The love for space in general, and space travel in particular, is something one might expect to see transcending though generations, and the Garriott family is a proof of that. Video game designer Richard Allen Garriott, the son of STS-9 U.S. astronaut Owen Garriott, embarked on the journey of a lifetime aboard the Russian Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft, which will take him to the International Space Station.

The $30 million trip makes Richard Garriott the sixth tourist to travel into space, and the first American tourist to follow the footsteps of his father in a “non-conventional” way. With the help of Space Adventures, the company that provides private human space missions, Garriott is now on route to the International Space Station, where he will dock on October 14.

Space Adventures is a unique company that offers the experience of a lifetime to regular people around the world: a journey into space. By regular we mean of course people able to sustain such a journey, which now costs around $30 million.

Garriott joined the Expedition 18 crew at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for launch, after completing the mandatory training program at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia.

“Today, my dream of following in my father’s footsteps to explore new frontiers is being realized, “Richard Garriot said, according to Space Adventures. “Throughout my life, my sense of adventure has taken me to the ends of the Earth to embark on journeys few people have encountered. It’s with honor and appreciation that I launch on my greatest adventure yet, and step into a role assumed by only five private individuals before me,” Garriott added.

The 47-year old space adventurer will not only get the opportunity to see the International Space Station, but he will also take part in several activities, including scientific research. Space Adventures revealed that Garriott will be involved in a series of experiments meant to study the impact of spaceflight on astronauts, as well as in scientific observations on the reactions of the eyes to low and high pressure in a microgravity environment.

In addition to that, Garriott will also take part in a series of tests on the effects of spaceflight on human immune system, on astronauts’ sleep and wake patterns, as well as in the study of early detection of osteoporosis, or the occurrence of lower back pain, and much more.

As Garriott pointed out, this flight is not only about scientific and environmental research, it is also about the educational outreach of this journey, which he says could inspire students by showing them how far dreams can take them.

Richard Garriott, and adventurer on Earth and in space, will attempt to make his staying aboard the International Space Station as useful as possible, by contributing with new images from space of North America, Asia and South America to the extent of conservation awareness on Earth. And just like his father’s photos, Richard Garriott’s photos will serve as a conservation base for human actions on our planet.

Space travel has now turned into a worldwide phenomenon, as millionaires across the globe embark on a journey worth millions. Next spring, it will be Charles Simonyi’s turn to reach the International Space Station, and some day, Space Adventures investor Esther Dyson, who announced will train as a back-up crew member alongside Simonyi to become a “fully trained cosmonaut,” perhaps will embark herself in a space journey.