Richard Garriot, son of NASA astronaut Owen Garriot, the creator of some famous RPG games like Tabula Rasa or Quest of The Avatar will be reaching for the stars, literally, in a couple of days. Garriot invested $30 million in this trip to space and by doing so he gets the chance to see his teenage dreams finally come true. On Sunday he will board the Soyuz spacecraft along with astronauts Yuri Lonchakov and Michael Frinke with whom he will spend 12 days aboard the International Space Station.

On his stay there, the famous game developer will assist and contribute to research and several other experiments. He will participate in studies concerning the effect of space flight on the human immune system, the effects of space flight on sleeping patterns and the impact of high and low pressure levels on the eyes. Richard Garriot knows how to never give up as he was previously told that his poor eyesight instantly disqualifies him as an astronaut. Some time later and with millions of dollars wealthier, Richard Garriot proves that anything is possible as long as you keep the dream alive. This unusual trip shows a glimpse of what space travel can become somewhere in the future: public transportation.

Garriot is planning to retrace his father’s steps as an astronaut, making pictures of the same sights as his father did almost 35 years ago. These pictures will show the dramatic changes in climate that occurred since then and will provide the Garriots with something to think about. Owen Garriot will travel to Russia to morally support his son when he will be launched into outer space. We can only hope that sometime in the future space travel will be as affordable and as necessary as today’s plane travel. This is really something to dream about.