...the billionaire, Sir Richard Branson [surprise surprise],
and the near billionare, American Steve Fossett.

It's no surprise that Russia still has the capability to send men [or women]
to do a figure-eight ciscalunar trajectory around Luna and return.
Their Soyuz was originally meant to be designed for just such a mission;
and their Proton boosters could, and still could, send such a mission
to the moon....They almost went for it in December 1968, before Apollo 8,
but chickened out.

100 million dollars to send two paying passenger-cosmonauts [poluchnae passadjeer cosmonauti] to the moon?
Hmmmm...Didn't I send a letter to Yuri Koptev [in Cyrillic] at RKA, 5 years ago, suggesting
something similar?....He finally got around to reading it, so it appears.

Let's see how far this suggestion pans out.

cheers.

Jacob

"I like your idea, now I take credit for it. Who are you?" Old Russian Proverb