Cosmonaut wannabe can't raise the cash

Lance Bass, a member of the popular singing group 'N Sync, should have stuck to entertainment.

Instead, he ventured into the unfamiliar world of cosmonauts, training to be the youngest space traveler and take a Russian Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station.

But his sponsors didn't come up with the $20 million fee, so the Russian Space Agency sent him home to the United States with a bill for his training and accommodations.

Some fans are bowing their heads in disappointment for the 23-year-old singer, but they should be shaking their heads in disgust.

Bass is old enough to take responsibility for his bills. The American spent two months in training, and being booted from the program is an embarrassment to this nation.

One has to wonder whether he ever intended to leave the stratosphere. Maybe he just wanted to boost his career that high.

Do we hear a solo album?