Sarah Brightman plans on upcoming space journey

Sarah Brightman plans to become first recording artist in space with upcoming trip to the ISS

Associated Press
Sarah Brightman plans on upcoming space journey

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FILE - This April 15, 2013 file photo shows actress and musician Sarah Brightman in New York. Brightman plans on becoming the first recording artist to venture into space en route for the International Space Station sometime in the next two years. (Photo by Dan Hallman/Invision/AP, File)

NEW YORK (AP) -- If you called Sarah Brightman a space cadet, it would probably make her smile.



"I was very lucky and privileged to be living in that time to see that actually happen on a black-and-white TV screen and it changed many of us. I don't think there's been anything to date that was like that," Brightman said.

Since then, she's wanted to go to the moon. Clearly, a firm believer in "her reach must far exceed her grasp," Brightman set her sights on a trip to the ISS.

"It looks as if a special journey into space will be happening for me in a couple of years," said Brightman (she declined to say how much the trip will cost).


"You look at Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon,' even if there was nothing specific about space, the fact that it was called what it was and the feeling of the music was definitely inspired," said Brightman. "David Bowie (too). It goes on and on."

She's gone through a battery of diagnostic tests to see if she's "space-worthy."


The intense evaluation was unlike anything she had ever done.

"They put you on something called the rotating chair and basically it's to test you for motion sickness," Brightman said.


"You have to really focus. It's very important not to pass out. They're looking at a person spinning around in a chair going in different directions. It looks incredibly simple but that actually was the hardest for me," she said.

The International Space Station is a joint project among five participating space agencies including NASA and the Russian space agency. The habitable satellite resides in Earth's lower orbit and has a wingspan approximately the size of an American football field. Since its 1998 launch, it has hosted more than 125 missions.


Brightman, 52, is best known for originating the role of Christine in both the London and Broadway casts of "The Phantom of the Opera." She was married to the musical's composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Her latest album, "Dreamcatcher," was inspired by wanting to journey into space. She covers songs about the heavens, including "Angel" and "Venus and Mars."

"It's given me a beautiful theme to work with, a beautiful palate to work with and it's been an incredibly creative time," said Brightman.

She's promoting the album with a world tour.


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