanied by Jeffrey Williams, an American astronaut, and Maxim Surayev, a Russian cosmonaut. The spacecraft successfully shed its rocket stages and entered orbit minutes after blasting off from the Baikonur launch facility as friends and family on the ground broke into a rendition of Elton John's Rocket Man. Laliberte's presence on the mission relaxed the serious atmosphere usually seen as preparations are made for a rocket launch.
The Cirque de Soleil's founder blasted off today to claim the title of first clown in space.
Guy Laliberte, who owns the planet's dominant circus brand, took his show deeper into the galaxy wearing a big red nose and singing a pop song.
The Soyuz capsule took off from Kazakhstan towards the International Space Station carrying the Canadian business-clown who was accompanied by Jeffrey Williams, an American astronaut, and Maxim Surayev, a Russian cosmonaut.
The spacecraft successfully shed its rocket stages and entered orbit minutes after blasting off from the Baikonur launch facility as friends and family on the ground broke into a rendition of Elton John's Rocket Man. Laliberte's presence on the mission relaxed the serious atmosphere usually seen as preparations are made for a rocket launch.
