SPACE COWBOY

Lance Bass: Russians ‘Put a Gun to My Head’ Over Spaceflight Money

The former NSYNC singer spoke out over 20 years after his ill-fated attempt to travel to space.

Former NSYNC member Lance Bass has revealed dramatic details about the argument that led the Russian Space Agency to say “Bye Bye Bye” to his chances of going to the International Space Station. In an interview with Ars Technica promoting his new space-themed podcast The Last Soviet, Bass said that negotiations between Russia and the Hollywood filmmakers who were financing his trip broke down just days before the planned October 2002 launch. Bass recalled multiple instances during his four months of training at a base in Star City when Russians would kick him out, angered over apparently not having received their almost $20 million fee. “They would put a gun to my head and be like, ‘Where’s the money? Where’s the money?’” the ex-boy bander recalled. “It was crushing.” Bass never ended up going to space; at the time, Billboard reported that his place aboard the Soyuz rocket was taken by a cargo container that matched his weight.