Space-lottery idea in Florida gets squashed

By The Associated Press

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Lottery players don't want the moon and the stars — just the money, Florida officials decided in rejecting a proposal to offer spaceflight as a big prize.

The idea of winning a ride on a Soyuz spacecraft to the international space station didn't appeal to lottery players, Bob Nave, chief of staff of the Florida Lottery, said yesterday. "It was an intriguing enough concept to present to our focus groups ... but people like to win cash."

The space-lottery idea had been championed by Space Adventures, an Arlington, Va.-based company that has a contract with the Russian space agency for two seats on a Soyuz.

Gov. Jeb Bush called the idea interesting but outside of the lottery's mission. "For the lottery to be successful, I think they need to stay focused on the fundamentals," he said yesterday in Orlando.

Winston Scott, executive director of the Florida Space Authority, said he was pleasantly surprised that Lottery Secretary Rebecca Mattingly didn't reject the idea immediately.

"It was quite an open-minded reaction," Scott said. "She wanted more data. She wanted her people to conduct their own surveys and data."

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