--- title: "NSYNC’s Lance Bass Says When He Tried to Go to Space, Russian Agents Menaced Him" description: "In a new interview with Ars Technica, former NSYNC singer Lance Bass recalled how he was held at gunpoint by Russian officials after trying to get to space." date: "2023-02-22" modified: "2023-02-22" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nsync-lance-bass-space-russia" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "international space station" - "Russia" - "the digest" --- # NSYNC’s Lance Bass Says When He Tried to Go to Space, Russian Agents Menaced Him ![In a new interview with Ars Technica, former NSYNC singer Lance Bass recalled how he was held at gunpoint by Russian officials after trying to get to space.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Strings Attached In a wild new [interview with *Ars Technica*](), Lance Bass, a former member of the world-famous boy band NSYNC, recalled how he was held at gunpoint by Russian officials after trying to come up with $20 million in financing to travel to space aboard a Soyuz spacecraft back in 2002. At the time, the 23-year-old singer was meant to spend ten days on board the International Space Station alongside two cosmonauts. Bass spent four months training for the journey in Russia, including Russian lessons and plenty of complex astronaut procedures, and even went as far as to have surgery to fix an irregular heartbeat in preparation for the adventure. ## It's Not Gonna Be Me But coming up with $20 million ended up being a huge challenge. "There were a lot of problems with Russia and Hollywood in trying to make this happen," Bass told *Ars*. "There were even a couple of weekends that I would get kicked off the base in Russia. They would put a gun to my head and be like, 'Where's the money? Where's the money?'" Bass, of course, never ended up going to space, despite being obsessed with the idea since an early age. But the bass singer hasn't given up on his dream and has joined the National Space Society's board of governors, according to *Ars*. Instead of going on a suborbital "[fun rollercoaster ride]()" with the likes of Virgin Orbit or Blue Origin, Bass wants to actually spend time in orbit, conducting research. Bass is also the host of a new eight-part podcast series called "[The Last Soviet]()," detailing the journey of cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, who experienced the fall of the Soviet Union while on board the country's Mir space station. We wish the singer the best of luck in his future space endeavors. Perhaps, one day, he'll finally make it into orbit. **READ MORE:** [Lance Bass was kicked off a Russian spaceflight two decades ago—now he’s back]() \[*Ars Technica*\] **More on Russia:** *[Another Russian Spacecraft Docked to the ISS Just Sprang a Leak]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()