Dennis Tito, the first space traveler to pay his own way, will speak at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum on Saturday, Jan. 26, at 8 p.m. in the Langley IMAX® Theater.

A businessman and former aerospace engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Tito, 61, traveled last spring to the International Space Station as part of a Russian Soyuz taxi crew on an eight-day mission.

The chief executive officer of Wilshire Associates Inc., Tito has described the trip as "the greatest experience of my life" and the fulfillment of a boyhood dream. His flight captured the public's imagination and was seen as a model for future space tourism.

The lecture is sponsored by the European Aeronautic, Defense and Space Company (EADS) and presented by the museum's National Air and Space Society. Admission is free but tickets are required. They may be obtained through the Society's Web site or by calling the Society's membership office at (202) 357-3762.

Tito's appearance is another special event in the Air and Space Museum's yearlong 25th anniversary celebration, which began July 1.