A picture worth $60 million

Here is a picture of Mr. Charles Simonyi, a Hungarian-American computer software executive who, as head of Microsoft’s application software group, oversaw the creation of Microsoft’s flagship office applications.

In April 2007, aboard Soyuz TMA-10, he became the fifth space tourist and the second Hungarian in space. In March 2009, aboard Soyuz TMA-14, he made a second trip to the International Space Station. His estimated net worth is US$1 billion. He is also a philanthropist. (Source: Wiki)

Leading philanthropist and pioneering space tourist Charles Simonyi took along Lifestyles Magazine on his second historic visit to the International Space Station.

His two space journeys were apparently well worth the $60 million-plus he’s paid to travel to the great beyond–Simonyi’s space travels have been the culmination of a childhood dream.

While orbiting Earth earlier this spring, Simonyi placed a (very) longdistance telephone call to Lifestyles Magazine founder Gabriel Erem from aboard the International Space Station to express his appreciation for his recent Lifestyles Magazine cover story—and as a gesture of his appreciation, upon landing, Simonyi presented his friend with a special gift: a photograph taken of Simonyi in the shuttle’s cabin, holding his Lifestyles cover portrait, the Earth a glowing blue orb as his backdrop.

While floating some 240 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth’s surface and traveling in orbit at a speed of 17,500 miles per hour (that’s about 5 miles per second!) the International Space Station has recently received a very special delivery. Lifestyles Magazine became the ONLY publication in history, that was delivered to the International Space Station by a subscriber.

To mark this historic milestone, the cover of Lifestyles Magazine, featuring the world’s only multiple space tourist was affixed with the postmark of the venerable International Space Station.

On the left is a picture from my photo shoot a few years for the cover of Lifestyles Magazine – On the right is my long time friend and founder of Lifestyles Magazine Gabriel Erem and Academy Award winning actor Michael Douglas at a charity event for the late actor Christopher Reeves.