Space Traveler Lands

By Stephen M. Silverman

03/27/1998 at 12:00 AM EST

California financier Dennis Tito, 60, ended the world's first paid space vacation on Sunday with a fast and fiery descent to earth and an upbeat assessment of his eight-day, $20 million adventure: "It was perfect," he said. "It was paradise." Tito and two Russian cosmonauts aboard the Soyuz capsule landed successfully in Central Asia after their long journey to and from the international space station -- a trip that NASA had preferred Tito not make due to his amateur status. Yet Tito said the Americans should make themselves aware of the potential of space vacations. "They might not know it," said the tycoon, "but this is the best thing that's happened for NASA."