Russian space officials sent a letter to their partners today, announcing that astronaut candidate, and ‘N Sync member, Lance Bass was kicked off October’s Soyuz mission to the International Space Station. Apparently the sponsors for the trip were unable to raise the $20 million required to finance the mission, so the Russians finally pulled the plug. Of course, the trip promoters are optimistic; if they can find a sponsor for the trip, and convince Russian officials that Bass can still sneak on board then maybe, just maybe, the 23 year old singer will get his shot into space. (MSNBC story)