The man who plans to become the first circus clown in space, and who may be among the last of the space tourists, was greeted by raucous crowds of friends and family as he blasted off for the International Space Station. Guy Laliberte and two other astronauts were cheered outside their hotel in the Central Asian steppes by supporters, many singing songs and wearing red clown noses. As Laliberte emerged from a Baikonur Cosmodrome facility where last-minute suit pressure checks are performed, he put on a bulbous red clown nose blew kisses to supporters and held both hands over his heart in a mime's show of affection. Laliberte, is the Canadian billionaire who founded Cirque du Soleil.
