Mir Crew’s Far-Out Shopping Spree
Circling 200 miles above Earth, Russian cosmonauts on the Mir space station went on a holiday shopping spree--in Manhattan.
Commander Anatoly Solovev and flight engineer Pavel Vinogradov used credit cards and an Internet service to buy gifts, including Barbie dolls, Chicago Bulls sportswear and computers.
“The opportunity to personally select holiday gifts myself brings our loved ones closer and is especially meaningful to us,” Vinogradov said in a statement issued by Virtual Emporium, the company that arranged the online spree.
“And it is much better than shopping on a cold Moscow day.”
The order from space was received Thursday at Virtual Emporium’s store in Manhattan. Visa credit card accounts were set up for them to place nearly $7,500 in orders.
But for many retailers, the cosmonauts’ money was no good; most are giving them the loot, writing it off as a sales promotion.
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