Astronaut for Hire

Astronaut Candidate application submitted

2012-01-26T08:18:00.000-10:00

It's done. I've tossed my name in the hopper for consideration as a 2013 NASA Astronaut Candidate. I wish all applicants the best of luck.

While we're all awaiting NASA's decision, check out the following video on astronaut selection and training by friend of this blog Astronaut Jack Fischer, who was selected by NASA in 2009.

T Minus 10 Days

2012-01-17T20:09:00.002-10:00

While polishing my 2013 NASA Astronaut Candidate application, I noticed the space agency had posted a new astronaut recruitment video plugging the current application opportunity. Enjoy!

"Your spaceflight experience begins right here, right now." -- NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden

There are only 10 days left until the January 27 deadline. Good luck to one and all!

Astronaut Advancement

2012-01-01T12:00:00.000-10:00

New years are always time of thoughtful backward reflection and optimistic forward projection. January 2012 will be an active time for astronaut hopefuls in the US as we prepare our NASA applications. The past four years have certainly been a busy time for me. Listed below are some of the things I've done since submitting the 2008 application:

gained 4 more years of operational experience at the NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, including the Samoa 2009, Chile 2010, and Japan 2011 events;
participated in the FMARS-12 analog Mars expedition to Devon Island;
commanded the MDRS-89 analog Mars mission in Utah;
co-founded Astronauts4Hire;
completed my MS degree in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota;
voyaged across the Pacific Ocean and mapped the seafloor aboard the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer;
completed Dunker and Sea Survival Training at Survival Systems USA;
completed Suborbital Scientist Training at The NASTAR Center;
obtained a space motion sickness assessment from the Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory;
completed Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver SCUBA training (working on Master Diver now);
selected as an aquanaut crewmember for the 2013 Atlantica I Expedition;
received lots of media coverage; and
doubled my duties as a father.

Other advancements I plan to make by May 2012 include completing NOAA Scientific Diver certification, earning my Private Pilot license, and participating in my first microgravity research flight. Without all of the experiences listed above, I made it to the Highly Qualified stage of the astronaut selection process during NASA's last opportunity in 2008. The question is will the added skills I have gained in the past four years help me reach at least the interview stage this time? We shall see! Either way, I've grown a great deal and had a lot of fun along the way.

I wish all 2012 applicants the best of luck. Getting to know many of you over the past four years has been a true privilege. For some tips, you may want to see the notes from the recent webinar with Duane Ross.

Happy New Year (Hau'oli Makahiki Hou)!

'Moon' is not a 4-letter word

2011-12-01T09:54:00.000-10:00

What is the most innovative and sustainable way to approach space research, education, and commerce beyond low Earth orbit? Those were the themes of the recent International Lunar Research Park (ILRP) Leader's Summit, which I had the privilege of attending thanks to generous support provided by the Silicon Valley Space Club and State of Hawaii. While last year's meeting dealt with identifying the "what", this year's meeting focused on the "how" aspects of those themes in the context of a research park. Developed first as a terrestrial prototype in Hawaii, this research park could later expand to the Moon. You can learn all about the concept on the ILRP website, the April 2011 ILRP Exploratory Workshop website, or Bruce Pittman's Fall 2011 Ad Astra article titled "Been There...Never Done This!".

Ever since Obama quipped, "We've been there before" in reference to the Moon during his April 2010 speech cancelling the NASA Constellation Program, the lunar research and exploration community has been scrambling to erase the notion that the Moon is a 'been there, done that' kind of world. It's no secret that I'm a big fan of getting humans to Mars as soon as possible and perhaps even eventually terraforming it, but ever since I attended the Lunar Science Forum last year I've gained a greater appreciation for the added value of a more integrated exploration strategy involving both the Moon and Mars. While this reasonable idea is favored by many, it is not currently in political favor, and therefore NASA suffers from having an unclear direction. Addressing this concern, "The 'Moon' is not a 4-letter word," became one of the most memorable mantras for the ILRP summit (kudos to Bob Richards for thinking of it).

Frank Schowengerdt kicked off the summit with an overview of the ILRP concept as an international public-private research park consortium based in Hilo, Hawaii utilizing the PICSES field site on the flank of Mauna Kea. Over a period of years, this would lead to a lunar "robotic village" and a permanent human outpost on the Moon. Benefits would be many and include STEM education, commercial opportunities, high tech jobs, resource/energy conservation technology spin-offs, etc.

"The ILRP could become the largest peaceful, cooperative international endeavor in the history of the world." -- Dr. Frank Schowengerdt

Michael Marlaire then briefed attendees on the great success of the NASA Research Park (NRP) located at NASA Ames in the heart of Silicon Valley. The NRP began in 1998 and now has over 80 partners, the largest of which is Google. It has produced many economic benefits and spawned a host of successful startups like Tibion, Apprion, Bloom Energy, Nanostellar, Benetech, SkyTran, and The National Disaster Resiliency Center. Two National Research Council reports in 2001 and 2009 feature the NRP. The basic idea is that the ILRP could be a NRP-like research park spurring innovation towards lunar development.

The value proposition of the ILRP was a big topic as well. We discussed the business case for extracting resources from the Moon, marketing aspects why potential customers should embrace such a plan, and what unmet consumer needs the ILRP could fill. Lynn Harper of NASA's Space Portal gave a good talk on her reasons for exploring space in the first place: 1) prevent death of our species, 2) provide warning for natural disasters, 3) medical breakthroughs improve life, 4) scientific discovery, 5) promote safety, 6) generate new wealth, 7) inspire and innovate, 8) education, 9) benefits always begin on earth, 10) promote peace. Video game designer Henk Rogers eloquently pointed out that "the technology we need to survive on another planet is exactly the technology we need to survive here."

Representatives from Hawaiian Airlines, Boeing, NORCAT, Google, and others also spoke on the spin-off potential for innovation with manufacturing, sustainability, and educational opportunities. Dan Rasky and others argued for the potential of adventure tourism to advance the ILRP terrestrial prototype business case too. The common theme was that extraordinary endeavors tend to yield extraordinary solutions with benefits that far outweigh expectations. Finally, we discussed the need for and benefits of strong strategic alliances with the local Hawaiian community. After all, one can argue that colonizing space is really just an extension of the seafaring Polynesian culture.

The single biggest technical driver for the ILRP is in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), and there were many sessions at the conference devoted to this subject. NASA's ISRU Managers Jerry Sanders and Bill Larson spoke on the importance of analog field testing to prepare for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit. One can only develop technologies in the laboratory so far, which is why testing in remote, stressful field environments is so critical. Sanders contrasted the difference between mission-based analogs like Desert RATS, NEEMO, or Pavilion Lake and hardware-based analogs like that done at Hawaii's PISCES field site.

Larson described how the PISCES site fulfills all of the requirements for a good analog test site in terms of geology, weather, infrastructure, and support. Past field campaigns in 2008 and 2010 (pictured above) yielded a wealth of information that has led to the near-closing of the ISRU loop. The next installment is set for summer 2012, which will be a lunar polar mission dress rehearsal with a possible Mars ISRU power/propulsion demonstration. I later gave a presentation in a breakout session on ways to merge mission- and hardware-based analog test scenarios together at the PISCES site based on my experiences at FMARS and MDRS. Rob Kelso summed up the ISRU drivers in his keynote address on the need for a systems of systems approach to develop the necessary interoperability standards and interfaces needed to live off the land on the Moon or Mars. Once these technologies are tested on Earth, they will be taken to the Moon, initially via robotic and teleoperated systems.

Spurred by the Google Lunar X PRIZE (GLXP), a fleet of robots will descend upon the lunar surface within the next few years. Alex Hall, who leads the GLXP as its Senior Director, briefed us on the progress of GLXP teams as they scramble to win the prize before it expires at the end of 2015. Discussions centered around ways these robots can work together to establish the lunar robotic village envisioned by the ILRP. In his talk, Clive Neal discussed having some standard scientific payloads that GLXP landers could carry such as seismometers - a subject very near and dear to my heart. The Shackleton Energy Company presented their ambitious plans to land humans on the moon by 2019 with zero government funding and to establish a propellant depot there by 2020. Alan Stern (pictured left) of the GLXP team Moon Express gave a keynote address on today's new commercially and scientifically driven paradigm for lunar exploration.

All-in-all, this year's ILRP summit was a worthwhile experience that I am thankful to have had. While much work lies ahead, I am confident that the tide towards a balanced exploration approach including both the Moon and Mars will prevail. While NASA has demonstrated a strong interest in the ILRP program, it's too soon to tell how completely the agency will back the project. That's one reason it's being developed as a multinational public-private partnership that is not reliant on any one space agency.

As a bonus, I got to meet newly minted JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui at the ILRP meeting (pictured right). He sat next to me during a technical working group session and later gave a keynote on the challenges of exploring the Moon. We had a nice conversation about his two years of ASCAN training with NASA. He had seen my FMARS/MDRS presentation and said that with that kind of experience under my belt, I should have a leg up in the astronaut application process. It's always nice to hear such compliments!

I'll leave you with a stunning 3D flyover of the Moon based on the latest lunar topographic map:

NASA Astronaut Candidate Application Period Opens

2011-11-14T22:22:00.001-10:00

If you've ever dreamed of being a NASA astronaut to live on the International Space Station and maybe one day explore a world beyond low earth orbit, now is your chance to make it happen. As expected, NASA issued a press release earlier today officially kicking off its 2011-2012 application opportunity.

All materials are due to the Astronaut Office by January 27, 2011, so I recommend wasting no time to read the Application Guide, dust off your resume, and call your references. Speaking of references, you may want to take a look at JSC Form 726 to get an idea of what kinds of questions NASA might ask them. Applications are only accepted through USAJOBS announcement #JS12A0001. See the full selection process timeline here or at at astronauts.nasa.gov. Minimum qualification requirements for 2012 applicants are the same as in 2008:

Bachelor's degree in an applicable field
3 years professional experience (or a combination of equivalent education/pilot-in-command time)
vision correctable to 20/20 (refractive surgery okay if done more than one year ago)
resting blood pressure no more than 140/90
height 62-75 inches (due to Soyuz and EVA anthropometric requirements)
U.S. citizenship

Approximately 9-15 astronaut candidate selections will be chosen and announced in spring 2013. The candidates will undergo two years of intensive training in areas of ISS systems, EVA skills, robotics skills, Russian language, and aircraft flight readiness training.

Since I began this blog in 2007 following NASA's last astronaut candidate opportunity announcement, I've been asking the question, What does it take to have the "right stuff" to be an astronaut? It's been an exciting journey exploring the topic with the world through this blog and now through the establishment of Astronauts4Hire too. I invite readers to check here often for updates as this astronaut selection process unfolds.

16 November 2011 Update:
Here is the video from the one-hour press conference announcing the NASA Class of 2013 Astronaut Candidate class application opportunity:

18 November 2011 Update:
Astronaut Candidate Selection Manager Duane Ross spoke about the 2012-2013 selection process in a recent interview for NASA TV. He mentioned they had already received 400 applications in the first three days the application period had been open. Senior astronauts with spaceflight experience conduct most of the applicant reviews. The main thing they look for in applicants is experience working with teams in a real-time, hands-on technical operational environment.

Mars500 Crew Returns to Earth

2011-11-04T00:49:00.001-10:00

Imagine giving up 520 days of your life to spend in isolation with five other people confined inside a cramped cylinder about the size of a semi trailer pretending you're on a mission to Mars. That's what the intrepid crew of the Mars500 Project just did. During the 74-weeks of their mission, which included a simulated roundtrip journey to Mars complete with a short surface excursion, the crew carried out more than 100 experiments to assess the effects of isolation on their psychological and physiological well being.

The international crew ranges from ages 27 to 38 and is comprised of three Russians (Alexey Sityev, Sukhrob Kamolov,Alexander Smoleevskiy "Siev"), two Europeans (Romain Charles of France, Diego Urbina of Italy-Colombia), and one Chinese national (Wang Yue). They "landed" on Earth at 14:00 Moscow time (10:00 GMT) today when the hatch to their sealed habitat at the Institute of Biomedical Problems (IMBP) was opened for the first time since June 3, 2010. After emerging, each crewmember gave a brief statement to the crowd of dignitaries, scientists, and the media. Seven minutes later they were whisked away for four days of medical quarantine. They will gain full freedom on November 8 following a press conference. You can watch the hatch opening video replay or learn more on ESA's website.

Throughout the virtual voyage, crewmembers kept a video diary. ESA has edited together the highlights and compressed 520 days into 15 minutes in the video below. It gives a good sense of what life was like for the mock Mars explorers and the close bond they formed. My hat's off to these dedicated marsnauts for persevering with such humor and grace. I hope this experiment leads to other higher fidelity studies to prepare us for the day when we are ready to venture to our red neighbor planet. It's even rumored that astronauts on the ISS may take a lesson from Mars500 and do an isolation experiment in orbit.

In other recent Mars news, ESA's Mars Express just completed its 10,000 orbit of the red planet, NASA's Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity is now at Cape Canaveral being readied for its November 25 launch, and Popular Mechanics gave its Lifetime Achievement Award to the twin Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity, the latter of which is still exploring after more than seven years. NASA also confirmed that it remains in the planetary exploration business, despite Robert Zubrin's alarming opinion piece in the Washington Times.

Virgin Galactic hires second pilot astronaut

2011-10-28T23:07:00.000-10:00

The age of commercial astronauts has arrived. Virgin Galactic announced yesterday that it had selected former USAF test pilot Keith Colmer as its newest commercial astronaut pilot. He was the sole person chosen from a highly competitive pool of more than 500 applicants, probably comprised mostly of test pilots and former astronauts. The press release mentions that "additional selections will be made as the company nears commercial operations," so if you're an accomplished test pilot and want to fly in space, it's time to dust off that resume.

Colmer joins David Mackay as Virgin Galactic's second astronaut pilot. Mackay began flight training on WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo earlier this year and has been designated as Virgin Galactic's chief pilot. He will pilot the first commercial suborbital spaceflight in 2013. He was tapped from a pool of several Virgin Atlantic pilots who may one day also serve as pilots in the burgeoning spaceliner fleet.

While Mackay and Colmer prepare to be the first pilots to take paying passengers into space, Scaled Composites test pilots Doug Shane, Peter Siebold, Brian Binnie, and Mike Melvill continue a program of rigorous test flights of the WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo vehicles. One of them will likely be the first to fly SpaceShipTwo on its maiden voyage into space sans passengers. Binnie and Melvill made history in 2004 when they became the world's first commercial astronauts and won the Ansari X PRIZE.

If you haven't logged enough flight hours to be test pilot material, perhaps you could qualify as a Virgin Galactic Flight Test Engineer, which presumably is analogous to an aircraft flight engineer. According to a recent press release, NASA will charter up to three research flights on SpaceShipTwo, and Virgin Galactic "will provide a Flight Test Engineer on every flight to monitor and interact with experiments as necessary." It's not clear whether this person will be one of Virgin Galactic's pilots or someone hired specifically for the role of flight test engineer.

Virgin Galactic isn't the only private spaceflight company looking for astronauts. In the orbital crew industry, SpaceX already employs former NASA astronauts Ken Bowersox and Garrett Reisman, and Boeing plans to hire some soon. It's reasonable to expect that in the next few years former astronauts will be the most attractive candidates to companies, but looking out a decade or more as the average age of NASA astronauts grows, the next generation of commercial astronauts, such as those training through Astronauts4Hire, will be ready.

An insider look at Virgin Oceanic

2011-10-21T10:41:00.000-10:00

"With space long ago reached by man, and commercial spaceflight tantalizingly close, the last great challenge for humans is to reach and explore the depths of our planet's oceans."

Sir Richard Branson made that statement shortly after announcing Virgin Oceanic earlier this year. With this week's dedication of Spaceport America and the start of NASA's latest NEEMO Mission, the seemingly unrelated topics of spaceflight and aquanauts are all abuzz on the interwebs. Nowhere do these two ideas converge better than in Virgin Oceanic. Realizing that more than 95% of the Earth's oceans are unexplored, Virgin Oceanic hopes to ignite public excitement in ocean exploration by venturing to the deepest points on Earth. In the process, we'll learn a great deal about those environments and ourselves. As submersible technology improves, this could lead to a whole new realm of possibility for humans to explore our home planet.

Today, I have the distinct privilege to share with you an exclusive interview with Virgin Oceanic's Operations Manager Eddie Kisfaludy, who recently returned from testing Virgin Oceanic's "Deep Flight" submarine with Branson and some great white sharks near Guadalupe Island, Mexico.

1. What is the mission of Virgin Oceanic both short term and longer term?

Kisfaludy: The short term goals of Virgin Oceanic (VO) are to get the world excited about exploring the deep sea. I think it would be great for VO to ultimately make the deep sea more accessible to people, not just robotic instruments. Perhaps looking at what Sir Richard has done with space travel may be of some indication. We are taking things one step at a time, conquering challenges as we go, and building on those successes one challenge at a time. Working in the ocean is uniquely challenging, but we have a great team to make it possible and hopefully achieve feats never before acomplished. Recent advances in technology and composite materials are making the deep sea more available than in decades past.

2. What is your background and what drives you to explore?

Kisfaludy: I grew up studying marine biology, oceanography, and aviation, with a fascination for engineering and how things work. My childhood revolved around ocean activities, but it wasn't until later in life that I had the money and time to get serious about pursuing my passion for aviation. I have logged over 2000 days at sea and have lead 800 oceanographic excursions around the world doing everything from diving for new biological species, deploying and recovering massive amounts of marine instrumentation, and occasional appearances on natural history TV programming. I was the senior curator of field operations and marine biological collector at Scripps Institution of Oceanography UCSD for 10 years, founding director of the Scientific Boating Safety Association, American Academy of Underwater Sciences SCUBA diver/board member, ROV pilot, licensed U.S. Coast Guard Captain, and FAA Certified Flight Instructor with suborbital astronaut training experience at NASTAR and AGSOL as an associate member of Astronauts for Hire.

3. How did you get involved with Virgin Oceanic and what is your job?

Kisfaludy: VO co-founder Chris Welsh discovered me when I was working at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and thought my background running their nearshore marine operations would make a valuable contribution to his mission. I started working with him on a project called the Five Dives Expedition before Virgin even entered the picture. It's been an interesting ride so far, especially with the Virgin partnership.

4. Which of Virgin Oceanic's scientific or geographic investigations excite you the most?

Kisfaludy: Getting the world excited about exploring the deep sea is what really drives me and is the main reason why I am part of VO. The oceans have been neglected so badly that it'll take someone like VO to do something sensational and grab the world's attention. People need to be inspired - passionately inspired, and that only comes from intimate involvement. The Apollo team did it for the moon; hopefully we can do it for the deep sea.

5. How does overcoming the challenges of deep ocean exploration help space exploration and vice versa?

Kisfaludy: It really is two different worlds, sea and space. The ocean can be a nasty, corrosive, unforgiving, unpredictable, hostile environment with many mysterious unknowns that sometimes catch you off guard logistically. Space is far more predictable in an extremely stable environment. Space exploration is focused on technology and systems whereas Virgin Oceanic submarine operations deal with the system challenges along with dynamic environmental conditions like swell, wind, cold, heat, extreme pressures, seclusion, motion sickness, predatory and toxic sea creatures, and all the other inherent hazards that come with working at sea. The difference in pressure between the sandy beach and space is 15 PSI. The difference in pressure between a sandy beach and the bottom of the worlds deepest deep sea trench is 16,000 PSI! Thats about 1000 times more pressure difference working in the deep sea then space. Interestingly, it's far more expensive to send a man to deep space then it is to send a man to the deep sea.

6. What, if any, crossover or collaboration may occur between Virgin Oceanic and Virgin Galactic?

Kisfaludy: There is not very much crossover. Virgin Galatic and Virgin Oceanic are two separate companies with a similar name. At this time, we know each other and attend each others events, but have not collaborated significantly on any major project yet.

7. Richard Branson has asserted a new definition of 'aquanaut' as as anyone who goes below 20,000 feet depth in the ocean, but the traditional meaning is anyone who has spent 24 hours or more living continuously underwater. What do you think about this, and does it have any implications for how 'astronaut' could be defined?

Kisfaludy: It's like asking the difference between a cosmonaut and an astronaut or a space flight participant. If an astronaut is someone who conducts scientific missions in space, then perhaps an aquanaut is one who performs scientific missions at depth. SEALAB was a saturation diver project that was conducted in 200 feet of water in front of Scripps Institution of Oceanography a few decades ago where people lived on the seafloor for several days. This was not below 20,000 feet, but they were living under the sea conducting science. Does this make them 'aquanauts'? I think you would qualify as an 'aquanaut' if you traveled to a significant depth or remained underwater for a significant amount of time in support of science. What exactly formally defines 'aquanaut' will likely be decided by an ocean equivalent of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale.

Thank you to Eddie for agreeing to the interview and offering such insights into the exciting Virgin Oceanic project. For more on Virgin Oceanic, check out their website and promotional video:

NASA will hire new astronauts in 2013

2011-10-05T11:54:00.003-10:00

NASA announced earlier this week that it will seek a new class of astronaut candidates starting in November 2011 for selection around March 2013. While the focus is on providing crewmembers to support the International Space Station (ISS), the announcement specifically mentions that the new astronauts will participate in missions "beyond low Earth orbit" too. With the Shuttle now retired and NASA's future plans somewhat in question, I think it's encouraging that NASA is advertising this class as the first to potentially take part in missions to destinations beyond the ISS in the 2020-2025 timeframe. Since that likely means field exploration on asteroid and lunar surfaces leading up to martian missions, maybe NASA will place higher importance on selecting astronauts with a geoscience background this time.

The head of NASA's Astronaut Selection Office Duane Ross offered some details on the scope expected for the new crop of astronauts:

“The new class will train for learning the International Space Station systems, the Russian language, spacewalk and robotics training, and several other disciplines and other things that will come online such as the MultiPurpose Crew Vehicle [MPCV]. For the things that mature downstream, there will be training for those when the time is right but right now we are going to concentrate on the space station.”

Mr. Ross was also quoted at MSNBC Cosmic Log and Universe Today saying that NASA will probably select 8-12 new astronauts candidates (ASCANs) in 2013, adding to the 9 NASA astronaut ASCANs chosen in 2009 (and 24 in other countries). Requirements seem to be the same as in the 2007-2009 selection: a bachelor's degree plus three years relevant experience, vision correctable to 20/20, and probably Soyuz spacecraft anthropomorphic size constraints. However, given his mention of the MPCV and the fact that man-rated commercial crew vehicles are just a few years away, I wouldn't be surprised if the anthropomorphic requirements are more relaxed this time.

What constitutes "relevant experience"? Mr. Ross added that, "the key things we'll be looking for is evidence that folks can come in and work in an operational environment... There's lots of ways you can get that experience." I'm hoping that my six years working in the operational environment of a tsunami warning center will help my chances - that, plus my recent UND degree and all of the commercial astronaut training I've been doing through Astronauts4Hire.

I started this blog to chronicle NASA's astronaut selection process following its 2007 announcement for the 2009 ASCAN opportunity. Now we've come full circle to another selection cycle. The new tentative 2011-2013 selection process timeline available at astronauts.nasa.gov is very similar to the 2007-2009 selection process timeline. If NASA thinks you have the right stuff, you could be deemed a Finalist by this time next year. The main question in my mind is how stiff will the competition be during this selection cycle compared with the last one.

November 15, 2011	Vacancy Announcement opens at USAJOBS.
January 27, 2012	Vacancy Announcement closes.
March-July 2012	Qualified Applications reviewed to determine Highly Qualified applicants. Qualifications Inquiry form sent to Supervisors / References and civilian applicants contacted by mail to obtain an FAA medical exam.
June-September 2012	Highly Qualified applications reviewed to determine Interviewees.
August-October 2012	Interviewees brought to JSC for preliminary interview, medical evaluation, and orientation. Interviewees will be selected from the Highly Qualified group and contacted on a week-by-week basis.
October 2012	Finalists determined.
November 2012 - January 2013	Finalists brought to JSC for additional interview and complete medical evaluation.
March 2013	Astronaut Candidate Class of 2013 announced
June 2013	Astronaut Candidate Class of 2013 reports to the Johnson Space Center.

NASA's announcement comes less than a month after the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) published its 93-page report titled The Role and Training of NASA Astronauts in the Post-Shuttle Era. The central task given to the Committee on Human Spaceflight Crew Operations who authored the report was the question, "How many astronauts does NASA need?" They concluded that NASA does not have enough astronauts to maintain the ISS, let alone meet projected demand for new mission tasks such as exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit. They recommended an increase in the size of the astronaut corps to sufficiently maintain a mission-ready corps to operate the ISS and accommodate future needs.

I had been following the progress of the NAS committee closely and took great interest when the report came out. However, I honestly didn't think the report would have such an immediate effect on NASA (or the appearance of such). Typically, NAS reports have little actual impact on agency policy and end up gathering dust on shelves. However, it seems that in this case NASA is taking the NAS recommendations very seriously and will follow up on its recommendation to steadily hire small numbers of new ASCANs over the next few years in order to bring new talent and reduce the average age of the astronaut corps (currently at 47.6).

The NAS report offers glimpses into the NASA Astronaut Program that would interest any astronaut hopeful. First, it outlines the history of NASA's astronaut population, which peaked at nearly 150 people in 2000 and is projected to fall to 55 by 2016. The steady decline since 2000 was attributed to "policy decisions" on the staffing needs for the ISS. After all, NASA astronauts have been leaving in droves in recent years, presumably due to the lack of mission opportunities in the post-Shuttle era. The spike in astronaut attrition rate in 2010 was equaled only by the exodus in 1986 following the Challenger disaster. As the figure below indicates, there is a second projected astronaut selection in the 2014-2015 timeframe. One of the conclusions drawn by the Astronaut Office for the NAS study is that it needs to hire 15 new ASCANs within the next 5 years to meet its attrition projections and staffing requirements.

What does a typical astronaut do with his or her time? NASA's current 61 active astronauts and 42 management astronauts fill a number of different roles to support the program's current and future mission needs. The figures below compare the time distribution of unassigned astronauts with no mission (Fig 2.7 left) with active astronauts assigned to missions (Fig 2.12 right). The main difference seems to be the greater emphasis on Russian systems and language training for assigned astronauts compared with unassigned ones, who have comparatively more supportive/programmatic duties. The NAS report is careful to point out that in addition to providing ISS crews, NASA astronauts also are likely to be crews for commercial crew transport vehicles, assist in the training of commercial astronauts, provide advice to commercial crew vehicle developers, and help develop/test/operate NASA's future vehicles. Such duties are likely to increase in importance over time, especially approaching the 2020 timeframe when NASA nominally plans to leave the ISS.

With the Shuttle retirement and NASA's greater reliance on foreign partners, astronauts must now spend more time traveling to train in other countries and have greater language requirements. Over the course of 2 years, an ASCAN can expect to spent 49 weeks training at US facilities, 31 weeks in Russia, 7 weeks in Japan, and 2 weeks in both Europe and Canada. Duane Ross told Fox News that Russian language training is now "mandatory for America's astronauts." The NAS report says that astronauts must have at least "intermediate-level proficiency" in Russian. I suspect that this requirement will be relaxed over time as missions beyond the ISS grow in prevelance.

Astronauts must endure 3 years of intense training to prepare for each ISS mission in addition to the 2 years of ASCAN training. The NAS report outlines the training sequence from Basic Training through Flight (see below). If you're one of the fortunate few that NASA selects, this is what you'll do for the first 5-6 years after you are selected. I knew about ASCANs participating in NEEMO and Antarctic expeditions, but I didn't know that they trained with NOLS too - an organization I have greatly admired for more than 15 years. The JIRP expedition that I completed many years ago was structured very similarly to NOLS.

Even if you are fully trained and pass your aptitude tests with flying colors, you may never fly if you are medically disqualified. The long-duration spaceflight medial qualification criteria are very stringent in order to minimize the risk of a medical condition requiring evacuation to Earth (a leading ISS mission risk factor). According to the NAS report, 13 astronauts have become medically disqualified after being assigned for a mission before they were able to fly. A large fraction of the astronauts examined postflight have had varying degrees of medical issues such as papilledema, shoulder injuries, or radiation exposure limitations that prevented re-qualification for future flights. This underscores why the NASA astronaut corps needs a healthy margin of people beyond the minimum required in order to absorb personnel contingencies that might occur. 8 of the 63 active astronauts as of December 2010 were either medically disqualified or had that qualification in question.

The report goes on to evaluate NASA's astronaut training facilities and spaceflight readiness training requirements, including the role played by NASA's T-38N trainers. The committee underscored the importance of high performance flight environments for maintaining spaceflight readiness because it places astronauts in confined stressful environments with severe consequences for failure (unlike simulators). They recommended maintaining a reduced T38N fleet with 16 aircraft by 2013.

I highly recommend reading the full report yourself, or at least the executive summary. Good luck to everyone who applies to the 2011-2013 astronaut opportunity! Check here periodically for updates on both my progress and for reviews of the process itself.

Astronaut on 9/11: "Tears don't flow the same in space."

2011-09-11T00:52:00.000-10:00

It's been 10 years since that horrific day when commercial airlines were used as coordinated weapons of terrorism. I was a second year graduate student at the time, balancing academic and research duties between expeditions to the South Pacific and the Antarctic. Like most Americans, I spent September 11, 2001 feeling shellshocked as I awoke to the news and spent the day watching events unfold on television. I later realized how profound and ubiquitous this communal experience was the world over, and I mean that quite literally.

One American has the singular distinction of witnessing the traumatic 9/11 events unfold from space. A month into his mission as Commander of ISS Expedition 3, Astronaut Frank Culbertson awoke to the news of the attacks like so many of us did. He grabbed the nearest camera and starting photographing the scenes in New York and Washington, D.C. from his vantage point some 250 miles over the Earth. Since he happened to be using a video camera, Culbertson also recorded audio commentary with his candid real-time reactions to what was happening. In his remarks, he juxtaposed descriptions of the destruction with reassurances that, in the wider context, these scars on the Earth are minor, "New York City is still very beautiful... The country still looks good." Only an astronaut could have made a statement like that on 9/11.

The Yahoo video! compiling NASA footage taken by Astronaut Culbertson is available below.

The day following the tramautic events, Commander Culbertson wrote a touching letter, describing his personal feelings about the 9/11 attacks from his unique perspective. I've pulled some excerpts from it below:

The smoke seemed to have an odd bloom to it at the base of the column that was streaming south of the city... I believe we were looking at NY around the time of, or shortly after, the collapse of the second tower. How horrible!

It was pretty difficult to think about work after that, though we had some to do... It all looked incredible from two to three hundred miles away. I can't imagine the tragic scenes on the ground.

And tears don't flow the same in space... It's difficult to describe how it feels to be the only American completely off the planet at a time such as this. The feeling that I should be there with all of you, dealing with this, helping in some way, is overwhelming.

It's horrible to see smoke pouring from wounds in your own country from such a fantastic vantage point. The dichotomy of being on a spacecraft dedicated to improving life on the earth and watching life being destroyed by such willful, terrible acts is jolting to the psyche, no matter who you are. And the knowledge that everything will be different than when we launched by the time we land is a little disconcerting.

I hope the example of cooperation and trust that this spacecraft and all the people in the program demonstrate daily will someday inspire the rest of the world to work the same way. They must! Life goes on, even in space.

--Frank Culbertson (September 2001)

Several themes emerge here. First, here was a Navy Captain witnessing his country being attacked, and there was nothing he could do about it. Moreover, he was an astronaut on the most remote outpost mankind has ever constructed. His feelings of isolation are perfectly natural and understandable. Second, life has to go on. The ISS needs its crew to keep functioning, and there is work to be done, just as there is back on Earth. Third, the multinational collaboration in the space program can serve as a model for how we can all put aside our differences and work together for a greater purpose. That is a powerful message.

The crews of Expedition 3, Expedition 4, and STS-108 gathered in the ISS Destiny Module on December 9, 2001 to commemorate 9/11. The Shuttle carried more than 6000 American flags, which were later distributed to families of victims of 9/11. An actual flag that had flown on the World Trade Center also rode on the flight as a symbol of the enduring American spirit. Astronaut Culbertson's remarks begin at around 3-minute mark in the video below:

Culbertson retired from NASA in 2002 and currently serves as senior vice president of Orbital Sciences Corporation, where he is responsible for the company's human space flight programs. He has recently given a number of interviews reflecting on the 10th anniversary of the attacks, including feature articles at Yahoo! News and Space.com (both well worth reading), a radio interview at America's Radio News Network, as well as NASA's September 11 video:

I'll leave you with Frank Culbertson's wise words of caution about how we should use the tragedy as an opportunity for societal growth rather than an excuse for the converse:

I think it's important for people to continue to learn the lessons from this and make sure we are in fact making ourselves a better country as a result of it and not regressing or turning inward into a society we won't be proud to pass on to our children or grandchildren. --Frank Culbertson (September 2011)

The Astronaut's Guide to Life in Space

2011-09-02T13:59:00.000-10:00

So you made it to space. Now what do you do? Well, look no further. NPR assembled some 1980's NASA footage of Space Shuttle astronauts and made this lighthearted video guide to surviving life in space. The playful, retro-styled film shows them eating, playing, exercising, and horsing around.

Take a lesson from these darkly humorous astronaut suicide photos courtesy of Wired.com and don't let your nostalgia for the now bygone Space Shuttle era get you down. Let's hope no astronauts are so depressed by the Shuttle's retirement to consider such drastic measures, especially in light of the recent Russian Progress launch failure and the possibility that the ISS may have to be abandoned in November. With the upcoming SpaceX Dragon test docking to the ISS in early December, maybe NASA won't have to rely on Russia as its sole ride into space for too much longer.

The crew of Expedition 28 currently onboard the ISS aren't letting their spirits drop. Check out this video they made to convey how Astronaut Ron Garin handled the news of the 2-month mission extension.

To everyone on Earth and in space, have a great weekend!

International Lunar Research Park Leaders Summit announced

2011-08-18T02:15:00.005-10:00

Hawaii is one of the most uniquely suited locations on Earth to practice and prepare for future lunar surface exploration. I first blogged about the exciting International Lunar Research Park (ILRP) initiative last November. I'm happy to report that the Hawaii-NASA partnership has built a great deal of momentum and is gearing up for its first targeted conference this November. The following announcement of the ILRP Leaders Summit comes courtesy of the Hawaii Office of Aerospace Development. I hope to see you there!

As the global economic recession poses increasingly significant challenges for nations worldwide, questions abound concerning the potential for humans to pioneer the frontiers of space. Yet many visionaries from around our planet, who recognize the substantial scientific, educational and commercial benefits of space exploration, are seeking to enhance the capacity for people to learn, work, and ultimately live beyond the Earth. Clearly, these efforts will require innovative approaches that can help reduce the costs, expand the benefits, and enhance the feasibility of both robotic and human missions to space.

The State of Hawai`i is exploring a novel strategy for advancing space exploration and development through an International Lunar Research Park (ILRP) - initially prototyped through terrestrial analog facilities in Hawai`i, and subsequently deployed robotically on the Moon (with eventual human habitation). The ILRP would be multinational in scope (to help reduce the costs per nation), developed through public-private partnerships (to leverage entrepreneurship and expand commercial opportunities), and massively participatory (to engage the public and enhance the program's long-term sustainability).

We will be discussing the ILRP concept with representatives from government, industry and academia at a "leaders summit" on the island of Hawai`i in November, with the goal of developing a plan that potentially could implement a multinational, lunar-based research park within a decade. Given your professional interests, experience and expertise, we believe you might find this concept intriguing, and could make invaluable contributions in exploring the ILRP vision with Summit delegates. As such, we hope you will seriously consider participating in this discussion.

Additional information on the ILRP concept and Summit may be found online at:
    https://sites.google.com/site/internationallunarresearchpark/
    http://lunar.uhhconferencecenter.com/

With Aloha and best wishes,
    Jim Crisafulli, Director Hawaii Office of Aerospace Development
    Frank Schowengerdt, Director Pacific International Space Center For Exploration Systems
    Osamu Odawara, Chairman Pacific International Space Alliance

While we're on the topic of the Moon, check out the amazing new panoramic images of the Apollo landing sites from the Lunar and Planetary Institute. The fully zoomable and pannable images make you feel like you're an astronaut gazing out over the lunar landscape. This one is from Apollo 17:

Suborbital Scientist Training

2011-07-16T17:05:00.026-10:00

I've just been to space and back, at least that's what it feels like.

Having completed emergency egress and sea survival training last week, my fellow Astronauts for Hire and I next made our way to The NASTAR Center in Southampton, Pennsylvania just outside Philadelphia. There, we spent three days undergoing the Suborbital Scientist Training Program, which provides a good foundation in space physiology for prospective scientist-astronauts. Following the NASTAR program, we went to the Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory to learn how unusual force environments affect the body's vestibular system.

Day 1

Following a tour of the NASTAR Center, we spent the morning of the first day in the classroom learning about human physiology at high altitude. For the most part, we focused on how the low oxygen conditions of the upper atmosphere can lead to hypoxia. This prepared us for the afternoon activity where we took a ride in NASTAR's hypobaric chamber. The main purpose of the exercise was to give the participants a chance to experience the symptoms of hypoxia under safe, controlled conditions so that later if we ever are exposed to a low oxygen environment we can recognize the effects it will have on us.

After pre-breathing oxygen at ambient pressure for half an hour, the air in the chamber was evacuated until we reached 25,000 feet equivalent pressure. If that were a mountain, it would be one of the world's tallest. Next, we removed our masks and proceeded to fill out a worksheet with simple logic and math problems. By the end of the 5 minutes I started to feel some tingling in my finger tips and a general warming of my body, which are early signs of hypoxia. Overall, however, I fared very well. I've run and hiked up to the Continental Divide in short spans of time without ever feeling ill effects, so this wasn't a big surprise to me.

Then, we "descended" to 18,000 feet equivalent pressure and once again took off our oxygen masks. This time we tested our color perception by observing a color wheel both without and with oxygen assistance. I was struck by how fast the colors immediately changed when I put my oxygen mask back on. They went from being very saturated with no mask to much lighter and more washed out with oxygen (which is the actual color). Throughout the hypobaric chamber runs, we also experienced cooling and warming of the air as it expanded and compressed with the evacuation and introduction of air to the chamber.

Later, after we'd left the chamber, the NASTAR instructor cranked down the pressure to an equivalent of 62,000 feet altitude. That is well above the Armstrong Line where blood boils. We got to watch the phenomenon in action in a clear plastic mannequin filled with red-dyed water.

Day 2

The main attraction at the NASTAR Center is its centrifuge. Known at the Space Training Simulator (model STS-400), this high performance centrifuge has a 25-foot arm with a gimbaled gondola at the end that can rotate dynamically as the centrifuge spins to simulate different force directions. This means the centrifuge can very accurately reproduce the various phases of spaceflight from launch to re-entry.

Human subjects sit strapped into a five-point harness inside the gondola, which is configured like the cockpit of a space vehicle, complete with displays depicting what one would see out the windows during a real flight. The net effect is a very realistic environment that enriches the experience. It makes you feel like you're going to space!

In the morning classroom session, we learned about the symptoms and physiological effects of G forces, especially Gravity-induced Loss of Consciousness (G-LOC). G-LOC occurs when extreme G forces cause blood to drain away from the brain, inducing hypoxia due to the resultant lack of oxygen. We learned the Anti-G Straining Maneuver (AGSM) to increase G tolerance and avoid severe G-LOC symptoms during our centrifuge runs. The AGSM involves straining all of your lower body muscles while aggressively holding 3-second breadths with quick, deliberate exhalations. This forces blood and oxygen upward to the head where they are needed.

Armed with our knowledge and the AGSM, we next endured four separate Gx and Gz "flights" in the centrifuge to evaluate our ability to tolerate exposure to those forces. Gx is when the force is through your chest and feels like an elephant is sitting on you. Other than the pressure and difficulty breathing, it's not too bad. Gz is when the force passes from your head to your toes. Positive Gz causes blood to quickly pool in the feet leaving the head oxygen-starved and eventually leads to G-LOC. Thus, the AGSM is most important during times of high Gz. Gz is the dominant force during launch, and Gx is dominant during re-entry for a Virgin Galactic flight profile.

I experienced some gray-out and tunnel vision during the 3.5 Gz centrifuge run, but as soon as I increased my AGSM efforts, those symptoms went away. 6.1 Gx was no problem for me. To see the centrifuge in action, check out the video below.

Day 3

On the third day we embarked on two simulated missions along the actual flight profile of SpaceShipOne. The idea is that this will be similar to what SpaceShipTwo will experience. Since we are training as suborbital scientists rather than tourists, we created and followed a checklist of tasks to perform during the mission simulations. The procedure involved monitoring the gauges and calling out the G-force, altitude, and speed at critical phases throughout the flight. During the "weightless" portion, we each chose an activity to complete. Most of us opted to pull out our cell phones and snap photos out the "windows." On one of the flights, I held up an A4H sign to the cockpit's video recorder. In future refresher training centrifuge flights, I could forsee doing more complex tasks more akin to actual experiments.

The flight was a rush! After being dropped from the White Knight mothership, the rockets ignite producing an initial horizontal acceleration followed quickly by very intense vertical acceleration about 4Gz. Despite my best AGSM efforts, I had a great deal of greyout in my vision for about a second. After the worst of the Gz force subsides, you are riding on your back upwards experiencing moderate Gx in your chest until the engines cut off, leaving the spacecraft to coast into space for the microgravity portion of the flight.

Of course, the centrifuge can't simulate actual zero gravity, but the deceleration and tilting of the gondola make it feel close enough. Throughout this process, I was reading off values from the gauges according to the checklist to ensure I had good situational awareness and focus to complete the experiment. The screens in front of me showed the beautiful curved limb of our planet and the stars beyond as the spacecraft rolled towards its apogee at about 110 km altitude traveling at mach 3.5.

A scant few minutes later, the G's came back in force as the spacecraft feathered its wings and aero-braked through the upper atmosphere. The peak reached slightly over 6Gx during the re-entry, just as I had practiced in the centrifuge the day before. Here I am just after I "landed" from the experience. I wanted to go again.

During lunch on the third day I was also surprised with a birthday cake! One of my fellow A4H had conspired with NASTAR to get me a cake in honor of my 33rd birthday. We joked that training was a "piece of cake."

All good things must come to an end. I'm happy to say that we all graduated from the NASTAR Center Suborbital Scientist Training Program with flying colors. We were awarded very nice certificates of completion and our own NASTAR wings to symbolize the accomplishment.

Day 4

The next stop on our East Coast astronaut training regimen was the Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory (AGSOL) at Brandeis University near Boston. Whereas NASTAR very effectively covered the launch and re-entry portions of spaceflight, the AGSOL visit helped us appreciate the preparation necessary for the microgravity portion of the flight itself. After all, with only 4-5 precious minutes of time in space, you can't afford to spend you flight disoriented or sick. Researchers - particularly those hired by third parties like A4H - must ensure they can do the job in that short timespan despite problems like space motion sickness.

Standing up straight in the Rotating Room

We spent the day at the AGSOL learning about their research and testing their equipment. The main focus was understanding our individual susceptibility to space motion sickness and ways to manage it. In AGSOL's three decades of work, they have learned that everyone falls on a bell curve from a few who never get sick no matter what happens to them, to the majority who do experience symptoms but can mitigate them, to a few who just can't be helped. When one is developing the world's first commercial astronaut crew service, one especially wants to know if anyone falls in the latter group, which is a select-out criterion. Luckily, we were all average to better than average in terms of motion sickness susceptibility.

Our attention focused on two unique facilities at the AGSOL. The first was the Rotating Room, which is 22-foot diameter cylindrical room that can be spun to induce up to 4G in the periphery. The resultant centripetal force added to gravity's normal vertical vector, leads to a combined new "normal" gravity at an angle to vertical, as you can see from the photo to the right here. We tossed balls around to see the effect of the Coriolis force and experienced first hand how slight head movements - especially vertical ones - can confuse the vestibular system and induce motion sickness symptoms like pallor, sweating, and nausea. The good news is that the more time you spend in devices like this, the greater your adaptability to space motion sickness. While I felt fine, after about half an hour spinning in the room, the AGSOL experts told me that color was draining from my skin.

The next facility we tested was the Multi-Axis Tilt Device, affectionately known at the "HULK" due to its large size. This one-of-a-kind piece of equipment can spin on three axes to induce movement in any direction. The AGSOL uses it to test spatial perception as well as motion sickness. After being strapped into the 5-point harness with additional head, arm, hand, and foot restraints, I was at the mercy of the machine operators. They asked me if I wanted to ease into it or just go all out as if the spacecraft had lost control. I said to surprise me. They quickly spun me up to the machine's full speed (about 3G) and rotated it in every possible direction. At regular intervals, they asked how I was feeling on a scale of 1 to 10. I answered 0-1 each time; I never felt sick. After about 15 minutes spinning at the machine's top speed, I heard a "Congratulations" through the helmet speaker. I had maxed out its capabilities and emerged unscathed. Of course, they could have made it much more provocative by blindfolding me and focusing on just one axis of rotation at a time.

This training puts me well on my way to being a competitive commercial astronaut. Future training activities include parabolic microgravity flight, aerobatic unusual attitude flight, and some additional academic learning on the space environment and spacecraft systems.

Ditching, Dunking, and Surviving

2011-07-09T23:47:00.009-10:00

I've been busy this past week training at Survival Systems USA in Groton, CT. Completing Dunker Training and Sea Survival courses has prepared me and my fellow Astronauts4Hire (A4H) candidates well for emergency situations involving water landings, which are the most common spaceflight abort contingency scenarios. Here's what we've done so far:

Day 1

After half a day of classroom instruction on emergency preparation, we practiced inversion dunking in the Shallow Water Egress Trainer (SWET). While this may seem like some type of waterboarding torture device, the SWET is actually a very important trainer for helping one confront the fear of drowning in order to remain calm and safely egress a submerged aircraft. I learned that I can experience quite a lot of anxiety before being dunked upside down underwater, so this training was important for me to learn how to manage that apprehension so I could get myself to safety.

After strapping into the seat, assuming a brace position, and holding your breath, you are inverted underwater. Immediately, the water rushes up your nose where it floods your sinuses and burns tremendously. However, that discomfort is the least of your worries. You have to remain calm, orient yourself in space using touch, find an exit (or make one), release your safety harness, and swim to safety - all while keeping your eyes closed and never letting go of your reference points.

Having gained confidence in the skills we learned in the SWET, my A4H teammates and I then moved on to the Modular Egress Training Simulator (METS). The METS is an aircraft mockup that can be configured to represent a wide variety of vehicles. It is attached to an industrial crane that lowers rotates the METS to simulate the rapid sinking and inversion experienced during water landings. For our training, the METS was set up as a Black Hawk helicopter since no spacecraft configurations exist yet for it.

Just like in the SWET, you first strap yourself in and assume the proper brace position. The METS is lowered to the water while an instructor yells "Ditching, Ditching, Ditching!" Water quickly fills the cabin starting with you feet. By the time the water reaches your waist, the METS starts to rotate until it is completely inverted and submerged. Holding a breadth, you have to calmly reach for an exit, push out or open the exit hatch, unbuckle your harness, and pull yourself outside the vehicle. It's challenging, but it's rewarding when you learn the proper procedure and execute it correctly. A number of expert Survival Systems USA divers and instructors watched us closely to ensure our safety throughout the process.

Through many iterations, we eased into increasingly realistic scenarios with more restrictions imposed on us like having to egress across the cabin instead of at the nearest exit or having to wait for other crewmembers to exit before egressing yourself. We sat in different seats with different harness types and brace positions too. By the end of the day, we were doing simulations in the dark with simulated rain, wind, and sound effects to make the experience as realistic and disorienting as possible.

Day 2

On our second day of dunker training we spent the morning in the classroom learning more about aircraft ditching scenarios and how one's chances of survival are dramatically higher if an emergency air supply is available. That afternoon, we mastered the use of the SEA MK 2 Emergency Breathing System (EBS), also known as the HEEDS. This small air bottle contains compressed air and a mouthpiece regulator that allow you to breathe underwater for a few minutes. It is commonly used by military flight crews, firefighters, and search & rescue teams. Astronauts on the Space Shuttle also had EBS bottles available.

Having the EBS makes the egress training so much better! Rather than relying on only your breath hold for about 30 seconds of air, you enjoy the luxury of time, which makes it easier to maintain calm as you methodically go through the egress steps. We duplicated our training runs from day 1 in the SWET and METS with the addition of having the EBS air supply. By the end of the day, my confidence had grown very high thanks to the EBS, and I was really enjoying the METS runs.

After egresses from a ditched aircraft or spacecraft, one must then know how to survive at sea to maximize chances of rescue. We practiced jumping from a 30-foot high platform, inflating our life vests, and attaching ourselves to a helicopter rescue basket and strop hoist to simulate evacuation from and rescue by a hovering helicopter. With the simulated hurricane force rain, wind, and sound effects, I felt like I was in a commercial for the Marines. For the full impact, checkout the video highlights.

Next we practiced dry evacuations from the ditched aircraft in which the entire crew had to egress into a life raft. We saved the wet evacuations into the life raft for the next day when we went to sea. The whole A4H flight member crew is shown posing in the raft below.

Day 3

After surviving the landing incident itself, one must endure at sea until rescue arrives. That was the focus of our third day of training. We spent the morning learning about the effects of and countermeasures for hypothermia, sea sickness, dehydration, and mental stress brought about by survival stuations. Then, after practicing some group formations and donning our immersion suits, we went out to sea and put our skills to the test. Here is a great photo of us looking very astronaut-esque in our orange suits before we embarked.

Sea survival is very much about working effectively as a team, and that's just what we did. We abandoned our vessel to find ourselves floating in the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean with no land in sight (It was a very foggy day.). Then, we linked up in the chain formation so we could remain together and efficiently travel across the water to the life raft (which had been dropped overboard a distance from us by the boat captain). Check out the great video clip showing us coordinating our movement in the chain formation. We also practiced the carpet formation, which is useful for preserving energy and supporting injured crewmembers. Upon finding the floating raft container, we pulled the cord to deploy and inflate the raft. We took turns climbing in a few times with varying techniques (unassisted, assisted, injured). We also performed a mock rescue of an unconscious floating crewmember.

The four phases of sea survival with a life raft include protection, first aid, signaling, and endurance. In the protected environment of the life raft, we first saw to any injuries or illnesses and then took stock of our supplies. Then, we signaled for help using three different flares: smoke, rocket, and magnesium (Actually, we deployed them from the boat earlier for safety purposes.). Finally, we had to make ourselves comfortable for the long run. That meant bailing out excess water, taking seasickness pills if necessary, rationing our food and water, and finding ways to pass the time. We only spent a couple of hours bobbing in our raft at sea, but it was a sufficient introduction to what it would be like in a real situation.

Day 4

Having successfully graduated from the intensive Survival Systems training, we next decided to unwind by going for a fun SCUBA dive as a team building activity. SCUBA training provides good situational awareness in three dimensions in a hostile environment that closely resembles the microgravity of space. It is one component of our training, so the activity also served as a good refresher on those skills.

This was my first time to dive in the Atlantic Ocean in "cold" water, and the thick 7mm full body wetsuit protected me just fine. We embarked on the shore dive from a picturesque cove in Fort Wetherill State Park near Jamestown, Rhode Island. Although visibility was poor due to a storm the night before, we were able to see crabs, lobsters, anemone, jellyfish, flounder, and a few other fish. The conditions also meant we had to practice extra care with navigating and maintaining formation as a group. Special thanks to Seaview Scuba for taking us on the excursion.

End of the Shuttle Era

2011-07-05T04:23:00.002-10:00

With the final Shuttle flight only days away, an explosion of articles are coming out about the future of America's space program. For example, this week's cover of The Economist boldly claims that the Shuttle retirement heralds, "The end of the space age." An excellent Washington Post article discusses the uncertainty in store for NASA's astronauts. In that article, NASA's chief astronaut Peggy Whitson says she is advocating that NASA hire "nine new astronaut candidates in 2012 and six more in 2014." An even better Aviation Week article also features an interview with Peggy Whitson, where she describes more details of NASA's expected demand for astronauts in the post-Shuttle era.

"It’s important to maintain new eyes, bring new folks in on a routine basis, even if I have to pick small classes in the four-to-six range. I would rather pick a few new people every few years, rather than have one [large] class between now and 2020... NASA is probably a year or two away from its first post-shuttle-era astronaut selection."

I'd like to write more commentary on this important turning point in history, but I'm currently traveling to begin my commercial astronaut training this week (more on that in upcoming posts).

Astronaut Career Flow Chart

2011-06-26T18:00:00.001-10:00

A few weeks ago, GOOD Magazine published a very entertaining infographic titled "Should You Give Up Your Dream of Being an Astronaut?" in response to a USA Today article interviewing Duane Ross on the changing prospects for NASA astronauts. I really like how well they were able to lightheartedly boil down some rather complex career decision factors into such simple binary choices.

The main criticism I have for the flowchart is that it assumes the only way to be an astronaut is through NASA. It ignores the commercial pathways to space. For example, one can go into space and technically be an astronaut without having a science or engineering degree as long as one can afford the ticket as a private spaceflight participant. Assuming the chart is targeted towards prospective professional astronauts only rather than tourists, perhaps after the "Do you speak Russian?" question's "No" choice, there should have been another question like "Are you a trained commercial astronaut?" In other words, can you fly on commercial space vehicles? That gives you another pathway towards becoming an astronaut that is not reliant upon Russia or NASA.

Only two weeks from now, I will undergo the NASTAR Suborbital Scientist Training Program to help prepare me for upcoming commercial spaceflight opportunities. Please consider chipping in to help offset my expenses, and stay tuned to this blog for updates on the experience.

Space Race 2.0

2011-06-09T15:53:00.004-10:00

Last night NBC Nightly News featured a nice segment on the new space race. Unlike the competition between the US and USSR that fueled the first space race, the modern one involves private companies like SpaceX, Boeing, Orbital Sciences, Sierra Nevada, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, and XCOR competing with one another to produce the safest, most cost effective vehicles to transport astronauts, cargo, and tourists to orbital and suborbital space. Of course, the commercial spaceflight era really began in 2004 when SpaceShipOne won the Ansari X PRIZE, so this video isn't news to anyone who follows the space industry. However, it's significant because it reached a large mainstream audience of viewers in the general public.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

As the 30-year Space Shuttle era draws to a close next month, NASA will have to rely on the Russians for a ride during the next few years. That's why NASA's 2009 ASCANs were subject to more restrictive anthropomorphic requirements than their Shuttle-faring predecessors. Finalists had to be between 62-75 inches tall in order to fit properly in the Soyuz TMA spacecraft. Taller or shorter applicants were disqualified. However, once other vehicles like NASA's Multi-Person Crew Vehicle (MPCV), SpaceX's Dragon, and Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo are proven safe for human transport, we could see a great widening of selection requirements so that almost anyone with the right stuff will be able to fly into space.

That's why we may see the emergence of "After the Shuttle: Astronauts for Hire", which just happens to be the title of a cover story Discover Magazine article featuring an interview with me and former astronaut Ken Bowersox. The 2-page article focuses on how what it means to be an astronaut is changing in the post-Shuttle era. Get your copy of the June issue on newsstands now!

Break up NASA?

2011-05-26T18:26:00.004-10:00

The only scientist to ever to step foot on another world has made the bold suggestion that NASA should be dismantled. In its place, Dr. Harrison "Jack" Schmitt has proposed the creation of a new agency called the National Space Exploration Administration (NSEA), which would focus solely on the exploration of deep space. NASA's research and development activities would be peeled off and given to NOAA, NSF, and NACA, the latter of which would be revived to handle aeronautical research. Dr. Schmitt offered the following mission for the new NSEA:

"Provide the People of the United States of America, as national security and economic interests demand, with the necessary infrastructure, entrepreneurial partnerships, and human and robotic operational capability to settle the Moon, utilize lunar resources, scientifically explore and settle Mars and other deep space destinations, and, if necessary, divert significant Earth-impacting objects."

I admit that this ambitious charter does look appealing at first glance. Note there is no mention of the International Space Station or low-earth orbit operations. Dr. Schmitt proposes de-orbiting the ISS in 10-15 years and establishing the NASA to NSEA transition at that time.

I had the good fortune of meeting the conservative geologist-astronaut twice last year at the LunarGeo2010 and Earth & Space 2010 conferences. Dr. Schmitt is very approachable, and he is not shy about sharing his opinions on issues ranging from climate change to resource utilization. The moonwalker spent 22 hours working on the lunar surface during NASA's Apollo 17 mission. He then served as US senator for his home state of New Mexico and spent the past few decades as a professor and space resource utilization advocate. He currently serves as the Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources too.

There is certainly a lot of overlap among NASA and other science agencies. Dr. Schmitt's NSEA proposal reminds me of a 2008 proposal published in Science by a number of highly respected former agency administrators to merge the USGS, NOAA, and NASA's earth science activities into the Earth Systems Science Agency (ESSA). Such dramatic reorganization of government agencies is rare and brings a lot of practical difficulties, not the least of which is great political resistance by those entrenched with the status quo. As far as I can tell, there has been no serious movement towards establishing the ESSA despite the very pro-science Obama administration, so I am skeptical that breaking up NASA to create the NSEA and NACA will ever happen.

Even if such a major reorganization of government science agencies were to happen, I'm not so sure abandoning the NASA name is a good idea. After all, the NASA brand is one of the world's most recognizable and universally known. So, if we do carve up NASA, I would suggest that what is left behind (NSEA) should stay "NASA." The graphic below is my attempt at visually depicting Dr. Schmitt's proposal, including how he suggested the NASA centers should be divided in their new agency homes.

Infographic combining Schmitt's NSEA idea and the 2008 ESSA proposal. Used for illustration purposes only.

Interestingly, while NSEA would likely re-hire many people from NASA, Schmitt asserted it should maintain an average age of less than 30 in its workforce. The average age of NASA employees during the Apollo era was 28, but today it is 47. I don't think a government agency can discriminate based on age, but his point is that younger workers tend to have higher "imagination, motivation, stamina, and courage." SpaceX and Scaled Composites are famous for hiring young engineers for this very reason, which might help explain their success.

To learn more, surf over SPACE.com for an interview with Dr. Schmitt on the NSEA. What do you think about his idea? Would it work?

Jetman crosses the Grand Canyon

2011-05-16T14:14:00.001-10:00

Every since he developed his personal jet pack and made headlines crossing the English Channel, the "Jetman" Yvess Rossy has captured my attention. Over the decades, many have tried to create jet packs to fulfill our collective desire for personal flight freedom, but the Jetman has come closest to making that dream happen.

Rossy made worldwide headlines again this week by successfully completing a spellbinding 8-minute flight 200 feet above the Grand Canyon at speeds up to 190 miles per hour. Check out the video courtesy the AOPA below. You can read more about his canyon-crossing crusade from the AOPA, Popular Science and the Washington Post.

For the past two years, the Swiss adventure pilot has been refining his wing design and modifying his four rocket engines to operate on 20% bioethanol to lower his carbon footprint. He also made a failed attempt to win the Webtel.mobi Intercontinental Challenge crossing the Strait of Gibraltar.

In related news, similar personal jetpacks from the Martin Aircraft Company are now commercially available! If you have $100,000 lying around, you could own one of TIME's 50 Best Inventions of 2010.

This Astronaut for Hire Needs Your Help

2011-04-29T01:09:00.003-10:00

Two years ago, I asked for your help to raise money for the FMARS expedition. You responded with generous donations that helped reach more than half of my goal. Now I need your help again. Please consider donating to my Astronaut Training Fund so I can take the next step important step in my professional development as a prospective astronaut.

Almost everyone has dreamed of floating in space above the majestic Earth. Until recently becoming an astronaut was reserved only for the most elite test pilots, engineers, and scientists. Now, the emerging private spaceflight industry will bring space into reach for many more people. These spacecraft will need highly trained crews to manage experiments and payloads since science, in addition to tourism, will be a major driver of of the new industry.

With a well-rounded scientitic resume, I have a real shot at becoming an astronaut. After all, in 2009 I made it to the Highly Qualified round (top 3-12%) of NASA's astronaut selection. Last year I co-founded the Astronauts4Hire nonprofit organization as a training cooperative to help astronaut hopefuls like me to come together and realize our astronaut aspirations. We have negotiated special prices with providers to complete training courses in July 2011. That's just over two month away!

My summer training experience will begin at Survival Systems USA in Connecticut, where my colleagues and I will complete emergency egress and sea survival training. This will help us prepare for emergency situations involving a water landing of the spacecraft. Then, we will go to the NASTAR Center in Pennsylvania, where we will complete the Suborbital Scientist Training Program, which includes spinning up to 6G in a centrifuge to adapt to the forces experienced during spaceflights. We will also spend time in a hypobaric chamber to prepare for emergency situations when the spacecraft cabin could lose oxygen pressure.

NASTAR video

Of course, I plan to blog throughout the training and will keep donors especially informed. All contribution amounts, no matter how small, help. For every donation of $100 or more, I will send you a special memento from the training too. In addition, I will optionally display your name and/or logo on my website and flightsuit if you contribute $500 or more. Everyone will get to see video of me undergoing the training so that you can judge for yourself whether I have the Right Stuff to be a commercial astronaut.

Survival Systems USA video

As a new father of two with one child in a fairly expensive preschool, I really need the support of my friends, family, and followers to help me raise the funds necessary to cross this important milestone of my future astronaut career. Please help me get there by donating to my Astronaut Training Fund today. Spread the word to all of your friends too. Thank you!

Future of NASA Astronauts

2011-04-24T09:48:00.005-10:00

How many astronauts does NASA need? That's a question I posed on this website four months ago when NASA commissioned the Committee on Human Spaceflight Crew Operations to review the space agency's astronaut needs. The committee's final report isn't due until August of this year, but a related New York Times article published this weekend caught my eye. The article starts off with the provocative query:

"What happens when you have the right stuff at the wrong time?

It goes on to cite examples of how NASA astronauts are leaving the agency to pursue other career options in the wake of the Space Shuttle and Constellation program cancellations. According to the article, 20 astronauts left NASA in 2010, leaving only 61 currently on the payroll - a far cry from the peak of 150 astronauts in 2000. After all, companies like Virgin Galactic and SpaceX are currently hiring astronauts. Bigelow Aerospace made headlines back in 2007 and 2010 when it advertised it was looking to hire a professional astronaut too.

I found the following statement by the head of NASA's Astronaut Office Dr. Peggy Whitson particularly interesting:

"NASA will still be hiring astronauts... In the next year or two, as more people leave or retire, the agency will recruit a new class of 6 to 12 astronauts... If NASA decides to reduce tours of duty at the space station from six months to four, that would mean a need for even more astronauts."

This is the first time I've seen a public report giving any reputable details on NASA's next astronaut selection. I find it heartening that NASA is not planning on a dramatic downsizing of its astronaut corps. This points to a great deal of trust in both Russia and the burgeoning Commercial Crew & Cargo program, which just last week awarded four Space Act Agreements as part of its Commercial Crew Development (CCDev2) initiative. Note: When NASA talks about "Commercial Crew", it is referring to the vehicles and launch systems, not the crewmembers themselves. As far as I know, NASA has no plans to privatize its astronaut corps.

So to all of you astronaut hopefuls out there, you have a year or two to load up your resume in anticipation of the next NASA astronaut selection!

A Half Century of Humans in Space

2011-04-12T14:55:00.004-10:00

Today the world celebrates a very special anniversary. On this day in 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first person to visit space, ushering in a new era for humanity as a spacefaring species. An instant worldwide hero, Gagarin has served as an inspirational figure to astronauts and the populace else ever since. Since 1962, the Soviet Union (now Russia) has observed April 12 as Cosmonautics Day, and for the past decade the world has celebrated every April 12 as Yuri's Night. Now in 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution officially proclaiming April 12 as the International Day of Human Space Flight.

Upon returning to Earth, Gagarin said, "When I orbited the Earth, I saw how beautiful our planet is. We must protect and preserve this beauty and not destroy it." This is a common theme expressed by astronauts - that the Earth is fragile and up to all of us to protect. I think that is one of the most important legacies Gagarin and the space program have left us. From the vantage point of space, we can see the Earth as a whole system. Petty political problems don't matter. Every action has an effect, so we must all strive to do what we can to maintain the proper natural balance in our planet's ecosystem.

But what did Gagarin see on his 108-minute flight some 327 kilometers (203 miles) above the Earth's surface? That's a question the makers of the film First Orbit wanted to answer. Astronaut Paolo Nespoli and documentary filmmaker Christopher Riley teamed up to film, as closely as possible, the same vistas Gagarin would have seen from his Vostok 1 spacecraft from the new ISS cupola window. The full-length documentary video matches the duration of the first human flight in space. Pop some corn and invite your friends to watch with you. This is good stuff.

A behind-the-scenes "making of First Orbit" video and National Geographic interview with filmmaker Christopher Riley are both highly recommended too. A really good gallery of photos from Gagarin's Vostok I flight is available at SPACE.com. Other good galleries are at NASA History and National Geographic. Russianspaceweb provides a wealth of historical information on the flight too.

Although I think most of us look upon this anniversary as something to celebrate, it is bittersweet. After all, NASA's Space Shuttle program, which shares its anniversary with Yuri's famous flight, is closing up shop this year. The surviving shuttles will be mothballed and sent to museums. What will come next? More importantly, what is driving us to explore space now? Is it even cost effective to send humans to space, or should we just send unmanned spacecraft at a fraction of the price? Two great opinion pieces on these subjects and more are a New York Times article by Michael Benson and Space Review article by Jeff Foust.

X PRIZE Foundation Chairman and CEO Peter Diamandis thinks the answer lies in the private sector. As he states in his Yuri's Night toast below, Diamandis believes that investments by wealthy individuals in exponential technologies like nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, clean energy, and even spaceflight will fuel an ever-increasing growth in exploration that "cannot be stopped by any one government or any one failure."

I first met Dr. Diamandis in St. Louis in 2004 following the successful completion the world's first two commercial spaceflights that won the Ansari X PRIZE. We talked for a while about spaceflight and the possibilities for the future. He inspired me to complete programs in Space Studies at the International Space University (which he co-founded) and the University of North Dakota.

I started this blog three and a half years ago to chronicle my progress as a NASA astronaut applicant. Then, I met astronaut Yvonne Cagle, who got me interested in the scientific opportunities on upcoming commercial suborbital vehicles. Along with people I met through this blog, as well as my FMARS and MDRS missions, I co-founded Astronauts4Hire last year to create a new type of astronaut who is available on a contract basis for space missions. We timed the birth of Astronauts4Hire to occur on April 12 along with the Vostok 1 and Space Shuttle anniversary milestones. I like to think of these three events as signifying the start of three eras of human spaceflight: 1961-1980 was the pioneering era begun by Yuri Gagarin and epitomized by Apollo; 1981-2010 was the Space Shuttle era where operations in low-earth orbit became somewhat more routine; and 2011-onward is the commercial spaceflight era that will carry us forward.

Inside SpaceShipTwo

2011-04-08T21:26:00.000-10:00

Last week, BBC transportation correspondent Richard Scott released an exclusive video tour of the unfinished SpaceShipTwo (SS2) cabin interior. He is the first journalist allowed inside Virgin Galactic's spaceship. In the video, he gives viewers a firsthand tour of the vehicle's cabin, which is still under construction at the Mojave Air and Spaceport.

The full BBC article also includes two additional videos where Scott interviews Scaled Composites test pilot Peter Siebold and tours the Spaceport America facility, where SS2 will eventually be based. Siebold has flown the new spacecraft on two glide flights and described it as "exhilarating." According to the videos, once the rocket motor is complete, Scaled Composites will test the powered flight capabilities of the vehicle and plans to start taking paying customers into space by 2013. This is big news, as previous reports from Virgin had pointed to commercial flights as soon as late 2011. I guess the scheduled slipped.

Screenshot from video of the SS2 cabin (credit: BBC).

Zubrin Makes the Case for Mars

2011-03-31T19:40:00.006-10:00

Dr. Robert Zubrin, President & Founder of The Mars Society, recently gave an address at the University of Washington on his Mars Direct plan to send humans to the Red Planet within a decade. A superbly edited version of segments of his presentation combined with a conversational style interview and other footage is available in two parts for your viewing pleasure:
Part 1

Part 2

I highly recommend watching these videos. It'll be 19 minutes well-spent.

Zubrin is an engaging and inspiring advocate of human Mars exploration and offers piercing criticism of the way the USA has handled the goals of its human space program since the Apollo program. His central thesis is that with the right motivation and resources, we can get to Mars within a decade. We don't have to wait for future advanced technologies to be developed, and in fact strategies relying upon such technologies are used more as excuses not to go to Mars than as enabling such a journey. After all, NASA got to the Moon in only 8 years using slide rules.

Having been inspired by Dr. Zubrin's book The Case for Mars, I worked with him personally to help carry out the 2009 FMARS expedition to the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station in the Canadian Arctic. In the video, Dr. Zubrin says he is updating his 15-year-old book for an upcoming second edition.

Daddy x 2

2011-03-05T22:47:00.008-10:00

At 1:34am on February 28, 2011, my wife gave birth at home to a baby girl, whom we named "Isla Sydney Shiro." She was born about two weeks early with a weight of 6 pounds 8 ounces (2948 g) and was 20 inches (50.8 cm) long. She's five days old now and in perfect health.

"Isla" (pronounced EYE-la) is a popular name in the UK that refers to an island and river in Scotland. Since we live on an Island in Hawaii, and I have an aunt in Scotland, the name seems to fit. "Isla Earth" is also a popular environmental science radio show to which I regularly listen. "Sydney" doesn't have any special significance to us other than that we like how it sounds. Although, I realized after we had named her that the first client of Astronauts4Hire does hail from Sydney, Australia. Plus, do the initials "ISS" remind you of anything spacey?

My son Henry is now 3 years old and is a proud big brother. He's pictured here holding his baby sister Isla. My wife and I are using cloth diapers and practicing EC with Isla just like we did with Henry. Having gone through both hospital and home births, I strongly recommend home birth to any expectant couples. It's much easier, less stressful, and more natural.