Astronauts4Hire

Moonandback Interview

2012-04-13T20:40:00.001-04:00

Last week Moonandback.com posted a 4-part interview filmed with A4H President Brian Shiro at the NSRC 2012 conference in Palo Alto, California. The interview covered topics related to the Astronauts4Hire organization and Shiro's personal astronaut ambitions. Moonandback has generously allowed us to included all four videos here for your viewing convenience.

Part 1: Astronauts4Hire

Part 2: The Right Stuff

Part 3: One Astronaut’s Path

Part 4: Bettering the Long Odds

Press Release: "Astronauts for Hire" Book Available Now

2012-04-03T08:30:00.000-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 3, 2012

"Astronauts for Hire" Book Available Now

Tampa, Florida – Human spaceflight is no longer the sole preserve of professional astronauts working on government-funded space programs. As private companies build and operate launch new vehicles, a new breed of astronaut is coming into being – the commercial astronaut. Astronauts4Hire (A4H) Training Officer Dr. Erik Seedhouse’s ninth book titled Astronauts for Hire: The Emergence of the Commercial Astronaut Corps (ISBN 978-1-4614-0519-1) explores how this new breed of astronaut will be selected and trained, providing a unique insight into the kinds of missions and tasks that commercial astronauts will perform.

"Astronauts for Hire will serve as a handbook and reference guide for the nascent commercial spaceflight industry and as a guidebook for research institutions and academia seeking to employ commercial astronauts," said author Erik Seedhouse. "It will provide spaceflight enthusiasts with a unique insight into and understanding of how the spaceflight industry will be revolutionized by the emergence of a commercial astronaut corps."

The 243-page book Astronauts for Hire: The Emergence of the Commercial Astronaut Corps is published by Springer Praxis Books in its series on Space Exploration. It is available in both softcover and eBook formats wherever Springer Praxis books are sold. The table of contents and samples of the book are available on the SpringerLink website at: http://www.springerlink.com/content/978-1-4614-0519-1

The book is divided into three sections. The first part describes how the A4H organization came into being and its vision for opening the space frontier to commercial astronauts. It highlights the tantalizing science opportunities routine suborbital and orbital flights will provide and goes on to describe the training and qualification necessary for budding professional commercial astronauts. The section concludes by introducing the reader to the A4H qualification process and training programs.

The second section describes the new fleet of reusable commercial spaceships being developed that will offer quick, routine, and affordable access to the edge of space. These vehicles have the capability to carry research and education crewmembers, including “astronauts for hire.” Examining some of these specific vehicles, the book describes the hurdles the space industry must overcome before the hiring of commercial astronauts can develop into a profitable economic entity. It also provides positive suggestions on how the commercial spaceflight industry can plan and prepare for the challenges of marketing and financing the hiring of astronauts.

Looking to the future, the book’s third and final section describes the types of missions the new corps of astronauts will fly and the customers who will employ them. It begins with an assessment of suborbital flights to carry out a variety of high-altitude science studies and moves on to examine orbital science missions on commercial trips to low Earth orbit. It concludes with speculation on ways future commercial astronauts could support private enterprises at interplanetary spaceports, lunar bases, and outposts on the surface of Mars.

About Astronauts4Hire:
Astronauts for Hire, Inc. (A4H) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation whose objectives are to provide opportunities for students and professionals to develop and refine the skills necessary to become commercial astronauts and to assist these qualified candidates with networking opportunities in the space research community. A4H's commercial astronaut candidates are accomplished scientists and engineers who can support a wide variety of payloads. They are available today for contract and consulting work with researchers to design and conduct experiments on microgravity, suborbital, and orbital missions. For more information, please visit www.Astronauts4Hire.org or contact Public Relations Officer Ben Corbin at media[at]astronauts4hire.org or at (850) 685-2218.

About Springer Praxis Books:
The Springer Praxis series on Space Exploration covers all aspects of human and robotic exploration, in Earth orbit and on the Moon and planets. These books tell “behind the scenes” stories of early missions, both manned and unmanned, covering the human and engineering aspects of the space programs of all the leading spacefaring nations. Accounts of planetary exploration encompass the very early missions through to the very latest results received from space probes to the planets and their moons. For more information, please visit www.springer.com or contact Megan Ernst at megan.ernst[at]springer.com or at (212) 460-1511.

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A4H Newsletter Issue #2

2012-03-30T09:00:00.000-04:00

We are proud to present Astronauts4Hire's second quarterly newsletter The A4H News. Highlights in this issue include interviews with A4H Training Officer Dr. Erik Seedhouse and former astronaut Col. Jim Voss, an announcement of the new book Astronauts for Hire, recaps of recent A4H activities, and the most important news in the commercial spaceflight industry.

Click below to view the newsletter in full screen mode, or download the PDF.

Like this? Sign up to receive email notifications for future issues of The A4H News, or contact us to learn about advertising opportunities.

Did you miss the first issue of the newsletter? Check it out here!

Women in Aerospace

2012-03-23T13:39:00.000-04:00

In celebration of Women's History Month, NASA conducted a one day conference titled "Women, Innovation and Aerospace" (WIA) at George Washington University on March 8th. A4H Associate Member Kavya Manyapu represented Boeing at the event, which highlighted women's contributions to innovation and progress in the aerospace community. The conference also focused on issues and challenges faced by women in the aerospace workforce, which is primarily dominated by men. The aim of the conference was to inspire and encourage young girls to enter science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professions. In the photo below, Kayva (right) and her colleague are pictured with NASA Administrator and former astronaut Charles Bolden.

According to a 2010 National Science Board study, women comprise less than 25% of the workforce in STEM fields. Women@NASA comprise one third of the space agency's employees, making NASA one of the largest employers of women aerospace professionals. However, only 53 of the 500 astronauts who have flown in space were women. Therefore, it is imperative that an effort be made to not only encourage young women into STEM fields but also to break down existing workforce barriers using innovative strategies to inspire, recruit, and retain women in STEM careers.

A4H shares this value and is open to prospective astronauts of any gender or nationality. Currently, 22 of A4H's 85 members are female. We are proud of Kavya's participation in the WIA conference and the valuable role she plays both within A4H and as a flight test engineer in the Boeing Commercial Crew Space Program. Like many other A4H members, Kavya has participated in a simulated Mars mission at the Mars Desert Research Station. We'll leave you with a documentary video (in French) featuring her activities there.

NSRC 2012

2012-03-10T03:31:00.000-05:00

The 2012 Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference (NSRC) was held in Palo Alto, California last week. Like its predecessors that gave rise to Astronauts4Hire (A4H), this year's NSRC provided a stimulating environment for approximately 450 attendees to discuss research and educational applications on suborbital vehicles. A record 34 organizations, including A4H, sponsored the meeting, which boasted a rare keynote address by Apollo Astronaut and X-15 Test Pilot Neil Armstrong, who is pictured with A4H Flight Members Seedhouse, Shiro, Altman, and Reimuller below. Armstrong's participation in the conference signified the growing relevance and importance of suborbital spaceflight.

More than a dozen A4H members and partners presented on a number of topics ranging from A4H's two years of remarkable growth to its commercial astronaut training programs. It seemed like hardly a session at the meeting passed without someone affiliated with A4H presenting. The photos below highlight talks given by Brian Shiro and Dr. Erik Seedhouse and posters presented by Dr. Mindy Howard and Brian Shiro with their co-authors. A full listing of A4H-related presentations given at NSRC is in our January 24 press release.

A4H partners spoke about several A4H-related projects too. Dr. Ravi Komatireddy of Vital Space presented twice on the new Sotera Wireless Visi Mobile^TM biometric monitoring system and the upcoming parabolic flights with A4H test subjects. Janna Kaplan of the Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory presented twice on the space motion sickness and disorientation training protocols developed jointly with A4H. Dr. Andrew Blaber of the SFU Aerospace Physiology Lab presented a proposed joint human factors training and research initiative with A4H too. Komatireddy and Kaplan are pictured below.

NSRC is the premier gathering of suborbital researchers, educators, and spaceflight operators. Therefore, it is a prime venue for media coverage related to those areas too. A4H issued two press releases in connection with NSRC. The first announced our upcoming parabolic flight campaign with partner Vital Space through the NASA Flight Opportunities Program, and the second outlined the proposed A4H Research Specialist and Operations Specialist Astronaut qualifications. In addition, A4H President Brian Shiro was interviewed for the March 2 episode of The Space Show, which you can conveniently listen to below (starting at approximately the 30-minute mark).

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Other notable announcements at the 2012 NSRC included the NASTAR Center's new training courses, SwRI and XCOR's flight testing partnership, XCOR secured funding to build it Lynx vehicle and announced its new Lynx payload integrators, and Virgin Galactic teamed up with Nanoracks to fly research payloads. The event was rounded out with an informative NASA Flight Opportunities panel (featuring the Vital Space-A4H project) and inspirational keynotes by Virgin Galactic chief pilot David MacKay, Challenger Center for Space Science Education founder Dr. June Scobee Rogers, and FAA Associate Administrator Dr. George Nield.

While the past two NSRC's dealt with the "why" and "how" of suborbital research, this year's gathering focused more on "what" applications can be carried out on suborbital platforms. A4H continues to help lead the way as the industry matures, and we are happy to have had such a strong presence at NSRC 2012. We thank all of the organizers at SwRI and the CSF for putting on such superb conference.

Press Release: Astronauts4Hire Announces its Commercial Astronaut Training Programs

2012-02-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 27, 2012

Astronauts4Hire Announces its Commercial Astronaut Training Programs

Palo Alto, California – After more than a year of development, Astronauts for Hire (A4H) is proud to announce its proposed training programs for Research Specialist Astronauts and Operations Specialist Astronauts. These programs, which were developed by the nonprofit in close consultation with former NASA astronauts and astronaut instructors, are the most comprehensive commercial scientist-astronaut training guidelines available in the world.

"Astronauts for Hire is proud to have integrated the expertise of experienced spaceflight professionals and top-notch training providers into a comprehensive, yet cost-effective, training program that will produce the world’s best-prepared commercial scientist-astronauts," remarked A4H Chief Operating Officer Dr. Jason Reimuller. "We will publish a full description of the training qualifications in a peer-reviewed journal and thorough training manual later this year." Interested reviewers of the draft manuscripts are encouraged to contact A4H by April 2012.

A4H Training Officer Dr. Erik Seedhouse, who has authored books on astronaut training, led the collaborative initiative to develop A4H’s training program. "Space is a dangerous and extreme environment that leaves little to no room for error, or time to correct for mistakes," said Seedhouse. "To test how quickly and creatively our astronauts can think and work with others under life-threatening conditions, they must train across multiple realistic environments."

A4H astronaut candidates follow a progressive, integrated training program, conducted in safe analog environments that emphasize the ability to perform missions effectively during all phases of flight as well as in emergency contingencies. Those selected as A4H astronaut candidates possess a unique combination of established scientific expertise, broad technical and operational skills, a history showing adaptability in challenging environments. Individuals then qualified as A4H astronauts are fully trained to meet the needs of the research and education market.

Research Specialist Astronauts are trained to be effective payload operators. They must hold a Masters degree or equivalent from an accredited institution in a relevant field of science or engineering. Training elements include centrifuge training to prepare for launch and reentry, microgravity training on parabolic flights, high altitude training to identify personal hypoxia symptoms, distraction avoidance training, unusual attitude training using aerobatic aircraft to develop spatial awareness in flight, emergency egress training to prepare for an off-nominal landing, a personal space motion sickness assessment, basic SCUBA certification for experience in a space analog environment, and completion of academic modules covering the space environment, human performance, life support systems, and spacecraft systems engineering.

Operations Specialist Astronauts will be qualified to support a wide range of mission objectives beyond payload operation. They will manage and oversee mission operations, prioritize operational and research objectives, help operate spacecraft systems, handle emergencies, and ensure the overall success of a mission and the safety of those on board. Operations Specialist candidates undergo a much broader training program compared with Research Specialists. In addition to meeting all Research Specialist requirements, the candidate must earn a Private Pilot certificate, complete aerobatic training geared around adaptability to rapidly changing G-environments, train for land and sea survival, earn advanced SCUBA certification at the Master Diver level or equivalent, obtain space motion sickness desensitization training, maintain current emergency first responder certification or equivalent, and complete a comprehensive selection of academic modules focusing on a wide breadth of knowledge including crew management, mission planning and operations, science applications, spacecraft subsystems, and navigation.

A4H Flight Members completing either training program will earn silver A4H wings corresponding to the appropriate qualification, which will be upgraded to gold wings upon the completion of their first space flights. Any person who completes all A4H training elements and has not been formally selected as an A4H Flight Member may petition for recognition of the training, which will result in the awarding of bronze wings. The first class of A4H astronaut candidates underwent training in July 2011, and those qualified as Research Specialist Astronauts will be announced by Summer 2012.

About Astronauts4Hire:
Astronauts for Hire, Inc. (A4H) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation whose objectives are to provide opportunities for students and professionals to develop and refine the skills necessary to become commercial astronauts and to assist these qualified candidates with networking opportunities in the space research community. A4H's commercial astronaut candidates are accomplished scientists and engineers who can support a wide variety of payloads. They are available today for contract and consulting work with researchers to design and conduct experiments on microgravity, suborbital, and orbital missions. For more information, please visit www.Astronauts4Hire.org or contact Public Relations Officer Ben Corbin at media[at]astronauts4hire.org or at (850) 685-2218.

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Interested parties can download and distribute the press release as a MS Word or Adobe PDF document.

Press Release: Astronauts4Hire and Vital Space Team Up for Biometric Monitoring Flights

2012-02-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 22, 2012

Astronauts4Hire and Vital Space Team Up for Biometric Monitoring Flights

Tampa, Florida – Astronauts4Hire and partner company Vital Space will test a new biometric monitoring system designed for use by spaceflight participants on a May 2012 reduced gravity parabolic flight campaign in Houston, Texas. They will undergo up to four flights with 40 parabolas each granting 25 seconds of near zero-gravity. The project is facilitated by NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program, to which Vital Space and Astronauts4Hire submitted a successful joint proposal chosen by NASA in October 2011 titled, "A demonstrated application of a cost effective and novel platform for non-invasive acquisition of physiologic variables from spaceflight participant candidates."

"The growth of suborbital spaceflight reflects a unique opportunity to capture and quantify the physiologic variables related to human performance in demanding environments," said Vital Space President and project Principal Investigator Dr. Ravi Komatireddy. "Given recent advancements in wireless medical devices, real time acquisition and monitoring of physiologic data is now possible. We are proud to be working with Astronauts4Hire to test the ViSi Mobile^TM Monitoring Platform for use by spaceflight participants."

The ViSi Mobile^TM System from Sotera Wireless has the capability to reliably capture critical physiological metrics such as continuous noninvasive blood pressure, arterial oxygen saturation, heart rate, respiratory rate, skin temperature and multi-lead electrocardiogram. Additional data from integrated accelerometers and a display will be used to remotely view, control, and assess physiologic response.

The upcoming initial parabolic flight tests will be used to collect performance and operational data on Astronauts4Hire research subjects, under direct supervision of members of the Vital Space team. The data will aid in the assessment of preflight fitness, in-flight physiological dynamics, and post-flight physiological recovery for spaceflight participants.

The May 2012 flights will be Astronauts4Hire's second microgravity research project. In February 2011, Astronauts4Hire carried out its first research flight with Vostok Pty Ltd to investigate the effects of alcohol absorption in microgravity.

About Astronauts4Hire:
Astronauts for Hire, Inc. (A4H) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation whose objectives are to provide opportunities for students and professionals to develop and refine the skills necessary to become commercial astronauts and to assist these qualified candidates with networking opportunities in the space research community. A4H's commercial astronaut candidates are accomplished scientists and engineers who can support a wide variety of payloads. They are available today for contract and consulting work with researchers to design and conduct experiments on microgravity, suborbital, and orbital missions. For more information, please visit www.Astronauts4Hire.org or contact Public Relations Officer Ben Corbin at media[at]astronauts4hire.org or at (850) 685-2218.

About Vital Space:
Vital Space is a new space startup that aims to apply state of the art mobile health technology, analytics, and multidisciplinary clinical expertise to capture human performance during aerospace training and flight. The physiologic data captured from clients will be used to validate health technology, provide clients with tools to visualize and enrich their flight experience, and further research by helping to create medical risk models for commercial spaceflight. Additionally, information regarding human performance and medical device technology will be explored for potential utility in clinical medicine and research. The upcoming parabolic flight will serve as the first opportunity to test an innovative medical device on commercial spaceflight candidates. Vital Space is working in cooperation with the Silicon Valley Space Center. For more information contact Ravi Komatireddy at ravikomatireddy1[at]gmail.com or Sean Casey at sean.casey[at]siliconvalleyspacecenter.org.

About Sotera Wireless:
Sotera Wireless, Inc. is a San Diego based medical device company dedicated to development, marketing and sale of a new generation of comprehensive vital signs monitoring. Sotera is the ancient Greek term for savior: Sotera’s mission is to improve patient safety by empowering clinicians to detect signs of deterioration in virtually any care setting and enable early intervention and rapid response,without limiting the patient’s freedom of movement. The company’s first product, the ViSi MobileTM System is currently under Federal Drug Administration (FDA) review. More information on this product and Sotera Wireless can be obtained at www.soterawireless.com or by sending an email to info[at]soterawireless.com.

About NASA Flight Opportunities Program:
The NASA Flight Opportunities Program intends to mature to flight readiness status crosscutting technologies that advance multiple future space missions. It provides frequent flight opportunities to demonstrate and develop technology payloads on both parabolic aircraft and suborbital reusable launch vehicles for reduced gravity or near-space flights. Flight Opportunities is part of the Space Technology Program within NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist and is managed at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, CA. NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, CA manages the payload activities for the program. For more information, please visit www.flightopportunities.nasa.gov. The October 2011 NASA press release announcing the Vital Space flight opportunity is available at http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/oct/HQ_11-331_CCC_Payload.txt.

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Interested parties can download and distribute the press release as a MS Word or Adobe PDF document.

Press Release: Astronauts4Hire Sponsors 2012 Next-generation Suborbital Researchers Conference

2012-01-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 24, 2012

Astronauts4Hire Sponsors 2012 Next-generation Suborbital Researchers Conference

Tampa, Florida – Astronauts4Hire is pleased to announce that it has become a sponsor of the 2012 Next-generation Suborbital Researchers Conference (NSRC) to be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Resort in Palo Alto, California from February 27-29, 2012. The NSRC will bring together researchers from government, industry, and academia in the largest forum of its kind focused on the research and education capabilities of new suborbital vehicles.

"Astronauts4Hire grew out of NSRC-2010 and was a NSRC-2011 sponsor," said Brian Shiro, President and CEO of Astronauts4Hire, "so it is fitting that we will once again support the suborbital research community by sponsoring the NSRC-2012. This will be a prime opportunity for A4H to demonstrate how far it's come in its second year and where it's going in the future."

Several members and partners of Astronauts4Hire will attend the conference, giving presentations on a range of topics, including the following:

Sunday, February 26 (19:30-21:00, Prefunction Area)
Poster: “Measuring Ion Currents and Electric Fields Caused by Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Lightning in the Mesosphere” by Brian Shiro, et al. Abstract available at http://www.boulder.swri.edu/NSRC2012/Site1//PDF/Shiro-AIA.pdf
Sunday, February 26 (19:30-21:00, Prefunction Area)
Poster: “Peak Experience: Optimizing the Conditions of Inner Space for Outer Space” by Mindy Howard, et al. Abstract available at http://www.boulder.swri.edu/NSRC2012/Site1//PDF/Howard-FT.pdf
Monday, February 27 (lunch break, Mykonos Meeting Room)
Press Conference: Astronauts4Hire will make some exciting announcements.
Monday, February 27 (15:15-15:30, Mediterranean B Ballroom)
Presentation: “Biomedical Monitoring for Suborbital Scientist Astronauts” by Erik Seedhouse, et al. Abstract available at http://www.boulder.swri.edu/NSRC2012/Site1//PDF/Seedhouse-LS.pdf
Tuesday, February 28 (09:00-09:30, Mediterranean B Ballroom)
Presentation: “Polar Mesospheric Cloud Studies from Next-Generation Suborbital Vehicles” by Jason Reimuller, et al. Abstract available at http://www.boulder.swri.edu/NSRC2012/Site1//PDF/Reimuller-ATM.pdf
Tuesday, February 28 (09:15-09:30, Mediterranean C Ballroom)
Presentation: “Suborbital Spaceflight Training: Parabolic Flight Analog Environment” by Janna Kaplan, et al. Abstract available at http://www.boulder.swri.edu/NSRC2012/Site1//PDF/Kaplan-PSRP.pdf
Tuesday, February 28 (09:45-10:00, Mediterranean C Ballroom)
Presentation: “The Perfect Fit: Parabolic Flight Testing A Novel Biosensor Package” by Ravi Komatireddy, et al. Abstract available at http://www.boulder.swri.edu/NSRC2012/Site1//PDF/Komatireddy-LS.pdf
Tuesday, February 28 (11:15-11:30, Mediterranean C Ballroom)
Presentation: “Development of an Integrated Human Factors Research and Training Program in Canada” by Andrew Blaber and Stephen Braham. Abstract available at http://www.boulder.swri.edu/NSRC2012/Site1//PDF/Blaber-FT.pdf
Tuesday, February 28 (11:45-12:00, Mediterranean C Ballroom)
Presentation: “Fitness Assessment and Exercise Training for Suborbital Scientist Astronauts” by Erik Seedhouse, et al. Abstract available at http://www.boulder.swri.edu/NSRC2012/Site1//PDF/Seedhouse-FT.pdf
Tuesday, February 28 (14:45-15:00, Mediterranean B Ballroom)
Presentation: “Ukrainian Space Research on Commercial Suborbital Platforms - Opportunities for International Cooperation” by Sergiy Ponomarenko. Abstract available at http://www.boulder.swri.edu/NSRC2012/Site1//PDF/Ponomarenko-MPO.pdf
Tuesday, February 28 (15:30-15:45, Mediterranean B Ballroom)
Presentation: “Developing Astronauts4Hire: The First Two Years” by Brian Shiro and Jason Reimuller. Abstract available at http://www.boulder.swri.edu/NSRC2012/Site1//PDF/Shiro-MPO.pdf
Wednesday, February 29 (11:15-11:30, Mediterranean B Ballroom)
Presentation: “Training commercial astronauts for spaceflight: Space motion sickness, disorientation, and altered force environments” by Janna Kaplan, et al. Abstract available at http://www.boulder.swri.edu/NSRC2012/Site1//PDF/Kaplan-LS.pdf
Wednesday, February 29 (14:35-14:43, Mediterranean Ballroom)
Workshop on NASA Flight Opportunities Program: “Application of a Cost Effective Novel Platform for Non-Invasive Acquisition of Physiological Variables from Spaceflight Participant Candidates” by Ravi Komatireddy

About Astronauts4Hire:
Astronauts for Hire, Inc. (A4H) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation whose objectives are to provide opportunities for students and professionals to develop and refine the skills necessary to become commercial astronauts and to assist these qualified candidates with networking opportunities in the space research community. A4H's commercial astronaut candidates are accomplished scientists and engineers who can support a wide variety of payloads. They are available today for contract and consulting work with researchers to design and conduct experiments on microgravity, suborbital, and orbital missions. For more information, please visit www.Astronauts4Hire.org or contact Public Relations Officer Ben Corbin at media[at]astronauts4hire.org or at (850) 685-2218.

About the NSRC:
Organized by the Suborbital Applications Researchers Group of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, the Next-generation Suborbital Research Conference (NSRC) provides a forum to learn about opportunities that new suborbital vehicles offer for research and education missions in the fields of atmospheric science, solar physics, microgravity science, planetary science, space life science, space physics, and outreach. The NSRC will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Resort in Palo Alto, CA from February 27 through 29, 2012. For more information, visit the NSRC website at http://nsrc.swri.org.

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Interested parties can download and distribute the press release as a MS Word or Adobe PDF document.

A4H Newsletter Issue #1

2012-01-06T08:06:00.000-05:00

The first issue of The A4H News is here! Learn more about where we come from, where are we headed, and how can you help! Highlights of this issue include interviews with A4H President Brian Shiro and former astronaut Dr. Scott Parazynski, along with recaps of A4H activities and the most important news in the commercial spaceflight industry.

Click below to view the newsletter in full screen mode, or download the PDF.

Like this? Sign up to receive email notifications for future issues of The A4H News, or contact us to learn about advertising opportunities. We wish everyone all the best in 2012!

Season's Greetings from A4H

2011-12-20T14:58:00.000-05:00

Dear friends of Astronauts4Hire,

In less than two years, A4H has made great strides as it fulfills its mission to build the next generation astronaut workforce. We'd like to express our profound gratitude to everyone who has made 2011 a breakout year of growth and success for A4H. Thanks to the support of A4H members, partners, and sponsors, we have achieved a lot in the past year, including:

Earning our 501(c)(3) non-profit status.
Partnering with Survival Systems USA and the Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory.
Completing Emergency Egress, Sea Survival, and Suborbital Scientist training.
Completing our first research contract and garnering worldwide media attention.
Being featured in many respected publications, including Discover, Nature, New Scientist, and Aviation Week & Space Technology.
Expanding our team of Flight Members and Associate Members to 76 (and counting).
Joining the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.
Hosting our first public webinar on astronaut selection.

Looking forward to 2012, we will continue to mature our training program, advance space research, and provide inspiration to aspiring astronauts of all ages. If you believe in the exciting potential of A4H and want to support our innovative leadership in the commercial spaceflight industry, please consider making a tax-deductible year-end gift to help lay a strong foundation for A4H in 2012. Just click the "Donate" button on our website, or contact us.

On behalf of everyone at Astronauts4Hire, I wish you a happy holiday season and successful New Year!

Warm regards,
Brian Shiro
President & CEO, Astronauts4Hire

A4H Webinar on Astronaut Selection

2011-12-15T21:07:00.000-05:00

Duane Ross (credit NASA)

The fundamental purpose of Astronauts4Hire is to provide for the needs of aspiring astronauts. While we are focused primarily on commercial spaceflight opportunities, a number of our members are also keenly interested in becoming NASA astronauts. With NASA's recent announcement that it is looking for new Astronaut Candidates, we thought there would be no better way to launch our public webinar capability with Fuze Meeting than by hosting a conversation on the current NASA opportunity with the Astronaut Selection Office. We are grateful that NASA's Astronaut Selection Manager Mr. Duane Ross participated in the event as our special guest expert.

The event was well-attended by 100 interested potential astronaut applicants, who were all encouraged to submit questions beforehand. We compiled the 100+ questions received into the top 20 to provide the main structure for the conversation. An open question and answer period at the end provided a further opportunity for guests to ask questions. The full list of questions and detailed notes describing Mr. Ross' responses are available as a PDF download.

Related Media Stories:

Press Release: Astronauts4Hire Announces FuzeBox Support and Public Webinar for Astronaut Applicants

2011-12-12T07:01:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 12, 2011

Astronauts4Hire Announces FuzeBox Support and Public Webinar for Astronaut Applicants

Tampa, Florida – Astronauts4Hire is pleased to welcome Fuzebox, Inc. to its growing list of supporters helping to further its mission to develop the next generation of astronauts. FuzeBox has granted the non-profit organization a professional-level license for its Fuze Meeting video conferencing and collaboration product. "Fuze Meeting provides a facet of communication essential for Astronauts4Hire," remarked Astronauts4Hire CTO Amnon Govrin. "It enables productive high-quality voice and video meetings among members within the organization."

FuzeBox is a personal telepresence and visual collaboration SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) company whose vision is to empower global professionals with visual collaboration, real-time communication, community, and presence on any platform. Its flagship product is Fuze Meeting, which enables cloud-based multi-party web conferencing and an easy user interface. With its members spread out across the Americas, Europe, and Asia, Astronauts4Hire relies upon the Fuze Meeting virtual collaboration tool to connect its members as it builds the suborbital frontier.

In addition to its role in facilitating internal communications within the Astronauts4Hire organization, Fuze Meeting is also a valuable public outreach tool. Astronauts4Hire will be hosting its first public webinar with the software at 3 p.m. EST on December 15, 2011. Mr. Duane Ross of the NASA Astronaut Selection Office will be the featured guest, providing insight and answering questions for anyone planning to apply for NASA’s current astronaut candidate application opportunity. Interested participants can RSVP and join the online meeting at http://a4h.eventbrite.com. Registration is limited to 100 attendees, but an audio recording will be available on the Astronauts4Hire website after the event.

"Along with Astronauts4Hire, we’re excited to be contributing to the launch of a new era of commercial space travel and exploration," said FuzeBox CEO Jeff Cavins. "Our intuitive, user-friendly software allows them to concentrate on their real mission, without the need for a lot of expensive equipment and training. In fact, Fuze Meeting makes videoconferencing and collaboration as easy as clicking on an email invitation link."

For its support of Astronauts4Hire, FuzeBox becomes an Astronauts4Hire Orbital Level sponsor. Astronauts4Hire thanks FuzeBox for generously supporting the growth of the commercial spaceflight industry. Sponsorship and donation inquiries can be sent to donate[at]astronauts4hire.org.

About Astronauts4Hire:
Astronauts for Hire, Inc. (A4H) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation whose objectives are to provide opportunities for students and professionals to develop and refine the skills necessary to become commercial astronauts and to assist these qualified candidates with networking opportunities in the space research community. A4H's commercial astronaut candidates are accomplished scientists and engineers who can support a wide variety of payloads. They are available today for contract and consulting work with researchers to design and conduct experiments on microgravity, suborbital, and orbital missions. For more information, please visit www.Astronauts4Hire.org or contact Public Relations Officer Ben Corbin at media[at]astronauts4hire.org or at (850) 685-2218.

About FuzeBox:
FuzeBox is the global leader in real-time visual collaboration applications for millions of end users across various businesses. Its applications – Fuze Meeting and Fuze Telepresence Connect, allow people to communicate, collaborate and share content from any device, across any network, anywhere in the world. Fuze Meeting is a mobile and web-based collaboration service that features integrated audio conferencing as well as high-definition, synchronized video and image sharing. Fuze Telepresence Connect is a cloud-based solution that eliminates the interoperability problem inherent in proprietary telepresence and video conferencing systems, enabling all devices including mobile tablets, to inter-operate with telepresence environments. The company’s technology is based on a real-time visual communications platform that converges telephony, high-definition, synchronized video and image sharing across the enterprise, the web and mobile networks. For more information, please visit www.fuzebox.com.

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A4H member featured in New Scientist magazine

2011-12-05T20:52:00.001-05:00

A4H Flight Member Melania Guerra has always dreamed of being an astronaut. As this week's issue of New Scientist reports, she is using her background working in extreme environments along with her training through Astronauts4Hire to achieve that lifelong goal in the post-Shuttle era of spaceflight. The article titled "Aiming for the Stars" is in the current issue on newsstands now.

As the world's #1 science and technology news service, New Scientist is the most widely circulated science publication with a global readership of nearly 900,000. The article is available online or on newsstands this week in the 3 December 2011 issue (Issue 2841). A PDF version of the article is also available for download from the A4H website. New Scientist last featured A4H through its "One Minute with Brian Shiro" interview in July 2010. A4H thanks New Scientist for taking an interest in A4H's contribution to the developing commercial spaceflight industry.

A4H members talk TED, chase dreams, and jump out of airplanes

2011-10-22T02:10:00.000-04:00

A4H members are involved in a number of worthwhile endeavors outside the Astronauts4Hire organization. Today, we'll highlight a few recent examples.

Flight Member Melania Guerra, who recently completed her Ph.D. in oceanography, spoke at the September 2011 TEDxJoven@PuraVida event in San José, Costa Rica. Her presentation titled "Realizando Sueños en Ambientes Extremos" (Fulfilling Dreams in Extreme Environments) focused on her passion for exploration of extreme environments from the seafloor to space, including how Astronauts4Hire helps her achieve her goals. You can watch the video below, but note that it is in Spanish.

Melania isn't the only A4H member with ties to the TED organization. Earlier this year, Associate Member Luke Hutchison was selected as a TED2011 Fellow and participated in the "TED2011: The Rediscovery of Wonder" conference in Long Beach, California.

YouTube made big waves last week with its announcement of the YouTube Space Lab initiative. The exciting competition will allow a few winning teenagers to fly their experiments on the International Space Station next year. Flight Member Luis Zea is a Ph.D. student at the University of Colorado who works at BioServe Space Technologies developing hardware that will fly on YouTube Space Lab missions. He has previously supported payloads on Space Shuttle and ISS missions as well. In the video below, Luis describes the OptiCell Processing Module, which is one of the four hardware options students have to choose from for YouTube Space Lab experiments.

Luis also recently gave a tour of Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser mockup from his lab at the University of Colorado. The Dream Chaser is being developed under NASA's Commercial Crew and Cargo Development (CCDev) program to take astronauts to the International Space Station. Luis describes his role in supporting the the Dream Chaser in the video below.

In other news, A4H members are involved with many other exciting projects from the bottom of the oceans to the skies above. Associate member Eddie Kisfaludy, recently completed field tests of the Virgin Oceanic submarine off the coast of Mexico. Read all about his role as Operations Manager of Virgin Oceanic in his exclusive AstronautforHire.com interview.

Flight Member José Hurtado, a geology professor at the University of Texas El Paso, has spent the past three summers training NASA astronaut candidates in field geology through the NASA Desert RATS (DRATS) program. He recently spent two weeks living alongside astronauts in NASA's Deep Space Habitat to test asteroid exploration scenarios using the SEV rovers. Read José's DRATS blog post or check out his Facebook video describing how to break into a NASA career as a geologist.

Some A4H members even like to intentionally jump out of perfectly good airplanes from time to time. Flight Member Laura Stiles spends her weekends working as a USPA Coach Instructor. Other certified A4H skydivers include Training Officer Erik Seedhouse, Associate Member Jon Boley, and Associate Member Scott Lanham, who is is an experienced military HALO paratrooper. The newest A4H skydiver is Flight Member Ben Corbin, who spent the summer earning his USPA Class A skydiving license. You can watch Ben's final check dive in the video below.

Even though skydiving is not part of A4H’s astronaut training curriculum, it is provides valuable lessons for handling oneselve in a stressful, physically-demanding environment where there are severe penalties for failure. Time to conduct experiments on suborbital spaceflights or parabolic microgravity flights is very limited, and skydiving jumps have similar time restrictions that underscore the importance of planning and rehearsing in order to successfully meet your goals. A typical jump from an altitude of 14,000 feet gives a skydiver approximately one minute of freefall time. For comparison, a single parabola on board a microgravity flight is up to 30 seconds, and the entire weightlessness time on a suborbital flight is up to 5 minutes.

Press Release: Astronauts4Hire Granted 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Status

2011-09-12T14:32:00.000-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 12, 2011

Astronauts4Hire Granted 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Status

Tampa, Florida – Astronauts4Hire is proud to announce it is now officially a public charity with tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. Contributions donated to Astronauts4Hire are fully tax-deductible retroactive to the founding of the organization on April 12, 2010. Astronauts4Hire is also now eligible to apply for government and foundation grants, which will further broaden its access to resources and strengthen its ability to serve the commercial spaceflight industry.

"Obtaining 501(c)(3) status is a major milestone for Astronauts4Hire," remarked President and Co-founder Brian Shiro. "This opens many doors for us to expand fundraising activities and fully realize our goals as a charitable educational organization facilitating the training and professional development needs of astronaut candidates. In doing so, we will create a new generation of astronauts prepared for the era of commercial spaceflight, advance space research, raise awareness of space exploration benefits, and inspire youth to pursue careers in science and technology."

Supporting its educational mission, Astronauts4Hire has developed a comprehensive training curriculum to prepare its members for the rigors of spaceflight. Members training through the Astronauts4Hire organization enjoy cost savings compared with undergoing equivalent training programs independently. They can also gain important operational experience as contract researchers carrying out experiments or operating payloads for clients on microgravity and suborbital flights. Representative areas of expertise in the Astronauts4Hire organization span medicine, biology, chemistry, physics, geology, remote sensing, astronomy, and most fields of engineering.

The Astronauts4Hire Tax Identification Number (EID) is 27-2360828. The IRS letter granting Astronauts4Hire its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status is available upon request. Donation inquiries can be sent to donate[at]astronauts4hire.org.

About Astronauts4Hire:
Astronauts for Hire, Inc. (A4H) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation whose objectives are to provide opportunities for students and professionals to develop and refine the skills necessary to become commercial astronauts and to assist these qualified candidates with networking opportunities in the space research community. A4H's commercial astronaut candidates are accomplished scientists and engineers who can support a wide variety of payloads. They are available today for contract and consulting work with researchers to design and conduct experiments on microgravity, suborbital, and orbital missions. For more information, please visit www.Astronauts4Hire.org or contact Public Relations Officer Ben Corbin at media[at]astronauts4hire.org or at (850) 685-2218.

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A4H featured in the journal Nature

2011-08-27T01:06:00.000-04:00

If you're an aspiring commercial astronaut wanting to fly experiments in space, how can you make that happen? That is the focus of a new article appearing in this week's issue of the journal Nature (Volume 476, Number 7361, pp 477-478, doi:10.1038/nj7361-477a). It features interviews with A4H's Jason Reimuller and Brian Shiro on how Astronauts4Hire is creating a new model of astronaut training in the era of private spaceflight. The pair discuss ways the A4H organization is preparing them to realize their own space research goals and the prospects for future flight opportunities with carriers like Virgin Galactic, which already has a contract with SwRI researchers.

In this new feature, author Katharine Sanderson follows up on her related February 2010 Nature article which discussed how the commercial spaceflight industry is opening opportunities for researchers like never before. We thank her for the chance to expose A4H to Nature readers. Nature is one of the world's most highly respected and cited interdisciplinary science journals.

Other popular scientific publications featuring Astronauts4Hire include last year's Discover , New Scientist, and Physics Today interviews, as well as the widespread media attention paid to our first research job (listed here and here). For more information on A4H, please see our Media page.

Press Release: Astronauts4Hire, Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Lab Partnership

2011-07-31T06:00:00.001-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 31, 2011

Astronauts4Hire, Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Lab Partnership

Tampa, Florida – Astronauts4Hire is pleased to announce it has entered into a research and training partnership with the Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory (AGSOL). The two organizations recently signed a memorandum of understanding agreement focused on addressing the goals, challenges, and issues of astronaut training for private spaceflight.

A particular emphasis of the collaboration between Astronauts4Hire and AGSOL will be improving task performance under modified gravity conditions and mitigating space motion sickness, which has plagued almost three quarters of all astronauts. Representatives from Astronauts4Hire toured the AGSOL on July 14 and gained a firsthand perspective of the lab’s capabilities to support human sensorimotor control in unusual force environments.

Located at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, AGSOL researchers have spent the last three decades studying human spatial orientation and movement control under varying gravity conditions. "Our unique ability to contribute is our expertise in studying human motion sickness," says Janna Kaplan, who researches human adaptation to various conditions of spaceflight.

The lab is equipped to train for motion sickness adaptation as well as disorientation recovery in order to reduce discomfort and improve human productivity. James R. Lackner, Riklis, professor of physiology, founder, and co-director of AGSOL, added, "We probably have more experience in parabolic flight than any research group in the world, in terms of human factors. And we have the only functioning, full-scale artificial gravity environment operational in the world in the present time."

"Assessment of each individual’s susceptibility to motion sickness and training to help manage motion sickness are of vital importance to ensure quality mission assurance," said Astronauts4Hire President Brian Shiro. "With only 5 minutes of time in microgravity on suborbital flights, we cannot afford to waste time feeling ill or disoriented and potentially jeopardize the success of a client's payload."

Astronauts4Hire Chief Science Officer Dr. Luis Saraiva, who initiated the partnership with a visit to the AGSOL in April, also strongly endorsed the lab. "I am proud to be working with the Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory to advance understanding of human performance under the provocative conditions of microgravity. They are world renowned in their field and will bring invaluable know-how to our training program."

Astronauts4Hire and the AGSOL will next work together to identify, plan, and execute research studies and training protocols to improve preparation of astronauts for private spaceflight. This will include monitoring pre- and post-flight adaptation and developing operational procedures to maximize efficiency to ensure experiment success during missions.

About Astronauts4Hire:
Astronauts for Hire, Inc. (A4H) is a non-profit corporation whose objectives are to provide opportunities for students and professionals to develop and refine the skills necessary to become commercial astronauts and to assist these qualified candidates with networking opportunities in the space research community. A4H's commercial astronaut candidates are accomplished scientists and engineers who can support a wide variety of payloads. They are available today for contract and consulting work with researchers to design and conduct experiments on microgravity, suborbital, and orbital missions. For more information, please visit www.Astronauts4Hire.org or contact Public Relations Officer Ben Corbin at ben.corbin[at]astronauts4hire.org or at (850) 685-2218.

About Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory:
The Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory (AGSOL) is part of the Neuroscience program at Brandeis University. Since 1982, AGSOL researchers have studied space motion sickness, human performance, spatial orientation and movement control in altered gravity environments, including artificial gravity, high G and weightlessness of parabolic flight, and virtual environments. For more information, please visit www.graybiel.brandeis.edu or contact Senior Research Associate Janna Kaplan at jannakap[at]brandeis.edu or at (781) 736-2038. Also see the related BrandeisNOW article at http://webserver.brandeis.edu/now/2011/july/graybiel.html.

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Press Release: Astronauts4Hire Members Complete Suborbital Scientist Training

2011-07-20T09:05:00.001-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 20, 2011

Astronauts4Hire Members Complete Suborbital Scientist Training

Southampton, Pennsylvania – The era of private astronauts conducting commercial space research missions is almost here! Eight Astronauts4Hire members have successfully completed the Suborbital Scientist Training Program at the National AeroSpace Training and Research (NASTAR) Center in Southampton, Pennsylvania. Flight Members Christopher Altman, Kristine Ferrone, Jose Hurtado, Jason Reimuller, Brian Shiro, and Alli Taylor, along with Associate Member Jules Shiohira Ung, comprised the inaugural Astronauts4Hire class to undergo suborbital scientist training and certification. Flight Member Mindy Howard also completed the course previously.

"Centrifuge and high altitude training are core training elements that NASTAR provided to our members," remarked Astronauts4Hire Chief Operating Officer Dr. Jason Reimuller. "The very realistic mission simulation in NASTAR’s centrifuge taught us how to physiologically adapt to rapidly changing G-forces, enabling us to anticipate these stresses in flight, adapt to them, and stay focused on our research tasks." Flight Member Alli Taylor added, "Training at the NASTAR Center gave me confidence in what to expect and how to perform on suborbital flights."

The three-day NASTAR Suborbital Scientist course is designed to prepare researchers with the knowledge and skills to safely cope with the rigors of suborbital spaceflight. The highlight of the first day was a session in the NASTAR high-altitude chamber that simulated an ascent to 25,000 feet and allowed the trainees to experience the effects of oxygen-deprivation, or hypoxia, firsthand. On the second day, G-tolerance flights in the NASTAR Phoenix STS-400 centrifuge subjected the trainees to maximum sustained loads of 3.5 times Earth’s gravity oriented up-and-down (eyeballs-down) and 6 times Earth’s gravity oriented front-to-back (eyeballs-in). These flights trained the Astronauts4Hire members to recognize and mitigate the symptoms of gravity-induced loss of consciousness (G-LOC). The course culminated on the third day with centrifuge runs simulating the complete suborbital flight profile of the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo vehicle.

The Astronauts4Hire trainees also completed a distraction and time management exercise to illustrate the need for planning and practice to ensure mission success during a short-duration spaceflight with limited working space and potentially stressful conditions. "The most important factor in any space mission is the team of people who work together to make it a success," reflected Flight Member Christopher Altman. "Working and training together as a team has been of invaluable experience to our professional capabilities to conduct research on future missions."

Going forward, Astronauts4Hire and NASTAR will collaborate to refine and further develop curricula to prepare future scientist crews. "The Astronauts4Hire are a committed and focused group of individuals," said Brienna Henwood, Director of Space Training and Research Programs at the NASTAR Center. "They understood the curriculum, completed Altitude Physiology, and executed proper techniques during all spaceflight launch and reentry phases of training. NASTAR Center is proud to add the eight Astonauts4Hire members to our growing list of prepared commercial spaceflight trainees."

About Astronauts4Hire:
Astronauts for Hire, Inc. (A4H) is a non-profit corporation whose objectives are to provide opportunities for students and professionals to develop and refine the skills necessary to become commercial astronauts and to assist these qualified candidates with networking opportunities in the space research community. A4H's commercial astronaut candidates are accomplished scientists and engineers who can support a wide variety of payloads. They are available today for contract and consulting work with researchers to design and conduct experiments on microgravity, suborbital, and orbital missions. For more information, please visit www.Astronauts4Hire.org or contact Public Relations Officer Ben Corbin at ben.corbin[at]astronauts4hire.org or at (850) 685-2218.

About NASTAR Center:
The National AeroSpace Training And Research (NASTAR®) Center is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Environmental Tectonics Corporation (ETC®). NASTAR Center is a state-of the art aerospace training, research, and educational facility dedicated to improving the health and safety of humans in extreme environments. NASTAR Center serves military aviation (fixed and rotary wing), civil aviation (fixed and rotary wing), space travel (government and private) and provides research support for component and human factors testing. For more information, please visit www.nastarcenter.com, or contact Director of Space Training and Research Brienna Henwood at bhenwood[at]nastarcenter.com or at (215) 355-9100, ext 1504.

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Press Release: Astronauts4Hire Members Complete Emergency & Sea Survival Training

2011-07-11T08:00:00.003-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 11, 2011

Astronauts4Hire Members Complete Emergency & Sea Survival Training

Groton, Connecticut – Astronauts4Hire members have successfully completed Dunker, Emergency Egress, and Sea Survival training at Survival Systems USA in Groton, Connecticut. These courses have prepared them with the knowledge and skills to safely cope with physical and psychological stresses encountered during emergency situations at sea. Flight Members Christopher Altman, Jason Reimuller, and Brian Shiro, along with Associate Member Jules Shiohira Ung, comprised the first Astronauts4Hire class to undergo these training certifications.

"We have learned how to appropriately prepare for and respond to onboard emergencies that require forced water landing, inverted underwater escape, and sustained survival at sea," said Flight Member Christopher Altman. Astronauts4Hire President Brian Shiro added, "I was extremely impressed by the expert capabilities of Survival Systems USA and can think of no better way to initiate Astronauts4Hire’s team training program."

Survival training is important for astronauts in order to prepare for possible emergency landings. As more than two thirds of the Earth is covered by water, astronauts should prepare for water landing and survival scenarios. While the risk of this happening is small for infrequent space travelers, it becomes more probable for professional astronauts undertaking multiple spaceflight missions. "Most spaceports launch spacecraft over water, and since ascent aborts comprise the vast majority of contingency scenarios, we can expect these incidents will result in a water landing," remarked Astronauts4Hire Chief Operating Officer Dr. Jason Reimuller. "In addition, there are many post-landing scenarios that mandate an unassisted emergency egress. This is why we require egress training for all of our qualified astronauts."

The Dunker Training program covered emergency incidents, how to prepare for them, and how to survive them after they have occurred. It included comprehensive academic modules and case studies to provide the proper context for hazards associated with aircraft or spacecraft in over-water situations. The preparation also included familiarization with the rescue equipment and devices. Astronauts4Hire members practiced brace positioning, breath hold, emergency breathing device use, orientation, and egress in the Shallow Water Egress Trainer (SWET) and Modular Egress Training Simulator (METS) under a variety of scenarios with varying aircraft roll and weather conditions. The Sea Survival program dealt with personal and group rescue techniques utilizing personal flotation, life rafts, signaling devices, and search and rescue equipment in an open water environment at sea.

Going forward, Astronauts4Hire and Survival Systems USA will collaborate to customize the courses to provide more specific spaceflight context. Survival Systems USA President Maria Hanna commented, "I was impressed by the vision of Astronauts4Hire in our initial discussions. Now, following the completion of their training with us, I am excited about the possibilities for the future – the development of customized academic modules to address capsule specific configurations and equipment, and the potential for the manufacture of another new simulator – a capsule simulator. It is initiatives such as these that will define the safety of the personnel and ultimately, the success of the industry."

About Astronauts4Hire:
Astronauts for Hire, Inc. (A4H) is a non-profit corporation whose objectives are to provide opportunities for students and professionals to develop and refine the skills necessary to become commercial astronauts and to assist these qualified candidates with networking opportunities in the space research community. A4H's commercial astronaut candidates are accomplished scientists and engineers who can support a wide variety of payloads. They are available today for contract and consulting work with researchers to design and conduct experiments on microgravity, suborbital, and orbital missions. For more information, please visit www.Astronauts4Hire.org or contact Public Relations Officer Ben Corbin at ben.corbin[at]astronauts4hire.org or at (850) 685-2218.

About Survival Systems USA:
Survival Systems USA, Inc., an employee-owned company, specializes in providing military and civilian training in water survival, aircraft ditching emergency and escape procedures for both fixed and rotary wing craft, as well as rescue, land, and sea survival techniques. For more information, please visit www.survivalsystemsinc.com or contact Survival Systems USA President Maria Hanna at mhanna[at]survivalsystemsinc.com or at (860) 405-0002, ext 15.

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Press Release: Astronauts4Hire Supports the One Flag in Space Initiative

2011-07-05T07:00:00.002-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 5, 2011

Astronauts4Hire Supports the One Flag in Space Initiative

Tampa, Florida – Astronauts4Hire proudly supports the "One Flag in Space" initiative by Blue Marble Space, a nonprofit organization devoted to enabling international unity through space exploration. Astronauts4Hire Flight Members will wear the Blue Marble emblem on their flight suits during training and flight activities beginning with our inaugural training class this July.

The historic Blue Marble image, captured by the Apollo 17 crew on December 7, 1972, is the first photograph of the full planet Earth taken by a human. It has become one of the most universally recognized symbols in the world—transcending national, political, ethnic, and religious boundaries. When shown alongside national flags on astronaut flight suits, the Blue Marble sends a universal message to present and future generations that, in space, humankind is working together for the benefit of all.

The Blue Marble symbol

"The Blue Marble symbol already has the support of several astronauts from the American, European and Korean space agencies," said Sanjoy Som, founder and Director of Blue Marble Space. "We are very excited to have the support of Astronauts4Hire, and are thrilled to be collaborating with one of the leaders who are revolutionizing spaceflight."

"Astronauts4Hire is an international organization dedicated to developing the world’s first private astronaut corps, with members representing 16 countries," remarked Astronauts4Hire President Brian Shiro. "Since we do not represent any single nation, the One Flag in Space initiative is aligned with one of A4H’s key values: space belongs to everyone."

This founding collaboration between Blue Marble Space and Astronauts4Hire serves as the keystone for a more active partnership between the two organizations. The Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, the scientific arm of Blue Marble Space which opened its doors in 2011, will actively seek NASA and NSF grants for basic and applied research. "The expertise A4H will bring together in microgravity environments will be invaluable for scientific research. We look forward to working together with A4H to align the scientific goals of experiments with the engineering requirements of microgravity flight," added Sanjoy Som.

About Astronauts4Hire:
Astronauts for Hire, Inc. (A4H) is a non-profit corporation whose objectives are to provide opportunities for students and professionals to develop and refine the skills necessary to become commercial astronauts and to assist these qualified candidates with networking opportunities in the space research community. A4H's commercial astronaut candidates are accomplished scientists and engineers who can support a wide variety of payloads. They are available today for contract and consulting work with researchers to design and conduct experiments on microgravity, suborbital, and orbital missions. For more information, please visit www.Astronauts4Hire.org or contact Public Relations Officer Ben Corbin at ben.corbin[at]astronauts4hire.org or at (850) 685-2218.

About Blue Marble Space:
Blue Marble Space is a space science and education nonprofit whose mission is to promote and enable international unity through space exploration. In addition to the One Flag in Space initiative, it is home to the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, a low-overhead institute focused on space and Earth system science. The institute is working with Teachers Without Borders to develop the "Teacher's guide to Space Technology for Disaster Management." For more information, please visit www.bluemarblespace.org or contact Sanjoy Som at sanjoymsom[at]gmail.com. A Space Policy paper on the One Flag in Space initiative is available online at http://www.oneflaginspace.org/files/som_SPJ_2010.pdf

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A4H Members Support Payloads on Final Shuttle Flight

2011-07-03T17:37:00.009-04:00

After three decades, the Space Shuttle era will draw to a close as Space Shuttle Atlantis embarks on the STS-135 mission later this week. We are proud to announce that two A4H members have supported payload integration for experiments to be flown on the final Shuttle flight.

Luis Zea assembling hardware for STS-135

Luis Zea is part of a group currently at the Kennedy Space Center integrating several payloads on STS-135. These payloads comprise multiple scientific research objectives and experiments such as cell culture investigation, assessment of risk to biological integrity from the space environment, as well as the development of a new salmonella vaccine. Luis' job covers the life of a space-based research project from concept design, research & development, testing, documentation, integration, operations, all the way through to post-landing recovery and processing.

After this final Shuttle flight, he will continue working on projects planned to leave the planet on SpaceX spacecrafts, as well as Japanese and European transfer vehicles. Working at the intersection of industry, government, and academia as part of the BioServe Space Technologies team, Luis has immersed himself with a wide range of out-of-this-world projects with Principal Investigators from NASA, university and private research programs.

As she did in May 2011 during the STS-134 mission, A4H co-founder Veronica Ann Zabala-Aliberto will also work from the Kennedy Space Center during the STS-135 mission loading microgravity student experiments into experiment racks bound for the International Space Station through the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP). During their payload integration activities, Veronica Ann and the SSEP team will also provide education and outreach to the public via live streaming USTREAM broadcasts. When Atlantis lands at the end of July 2011, she will focus her attention on the extraction of the payloads, making observations of the experiments under the microscope, and shipping then them off to the students and other Principal Investigators from around the world.

Zabala-Aliberto, who has previously worked on microgravity payloads for students and nonprofits, is no stranger to the space community. She has spent the last decade educating and inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers through her work on the Mars Exploration Rovers, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, and Mars Express missions.

To commemorate Luis' and Veronica Ann's work supporting this historic mission, as well as A4H's capabilities for payload and experiment operation, we are launching a social media campaign on Twitter and Facebook during the STS-135 mission and A4H's training activities to raise awareness of Astronauts4Hire.

Press Release: Astronauts4Hire Announces Summer Training Schedule

2011-06-28T15:49:00.004-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 28, 2011

Astronauts4Hire Announces Summer Training Schedule

Tampa, Florida – The inaugural Astronauts4Hire training class will perform a series of group astronaut training activities leading to eventual research specialist qualification during the month of July 2011.

"Our training providers have been carefully chosen to provide comprehensive initial and recurring training for Astronauts4Hire," said Chief Operating Officer Dr. Jason Reimuller. "Their training programs will indoctrinate our candidates to the environment where they will be conducting experiments, greatly increasing the probability of full mission success. Candidates will also be well prepared to effectively react to possible mission contingencies."

The upcoming group training activities include:

July 6-8: Survival Systems USA
Astronauts4Hire training participants will complete emergency escape and sea survival courses at Survival Systems USA located in Groton, CT. These programs will provide the knowledge and skills necessary to remain calm and react appropriately to on-board emergencies requiring evacuation from a spacecraft in over- or under-water situations.
July 11-13: NASTAR Center
Astronauts4Hire training participants will complete the Suborbital Scientist Training Program at the NASTAR Center located in Southampton, PA. They will undergo high altitude, G-tolerance, distraction, and spaceflight physiology training focused on the needs of suborbital scientist-astronauts.
July 14: Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory
Astronauts4Hire training participants will tour and test the facilities at the Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory located at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA. They will gain a first-hand understanding of how unusual force environments affect human sensorimotor control and orientation.

Astronauts4Hire members also plan to complete microgravity flight and wilderness survival group training activities later this year as well as accomplish individual training elements such as SCUBA diving certification, an aerobatic flight training course, and self-study theoretical courses on the space environment, spacecraft systems, and human factors.

"This is a major step for us," said Astronauts4Hire President Brian Shiro. "Training as a team and leveraging the collective power of the group are key aspects of the Astronauts4Hire philosophy. These training activities will prepare Astronauts4Hire members for a wide variety of suborbital missions and will pave the way for future opportunities."

About Astronauts4Hire:
Astronauts for Hire, Inc. (A4H) is a non-profit corporation whose objectives are to provide opportunities for students and professionals to develop and refine the skills necessary to become commercial astronauts and to assist these qualified candidates with networking opportunities in the space research community. A4H's commercial astronaut candidates are accomplished scientists and engineers who can support a wide variety of payloads. They are available today for contract and consulting work with researchers to design and conduct experiments on microgravity, suborbital, and orbital missions. For more information, please visit www.Astronauts4Hire.org or contact Public Relations Officer Ben Corbin at ben.corbin[at]astronauts4hire.org or at (850) 685-2218.

About Survival Systems USA:
Survival Systems USA, Inc., an employee-owned company, specializes in providing military and civilian training in water survival, aircraft ditching emergency and escape procedures for both fixed and rotary wing craft, as well as rescue, land, and sea survival techniques. For more information, please visit www.survivalsystemsinc.com or contact Survival Systems USA President Maria Hanna at mhanna[at]survivalsystemsinc.com or at (860) 405-0002, ext 15.

About NASTAR Center:
The National AeroSpace Training And Research (NASTAR®) Center is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Environmental Tectonics Corporation (ETC®). NASTAR Center is a state-of the art aerospace training, research, and educational facility dedicated to improving the health and safety of humans in extreme environments. NASTAR Center serves military aviation (fixed and rotary wing), civil aviation (fixed and rotary wing), space travel (government and private) and provides research support for component and human factors testing. For more information, please visit www.nastarcenter.com, or contact Director of Space Training and Research Brienna Henwood at bhenwood[at]nastarcenter.com or at (215) 355-9100, ext 1504.

About Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory:
The Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory (AGSOL) is part of the Neuroscience program at Brandeis University. Since 1982 AGSOL researchers have studied human spatial orientation and movement control in altered gravity environments, including artificial gravity, high G and weightlessness of parabolic flight, and virtual environments. For more information, please visit www.graybiel.brandeis.edu or contact Senior Research Associate Janna Kaplan at jannakap[at]brandeis.edu or at (781) 736-2038.

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A4H Supports DC Area Outreach Events

2011-06-15T13:43:00.000-04:00

A4H Flight Member Kristine Ferrone recently presented at Alice Deal Middle School's Space Exploration Day held at American University in Washington, DC on June 3, 2011. Other groups represented at the day-long event included FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation, First Orbit, Giraffe 'n' Ant, International Space University, NASA, New Space Magazine, Virgin Galactic, We Want Our Future, and more. Beginning with discussions of astronomy and early human spaceflight, the presenters transitioned to space tourism and commercial space by the afternoon.

Ferrone engaged the 300 sixth grade students with a 20 minute presentation on Astronauts4Hire and what it is like to train as an astronaut. The excited students asked many questions about A4H training activities including NASTAR, SCUBA diving, microgravity flights, and survival training. They also enjoyed watching a video of an A4H Flight Member participating in a microgravity flight. The class was asked who would like to become astronauts for hire someday. The show of hands in the photo below is a good indication of their enthusiasm for commercial human spaceflight!

Ferrone with the class of sixth graders from Alice Deal Middle School. Those raising their hands would like to become Astronaut4Hire!

The next day, Kristine joined A4H Flight Member Alli Taylor at the Federation of Galaxy Explorers' 10th annual Galaxy Ball. The festivities began with a cocktail hour and silent auction of space trinkets, including commemorative Vostok Space Beer coasters flown by an A4H researcher on a microgravity test flight. Taylor and Ferrone had the opportunity to speak with Bill Nye “the Science Guy”, who was very interested in A4H. The event also included the presentation of several awards from the Federation of Galaxy Explorers for major contributions in the field of spaceflight education.

A4H Flight Members Taylor and Ferrone with Mr. Bill Nye "the Science Guy".

Inspiring the next generation of space explorers is an important aspect of the A4H mission. We thank Alice Deal Middle School and the Federation of Galaxy Explorers for the opportunity to participate in these inspiring events.

Press Release: Astronauts4Hire Announces TargetProcess Sponsorship

2011-05-31T15:16:00.000-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 31, 2011

Astronauts4Hire Announces TargetProcess Sponsorship

Tampa, Florida – Astronauts4Hire is pleased to announce its sponsorship by TargetProcess, Inc., an agile project management software provider. As part of the sponsorship, Astronauts4Hire is receiving complimentary licenses for TargetProcess’s online project management system. Astronauts4Hire uses TargetProcess to track tasks and concentrate on applying members’ volunteered time in the most productive way.

"We are an organization spread across the United States, Canada and Europe, so communication and structured collaboration are essential to our daily business," said Astronauts4Hire Chief Technology Officer Amnon Govrin. "The customizability of TargetProcess’s On-Demand service have allowed us to adapt it to our unique needs."

TargetProcess Vice President of Business Development Andrey Mihailenko praised the Astronauts4Hire implementation of TargetProcess software, noting that "Astronauts4Hire is a great test case demonstrating that TargetProcess is adaptable to fit organizations with needs other than engineering or software development. We are extremely excited to be part of such a great program and be able to contribute to its success."

For their in-kind donation of software licenses worth $15,000, TargetProcess becomes Astronauts4Hire's first Lunar Level sponsor. In return for the sponsorship, Astronauts4Hire will proudly display the TargetProcess logo on its website and on the flight suits its members wear during their training and flight activities. TargetProcess also has the option to invite an Astronaut4Hire member to come speak at a company event.

About Astronauts4Hire:
Astronauts for Hire, Inc. (A4H) is a non-profit corporation whose objectives are to provide opportunities for students and professionals to develop and refine the skills necessary to become commercial astronauts and to assist these qualified candidates with networking opportunities in the space research community. A4H's commercial astronaut candidates are accomplished scientists and engineers who can support a wide variety of payloads. They are available today for contract and consulting work with researchers to design and conduct experiments on microgravity, suborbital, and orbital missions. For more information, please visit www.Astronauts4Hire.org or contact Public Relations Officer Ben Corbin at ben.corbin[at]astronauts4hire.org or at (850) 685-2218.

About TargetProcess:
With over 600 corporate customers in over 40 countries, TargetProcess, Inc. has deserved a reputation of being the most intuitive Agile project management tool on the market. TargetProcess supports Scrum, Lean, Kanban, XP and other agile processes, allowing development teams to easily set up custom processes and workflows of their own. Headquartered in Amherst, NY, the company delivers a project management solution that maximizes business productivity and quality assurance by making project management processes more visual and intuitive. TargetProcess is used by companies worldwide such as Sony, Epson, Johnson & Johnson, and many more. For more information, please visit www.TargetProcess.com, email info[at]targetprocess.com, or call (877) 718-2617.

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Seedhouse Completes High-G Jet Training

2011-05-25T18:45:00.002-04:00

Adding to his recent high altitude and G-tolerance training, A4H member Dr. Erik Seedhouse completed unusual attitude training in a BAE Hawk 115 at 15 Wing of the Canadian Forces Base in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The training allowed him to develop aerobatic skills to track and control aircraft motion paths during unusual attitudes and high G-forces. His first-hand account of the exciting activity follows.

At 0700 on 17th May I went to the Aviation Life Support Equipment (ALSE) office for my G-suit fitting which took about 30 minutes. After being fitted, the G-suit was tested on a rig to make sure the thing inflated properly. Once that was done I moved on to the helmet fit. Then, it was time for a review of how the parachute works – how to steer, when to release the survival pack (that's the yellow pack you can under my backside), and what to do if you have 'twists'.

Next, it was time to visit the ejection seat trainer and take an ALSE exam on what to do and not do in the event of an ejection.

After all the ALSE preparation, I waited until the next day for the Hawk flight. The Hawk can reach Mach 0.88 in level flight and Mach 1.15 in a dive. The airframe is stressed for +9 g, but the normal service limit service is +7.5/-4 g. My flight was scheduled at 0855 on Wednesday. My pilot was a German exchange pilot – Hank - who had 3000 hours in the Hawk. We listened to the METAR weather report and had the flight brief before getting suited up and walking out to the aircraft: I was grinning like Cheshire cat!

We had lifted off and within seconds were flying at 500 knots. It was surreal, because there was hardly a sound and the jet was solid as a rock – no buffetting. Nothing!. Hank gave a running commentary of what he was doing as he cranked on the speed – 530, 540, 550. Beautiful. Above the clouds at 12,000 feet, he handed me control. Awesome – that was why that word was created by the way – to describe moments just like this – absolutely awesome. I flew some tight G turns and generally flew around the area before handing the controls back to Hank who demonstrated the high G onset – 6.5 G’s in less than half a second. Wow! The 1.3 hours went by way too fast. What a ride!