"We need to be adventurous in mind and stimulate our intellects to answer today's most daunting scientific questions and to invent tomorrow's technological marvels," said Garriott, creator of the popular Ultima Online computer game.

Garriott has already begun training for the flight, which is scheduled for October 2008, Space Adventures said in a statement.

"It has always been Space Adventures' goal to open the space frontier. Now we have designed a series of missions devoted to increase commercial involvement in manned space stations," the company's president Eric Anderson was quoted as saying.

The spaceflight's first commercial partner would be ExtremoZyme Inc., a biotechnology company founded by Garriott's father Owen, which plans to conduct experiments in space on proteins associated with human diseases.

Richard Garriott's desire to reach for the stars came as no surprise to his father.

"Because of my career, it was almost natural for Richard to be interested in space and exploration. I am so pleased that he is able to embrace this himself and that he is dedicating his flight to research, I am very proud of him," Owen Garriott was quoted as saying.

Richard Garriott, who is also co-founder of the North American branch of NCSoft, the world's largest online game developer, will post details of his training and flight on his website, in a bid to "involve as many people as possible in my mission."

Garriott will be the sixth space tourist, following Dennis Tito, Mark Shuttleworth, Greg Olsen, Anousheh Ansari and Charles Simonyi.

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