Charles Simonyi is the co-founder of Intentional Software, a company devoted to creating products based on "intentional programming" or source code which reflects the precise intention of the programmer. Simonyi made his billion-dollar fortune by developing Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel while working for the computer giant between 1981 and 2002. Simonyi has flown to the International Space Station twice, in 2007 and 2009, as a tourist after paying for the privilege.

On March 26, 2009, Simonyi launched into space, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, on the Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft for his second paid space tourism flight, again destined for the International Space Station. The list price for a seat on a Soyuz rocket is said to be $35 million.The New York Times: Russian Rocket Carries Space Tourist

• 1948: Born in Budapest, Hungary
• 1968: Moves to United States to attend UC Berkeley
• 1981: Hired by Microsoft
• 1980s Oversees development of Word and Excel while at Microsoft
• 2002: Leaves Microsoft to co-found Intentional Software
• 2007: Became 5th space tourist; flies to International Space Station
• 2009: Made second space tourism trip; again to International Space Station

• Current Project:
  • President and CEO: Intentional Software

• Past Projects:
  • Head of application software group: Microsoft
  • Developer: Xerox PARC