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ASTRONAUTS4HIRE.ORG
The A4H NEWS
Your Spaceflight crew solution
ISSUE 4 SPRING 2013
A4H The Video
Venturing ahead to commercial spaceflight
Meet an A4H Dr. Mindy Howard Defining her own path to space
Industry Leader Christopher Ferguson From Space Shuttle to commercial space
Science + Thrills Pulling G
Surviving the demands of high G flight The A4H Beat • A4H in the News • What’s Hot 1 in Commercial Space • A4H Reaching Out
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the EDITOR’s space The past six months proved to be very successful both for A4H and the commercial spaceflight industry. While the first private spacecraft delivered cargo to the orbiting ISS, A4H members have been hard at work completing their commercial astronaut training to prepare for future spaceflight opportunities on private space vehicles. We have triumphed over many obstacles, and now as we head into 2013, the only thing that I know for certain is that there will stand many more challenges. Yet, this is when we look forward to new opportunities to make giant leaps in the year ahead. On behalf of the A4H leadership team, I want to thank you for a great year and wish you all a very happy and prosperous new year. The future our generation foresees for humankind’s progress in space is that of an innovative, robust, and sustainable space industry that is accessible to everyone. It is this future that I see A4H being instrumental in helping create!
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions regarding this newsletter or want to advertise with us, please contact us at newsletter@astronauts4hire.org
Kavya K. Manyapu Editor-in-Chief
Kavya.Manyapu@astronauts4hire.org
Gerry Manacsa Designer
Gerry.Manacsa@astronauts4hire.org
Brian Shiro Contributor
Brian.Shiro@astronauts4hire.org
Edwin Vasquez Contributor
Edwin.Vasquez@astronauts4hire.org
about astronauts4hire Astronauts for Hire is a 501(c) (3) non-profit formed in April 2010 to recruit and train qualified scientists and engineers for the rigors of spaceflight. Commonly referred to as “Astronauts4Hire” or just “A4H,” the
organization conducts a range of activities related to commercial astronaut workforce development. A4H’s principal service is to train its members as professional astronaut candidates who can assist researchers, payload developers, and spaceflight providers with mission planning and operations support. Interested in hiring A4H for a research project, training your workforce on scientific suborbital flight, or partnering with A4H? Contact us at business@astronauts4hire.org All contributions to A4H are taxdeductible (EIN: 27-2360828). If you are interested in supporting A4H’s inspiring mission at the forefront of the commercial space frontier, please contact us at donate@astronauts4hire.org
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Erik Seedhouse Contributor
Erik.Seedhouse@astronauts4hire.org
Paul McCall Contributor
Paul.McCall@astronauts4hire.org
FOLLOW @astronauts4hire
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SPRING 2013
The A4H NEWS
The Video
Venturing ahead to commercial spaceflight
Astronauts4Hire released a new video highlighting the organization’s ground-breaking mission: to develop a next-generation space workforce that can bridge the gap between researchers and the new commercial space industry. The four-minute feature includes interviews and a behind-the-scenes look at the rigorous training regimen undertaken by A4H members as they prepare to become professional commercial astronauts. video | http://bit.ly/a4h-video
r i g h t The video includes footage from training at Survival Systems USA. B E L O W A4H Members outside the NASTAR Center altitude chamber.
Click the image to view the full video on the A4H YouTube channel.
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G
PULLING by Erik Seedhouse
The A4H NEWS
EXPLORING the science and the thrills of defying gravity
Performing in a high G environment is extremely demanding on the body. G forces blood to the body’s extremities, putting the pilot, astronaut or driver at risk of G-Induced Lack of Consciousness (G-LOC). In his tenth book, Pulling G, A4H Training Officer Dr. Erik Seedhouse describes what it feels like to pull 7 G’s in a fighter plane, the G pressures on the body when driving a Formula 1 car, and many other gravity-defying vehicles. The book relates, for the first time, the effects of G in hyper-gravity and microgravity. It describes the human response to increased and decreased G and the potentially dangerous effects of high G, with particular reference to dynamic injuries sustained in high acceleration environments. Pulling G provides an overview of G-related research and the development of intervention methods to mitigate the effects of increased and reduced G. The book also considers how artificial gravity can be used to prevent bone demineralization and to reduce the effects of de-conditioning in astronauts.
Biodynamics From 1946 through 1958, Colonel Stapp pioneered biodynamics investigations, performing quantitative stress analysis of the human body to limits of voluntary tolerance of crash type impacts and deceleration. Stapp’s first project was analyzing why pilots were crashing planes. Throughout the Second World War, aircraft engineers and designers decided that humans could survive a maximum of 18G; airplane cockpits were therefore designed to withstand 18G impacts. Just how this figure was achieved, why, from whom, etc. immediately came into question by Stapp who had been carefully reviewing accident reports that revealed contradictory evidence against this number. What they found was that sometimes this G-tolerance number was too high, and sometimes it was too low. In a series of well-documented accidents involving Navy pilots, the statistics and G-loads predicted that pilots would die from the G’s they experienced. However, they lived through crashing into aircraft carriers and other aircraft at very high speeds. On the other end of the spectrum,
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there were many low magnitude and fatal crash landings that according to the numbers should have been survivable. It became Stapp’s theory that in many of these cases, the pilots probably survived the impact; however the seats, harnesses, and cockpits around them did not and were the real killers.
G-LOC An article published in 1919 by Dr. Head observed the phenomenon of “fainting in the air.” Prior to 1920, experiments had shown these blackouts lasted about 20 seconds and occurred when 4.5-4.6G was reached vertically. What was being described became known as G-induced Loss of Consciousness (G-LOC). Subsequent research showed the human body could tolerate a significant amount of force in short amounts of time, such as in crash situations. The physiological effects of G-loads vary with the magnitude of the acceleration, the duration, what axis of the body the G acts against and where on the body they are applied. Such forces impact the body in different ways. A body can be impacted either positively or negatively in each directional axis. First, when a body is accelerated in the headward position, it experiences +Gz. Positive Gz pushes the body into the seat and drains the blood from the head toward the lower parts of the body. It becomes difficult to breathe as the ribs and internal organs are pulled down, which empties air from the lungs. Blood has to be forced harder to get to the brain. The eyes, being right below the brain, are affected as well. The brain and eyes require oxygen and glucose to function properly; they both have a very small stored amount of glucose and almost no stored oxygen. The bloodstream delivers a constant supply of both of these nutrients which are essential for normal brain and eye function. Blood is constantly pumped to the head — against gravity — by the heart. This arrangement works well until the body is exposed to increased +Gz which forces blood away from the head, no matter how hard the heart works. At 2-3G, low arterial pressure in the eyes results in loss of peripheral vision, creating a tunnel vision effect. Slowly, cone vision disappears until complete vision loss and blackout. The body tries all it can to maintain cerebral blood pressure, so individuals are usually still conscious. If duration of the A B O V E Flight Member Erik Seedhouse being fitted for a G-Suit before his Hawk Jet flight.
G continues, unconsciousness follows shortly thereafter, resulting in G-LOC.
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The Fighter Pilot Aerobatic flying demands the best of both aircraft and pilot. The aircraft must be highly maneuverable, yet tolerant of G-loads. The pilot must possess skill and physiological stamina. That the aircraft must be of high quality makes sense, but why exactly are these maneuvers so demanding of the human body? At the most basic level it’s because the body’s circulatory system works based on the ability of the heart to pump blood, which is affected by partial pressure gradients, the aortic valve/eye column height, baroreceptors and the effects of gravity or accelerations. All of these mechanisms normally work in a +1Gz environment, but when the G environment is changed so are the foundations of how blood is pumped, thus altering the nutrient supply to the brain. Without this supply, the brain may cease to function properly or at all in a conscious manner. If the initial statement is true, then it is clear why the effects of the high G environment can be so important to study and understand, because without proper functioning of the brain it is quite hard to perform in a highly demanding manner. Another situation that can cause G-LOC is the “push-pull” effect. From the pilot’s perspective, this is an effective reduction to +Gz tolerance following an exposure to -Gz and may lead to GLOC or visual effects of +Gz at a loading that the pilot usually may not have any difficulty with – as low as +4G even for only short exposures. This push-pull effect is due to conflicting time constants in compensatory mechanisms when experiencing relatively negative G’s and then experiencing positive G’s in a short period of time. Because these two situations have physiologically opposite responses; when
B EL O W Ham the Astrochimp who was
starting the +G period, the starting position is much farther subjected to > 10G for space research. from what is needed to compensate for the +G experience and so it takes much longer for the body to recover.
The G Machine John Glenn called it a “dreaded” and “sadistic” part of astronaut training. Apollo 11’s Michael Collins called it “diabolical.” Time magazine referred to it as “a monstrous apparatus,” a “gruesome merry-go-round,” and, less originally, a “torture chamber.” The human centrifuge — the machine pilots love to hate— is operated by many of the world’s militaries, but its use isn’t restricted to indoctrinating pilots to G. It also happens to be the world’s most
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powerful and versatile tool for studying the G forces that are an inescapable part of flight. In Chapter 4 of Pulling ‘G’, Erik explains how the centrifuge is used as a dynamic flight simulator, capable of accurately reproducing the sensations experienced by pilots in various flight maneuvers. The chapter also takes a step back in history and describes the use of the centrifuge at the beginning of America’s space program, and how a spin in the machine was, and still is, viewed as a rite of passage and an invaluable training tool.
Feeling the G in Formula 1 On a Formula 1 track, drivers constantly fight inertia to keep their vehicles from careening wildly off the track, often coping with 3 to 5G on every corner. Fighter pilots withstand higher levels of G, but only on a vertical axis, and driving a Formula 1 car can create tougher G pressures for the body. While military pilots experience greater G loads typically aligned with the spine, an F1 driver endures these loads almost at right angles to the spine.
Punching Out While traveling at Mach 3.17 at an altitude of nearly 78,000 feet, Bill Weaver guided the SR-71 through a 35° bank turn. Suddenly, a loud bang signaled an unstart on the right engine, and the airplane rolled into a 60° right bank and pitched up. Weaver jammed the control stick to the left as far forward as it would go but got no response. He knew instantly that he would have to eject but didn’t think it would be survivable at that speed and altitude. Several seconds after the unstart, the aircraft suddenly disintegrated, and Weaver blacked out. Weaver gradually came to a hazy awareness and thought he was having a bad dream. His next thought was that he must be dead and that it wasn’t so bad. In reality, Weaver had survived perhaps the most extraordinary ejection in history.
Launch and Re-entry The first challenges faced by humans entering space are encountered during the acceleration and de-acceleration periods of lift-off and re-entry. Crewmembers on the Russian Soyuz endure four times the force of gravity. The Mercury capsules launched by the Atlas booster reached a peak acceleration of 8G during ascent, then decelerated during re-entry at loads as high as 7.8G. The Titan rockets launched the Gemini’s at 7.25G, the Saturn 5 peaked at 4G, and the Apollo capsules returning from the Moon re-entered the atmosphere at over 6G. During ballistic re-entries, crewmembers may experience more
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than 8G, a level that can cause compacted bladders, bursting red blood cells, subdural hematomas, the inability to breathe, and the cessation of circulation.
microgravity Aboard a specially modified Boeing 727, weightlessness is achieved by flying aerobatic maneuvers known as parabolas. Specially trained pilots perform these aerobatic maneuvers allowing passengers to experience true weightlessness. Before starting a parabola, the aircraft flies level to the horizon at an altitude of 24,000 feet. The pilots then pull up, gradually increasing the angle of the aircraft to about 45° to the horizon reaching an altitude of 34,000 feet. During this pull-up, passengers feel the pull of 1.8 Gs. Next the plane is “pushed over” to create the zero gravity segment of the parabola. For the next
Image: NASA
20-30 seconds everything in the plane is weightless.
Artificial Gravity Artificial gravity is a common technology in science fiction movies. For example, in the Star Trek universe, artificial gravity is achieved by the use of ‘gravity plating’ embedded in a starship’s deck, while the science fiction classic 2001: A Space Odyssey features a rotating centrifuge in the Discovery spacecraft. While astronauts would love to have gravity plating, it’s likely this technology won’t be available for some time, whereas the technology depicted in Stanley Kubrick’s classic is much closer to the horizon. Pulling G (ISBN 1461430291) is available for purchase on Amazon now.
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Word has gotten out that Astronauts4Hire is an exciting,
A b o v e Associate Member Kavya Manyapu and her dive buddy explore Palancar Reef, Cozumel.
vibrant organization offering a supportive community
University of Munich.
to aspiring astronauts. A4H has grown tremendously over the past year from just a few dozen people to over
In November, Flight Members Brian Shiro and
100 members. Members are involved in a wide array of
Christopher Altman attended the 2012 Pacific
professional activities, making notable accomplishments
International Space Center for Exploration Systems
in recent months.
(PISCES) forum in Hawaii. The meeting focused on
Two Associate Members have earned high-profile
developing a research park devoted to planetary analog
research flights. In November 2012, Bill Tandy flew
research to enable sustainable space exploration beyond
aboard ZERO-G’s Weightless Lab through Space Florida’s
Low Earth Orbit (LEO). During the conference, they had
Sub-Orbital Incentive Program. His Ball Aerospace
the opportunity to interact closely with Dr. Buzz Aldrin
research team studied control of objects in both nominal
regarding his plan for establishing a permanent Mars
and reduced gravity environments. Akram Abdellatif’s
settlement. In 2012, Shiro participated in a PISCES field
experiment “Egypt against Hepatitis C virus” will fly as
project assisting NASA in its field operations test of the
the first Microcapillary Protein Crystallization System
RESOLVE lunar rover.
payload on the ISS through Space Florida’s ISS Research
Flight Member Amnon Govrin completed an aircraft
Competition. It is slated for a March 2013 launch from
ditching, sea survival and underwater egress training
Cape Canaveral, FL on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Akram’s
course at ProAviation in Canada in November. This puts
partners include the German Aerospace Center and
him a step closer to earning his Research Specialist wings.
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ues to sell well, and quantities have nearly run out. BE L O W Flight Member Christopher Altman with Buzz Aldrin at the PISCES
Conference.
Flight Member Jon-Erik Dahlin was recently elected chairman of the Swedish Space Society, which advocates space activities in Sweden. The organization teamed up with the Swedish National Museum of Science and Technology to offer regular public presentations by invited speakers on a variety of space topics. For more information, go to http://www.svenskarymdsallskapet.se On the educational front, Associate Member Ann-Sofie Schreurs recently completed her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Sussex, UK and is now a postdoc studying the effects of microgravity and radiation on bone loss at NASA Ames. In November, she presented a paper titled “Exogenous Superoxide Dismutase
Amnon also had the opportunity to attend the Wings of
potentially protects osteoblast progenitors from ionizing
Hero Gala at the Museum of Flight Seattle in September,
radiation” at the American Society for Gravitational and
where he spoke with commercial space industry repre-
Space Research meeting in New Orleans.
sentatives, NASA astronauts, and spaceflight participants. You can read more about his experiences on his blog at
Associate Member Paul McCall continues his studies as
http://www.spacepirations.com
a PhD candidate at Florida International University where
Associate Members Kavya Manyapu and Garry Livesay
he researches EEG signal processing and brain-machine interfaces for space-based applications. He was recently
have likewise been busy with their training. Kavya com-
honored with the “Outstanding Scholar Award” for his
pleted NAUI Open Water Scuba certification in Septem-
work at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Schol-
ber. She has accumulated over 5 hours of aerobatic flight
ars Program at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico.
training in a Super Decathlon practicing Rolls, Loops, Half Cuban eights, Hammerheads and inverted flight. Also in
Associate Member David Wassell completed a Master’s
September, Garry completed his Night Diving and Lim-
degree in Process Engineering in December 2012, adding
ited Visibility certifications with SDI as he works towards
to his previous PhD in chemistry.
completing his Master Diver rating. Garry blogs his progress at http://www.bronzeastronautwings.com Flight Member Erik Seedhouse’s tenth book, Pulling G: Human Responses to Increased and Decreased Gravity, came out in September 2012, and his eleventh book, SpaceX: Making Commercial Spaceflight a Reality, will be released in February and is available for preorder on amazon.com. Word has it that Erik’s popular fifth book, a b o v e A4H Associate Member Paul McCall receives the Outstanding Scholar Award.
Prepare for Launch: The Astronaut Training Process, contin-
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Associate Member Karina Descartin was recently awarded the Wright Fellowship for her studies at Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine, where she is working on an MS in Aerospace Medicine to add to her previous MD. Karina plans to pursue research in longterm spaceflight fatigue countermeasures along with parallel applications in terrestrial wellness. Finally, we would like to congratulate Associate Member Eduardo Llama for the patent he was granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office on November 27 pertaining to navigation algorithms he developed that determine the aerodynamic angles of a spacecraft capsule during atmospheric entry. The algorithms will help to increase the probability of flying a successful emergency ballistic entry in emergency situations.
SEND IT TO THE
MOON Send your Payloads Experiments Creations Memorabilia to the lunar surface.
Visit www.earthrise-space.org for details.
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Dr. Mindy Howard is the Founding Director and Lead Trainer of Inner Space Training (IST), the first space training company to psychologically
Meet an a4h
Dr. Mindy HOward
Defining her own path to space
by Kavya Manyapu
prepare commercial astronauts for their space flights. With a dream of becoming an astronaut, Dr. Howard obtained her BSc and MSc in Industrial Engineering in the United States (SUNY Buffalo and University of Massachusetts at Amherst) and a PhD in Industrial Engineering from the Technical University Eindhoven in the Netherlands. An American by birth and a resident of the Netherlands, she began her career at the Royal Dutch Shell Group in The Hague in 1994, and has held numerous technical and leadership roles there. Dr. Howard has completed her Suborbital Scientist certification at the National AeroSpace Training and Research (NASTAR) Center and presented several papers at recent Next Generation Suborbital Researchers Conferences (NSRC). In addition, she is a certified PADI open water SCUBA diver and has taken an emergency egress course in helicopter ditching. Her hobbies include playing drums in a band, cooking, skydiving, bungy jumping, skiing, and animals. L E F T A snapshot into the future — Dr. Howard
at the Holland Space Center.
Image: ESA/NASA “Be in Space” Holland Space Center 2012
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Q&ADr. Mindy HOward Meet an a4h flight member
Tell us about yourself and how you ended up in A4H. As many people in A4H, I had a dream to become an astronaut since I was a little girl, specially being inspired by the TV show—The Six Million Dollar Man. I seriously wanted to be bionic (who doesn’t, right?)! After practicing running in slow motion more times than you can count as a kid, as a young adult I started to investigate what it takes to become an astronaut, understanding what the requirements were and doing whatever was necessary to get there. During my Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering, I managed to get a NASA Student Researcher’s Grant and did my research at NASA Langley with NASA research pilots as subjects in my experiment. The thesis was about predicting fault diagnosis errors for pilots by understanding their mental models of the aircraft. Al-
a b o v e Dr. Howard prepares for NASTAR suborbital scientist training.
though I was doing my work in the aerospace division at NASA, I still got lots of positive reinforcement from the pi-
countries on various projects. In my last position in Shell, I
lots I was working with, who knew other astronauts, and
was the Global Sustainability and Environmental Manag-
told me that ‘I was the right stuff’ to become an astronaut.
er for one of our major businesses.
Looking back now, I realize how important it is to give these kind words of encouragement to others, because
Two years ago, Shell went through reorganization, and I
those words can mean a lot, as they did with me.
volunteered to leave the company to focus myself in the space industry. When I expressed my interest of becom-
After my MSc in Industrial Engineering I decided to go
ing an astronaut as my “next” job, Shell agreed to cover
to Europe to see the world from a different perspective
my costs for the NASTAR Suborbital Scientist Training
and get my PhD in Industrial Engineering at the Eind-
Program in 2010. It was there that I first heard about
hoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. Later,
Astronauts for Hire, and knew that I wanted to become a
I applied to NASA’s astronaut selection and have been on
member. Within a week of going to NASTAR, I made some
their ‘Highly Qualified Astronaut Candidate’ list several
inquiries about when the next selection for A4H flight
times in the last 18 years, but have yet to make it to the
members would be and expressed my interest. I think I
‘interview’ stage. I decided to stay in the Netherlands
might have been the only person who had completed the
after getting a good job in Royal Dutch Shell Group, and
NASTAR course in A4H at the time, so I think that helped in-
worked there for 17 years in different positions. As a re-
crease my chances of getting accepted as a flight member.
sult, I got a chance to see the world and travel to over 50
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What’s your role in A4H and how are you contributing to the goals of A4H?
ing, say at a conference or training, I volunteer (implicitly or explicitly) to facilitate team building activities.
I am currently a flight member and in the Training Com-
What training have you completed with A4H?
mittee at A4H. I participate in the monthly telecoms with
I have completed several trainings which are necessary
my “two cents”. I enjoy being in the training committee
for the Research Specialist A4H Requirements: I have
and offering my expertise because it also ties into my
an MSc Degree, FAA Class II Medical, hypoxia training,
new business, IST. Although I don’t have an official role in
acceleration training in a centrifuge, egress training,
A4H, I do like to observe and facilitate group interaction
distraction factors and time management training, and
especially when I see things going pear-shaped, or if I
PADI Open Water SCUBA. So I am pretty close to becom-
notice any individuals who are feeling left out, who don’t
ing a Winged A4H Member. I just need an aerobatic flight
feel invited enough to make a contribution. Sometimes
(I have actually done unusual attitude training in a fixed
that happens in groups, even though it’s not the inten-
simulator this past year), a parabolic flight, motion sick-
tion of the group members. Because there are always
ness assessment and completion of the academic mod-
new people coming onboard into A4H, I think we all need
ules. I was hoping to complete disorientation training this
to make an active effort to watch out for each other and
year, but because most of the training is offered in the US,
show respect to people and their insights as individuals
I needed to combine it with another trip to the states for
rather than only focusing on a task that needs to get
financial reasons, so it didn’t end up working out in 2012.
done. In general, I find that we are pretty good at being
But I will try and find another opportunity to go in 2013! I
cognizant of this, but I think most groups can always im-
also plan on doing my parabolic flight in 2013 as well.
prove. So when we do actually have a face to face meet-
Tell us about the Inner Space Training you created to prepare commercial astronauts for their space flights?
B EL O W Dr. Howard with the MindSpa Brainwave device, “Entrainment
Technology for Peak Performance in Athletes”.
While at the Suborbital Research Scientist course at NASTAR, I noticed that there were individual differences between the 8 people in terms of how people performed on the various tasks and the degree that they were nervous about going into the centrifuge. Some of the differences in performance (e.g. who was more likely to black out, or lose their peripheral vision), could be explained, in terms of anthropometric (body shapes and sizes) differences. For example, people who are tall and have a large distance between their brain and heart are more likely to lose blood supply to the brain in the centrifuge compared with shorter people. But what was interesting for me to observe were the different reactions people gave when they were nervous (e.g. panic, or freeze). Sometimes the person whom you would think would be least likely to freeze or panic (usually the one with the ‘big mouth’) was
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actually the one who did. So it struck me as strange that in the entire astronaut training which exists, there was no training out there on the market to psychologically prepare astronauts for their spaceflights (NASA and ESA included). There must be a need for this, especially when you are talking about commercial flights that will only be about an hour long with only 4 minutes of weightlessness. Astronauts must be calm and fully aware (i.e. not in a panic) or else their experience will be over before they know it!
Apart from A4H training, what other training have you completed, and how are you preparing yourself to be a commercial astronaut? Preparing to be a commercial astronaut is not only about training oneself psychologically and physically. To me, it’s also learning about the commercial space environment in terms of being a researcher, tourist, crew member and an ambassador. Currently, I am getting involved with all of
abov e Dr. Howard demonstrates the MindSpa Brainwave with A4H co-
these aspects. I am presently working on a few research
founder and Associate Member Ryan Kobrick.
projects with the Dutch Air Force and the International Space University together with IST. In overseeing this research, using the technology that we use at IST, I hope I’ll be able to learn how to perform well in a microgravity environment. In addition, by providing training at IST, I am able to network with other (commercial) astronauts and learn about their motivations and expectations to go into space, which is quite important, especially if you want to satisfy your customers. Lastly, I am involved in “ambassadorial” duties by giving talks about commercial space for special interest groups, writing technical papers for conferences and being a ‘space correspondent’ for Dutch radio. All of these activities will help in making me more knowledgeable and credible in the commercial space community. And of course, being an active member in A4H is preparing and exposing me to the challenges ahead in building my experience and skills to be a competent commercial astronaut.
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Image: NASA
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Eyes on the Stars
International Space Station. “Despite one of its engines failing in mid-launch, the first commercial resupply
A4H President Brian Shiro was a guest on NPR’s All
mission to the International Space Station continues.
Things Considered, discussing his personal quest to
‘I think what they experienced was as bad as it could
become an astronaut through both NASA and commer-
get, or pretty close, which is good, because even with
cial space opportunities. The story covered NASA’s future
that engine failure they succeeded,’ said Ben Corbin,
and the private endeavors ushering in a new era of space
spokesperson for Astronauts4Hire.”
exploration. Others interviewed included astronauts John Grunsfeld and Michael López-Alegría.
article | http://bit.ly/falcon9-anomaly
article and audio | http://bit.ly/a4h-on-npr
A4H and the Future of Commercial Spaceflight
Astronauts and Radiation Risk
A4H Training Officer and Flight Member Dr. Erik Seedhouse appeared on The Space Show to speak about his
A4H President and Flight Member Brian Shiro repre-
book, Astronauts for Hire, which covers the A4H’s origins
sented astronauts’ views on spaceflight risk in light of
and its role in commercial spaceflight. This followed Erik’s
research linking cosmic radiation to accelerated onset
September 30 appearance on The Space Show, where he
of Alzheimer’s disease. “Astronauts are very much aware
discussed his other recent book Ocean Outpost.
of the risks associated with space travel, but they have a strong drive to explore and discover, even if the job can
audio | http://bit.ly/spaceshow-a4h
be hazardous,” Brian Shiro told TechNewsWorld.
Radio Interview: Dr. Mindy Howard
article | http://bit.ly/radiation-risk
Flight Member Dr. Mindy Howard spoke on Den Haag
SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch Coverage
FM 92.0 about A4H and her company Inner Space Training in an October 21 interview. Mindy appeared
A4H Public Relations Officer and Flight Member Ben
again on December 23 to recap the year in space for
Corbin was quoted in TechNewsWorld’s report on
Dutch listeners.
the successful October 2012 SpaceX mission to the
AUDIO (in Dutch) | http://bit.ly/howard-a4h
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Image: Boeing
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Christopher J. Ferguson is a retired NASA astronaut and a US Navy Pilot. He commanded Atlantis on STS-135, which was the final mission of the Space Shuttle program. In 2006, he served as a pilot on his first mission to space on STS-115 and later commanded STS-126 aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour. Ferguson currently works for The Boeing Company as the Director of Crew and Mission Operations designing the CST100 for the Commercial Crew Program.
Image: NASA
What do you think makes the CST-100 spacecraft and Boeing stand out from the Commercial Space competition? Well, it’s hard to know, because we don’t know what they (other companies) are doing, which actually makes this competition part fun. You are allowed to be innovative,
Image: BLM Nevada
and you are allowed to also retain your proprietary work. But what makes the Boeing vehicle good? I like the fact that it’s simple, very redundant, and low cost which sometimes doesn’t necessarily go hand in hand with each other. We (Boeing) made the vehicle elegantly simple, yet [as] redundant as I think you possibly can. Generally pilots want really cool things, so from that perspective it’s not a Cadillac but it’s kind of like a really nice Honda. It’s a proven design that does not have a lot of low Technology Readiness Level (TRL) type systems in it. We are using a proven concept for return from orbit. Flying planes is great, but from a simplicity standpoint it’s great to have a capsule. Capsules are inherently stable; they can come back with no power, so you can incur a lot of faults and still be able to get back home safely. We can land just about anywhere if we have to. We are targeting some specific areas in the United States, but the spacecraft has the ability to land anywhere. I like the
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booster we are flying on; United Launch Alliance (ULA) is taking great measures to make the already existing reliable Atlas booster even more foolproof in the form of an Emergency Detection System that will detect faults. This is very parallel to the Gemini program where we had a reliable booster that was designed and then was layered with another level of safety to make itself recognize dangerous fault conditions and initiate an abort. I like the fact that we are using a foolproof abort system that we do not jettison when you’re done with it; we don’t just retain the motors, but we retain the fuel that we use on orbit. It seems like a very foolproof, yet simple design that serves a point function. Its not designed to be all things to all people, but it is designed for a short, specific mission to a destination in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and to return, and we are doing it at a fraction of the cost that Shuttle was done.
Is NASA presently Boeing’s only customer for the CST-100? Who are your other potential customers, and how do you plan to reach out to them? Right now, NASA is funding our development. We are building this vehicle to NASA’s specifications. They are a big investor, and we are building a vehicle that they are ultimately looking for. That said, are there other potential customers whose needs would be met by the vehicle we build for NASA? Yes there are, and one of them is the Bigelow Aerospace. Bigelow is a very innovative company that wants to build a Space Station that can be used for microgravity research domestically and for foreign government perhaps. We have been approached by them to provide a transportation method to service their space station. We have also enlisted the services of Space Adventures, which is a contracting company that did a lot of negotiations for some of the Soyuz commercial flights to the ISS. Once we begin to demonstrate our capability, I completely foresee that there will be not just one or two customers but a number of customers will be brokered through some third party.
Do you think the public will ever ride on a Boeing spacecraft? That’s one thing that Boeing really brings to this game. People ride on Boeing airplanes everyday. Boeing is the biggest airplane manufacturer, and there are more Boeing products flying than anything else in the world today; people feel comfortable getting on that airplane. Air travel has become so safe that people have come to expect that kind of service no matter what Boeing product it is. If it is not good, Boeing isn’t going to fly it because we don’t want to suffer the repercussions of an incident or accident when Boeing is in charge. Hence, you know that it is going to be held to the highest rigors of safety and reliability if there is a Boeing name on the side, and we expect that
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Image: Boeing
The A4H NEWS
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scrutiny from within the Boeing organization as well as from our potential customers — NASA and Bigelow. o p p o s i t e Boeing’s CST-100 spacecraft is
designed to be “simple, very redundant, and low cost.”
What in your opinion are some of the major challenges the commercial space industry faces, and how do you think we can overcome them?
M I D D L E The CST-100 is shown docking with the proposed Bigelow space station.
In addition to getting the hard stuff done, that is putting a mission together,
B O T T O M Parachutes are deployed from the
putting a system together that works, one of the big things that people don’t
CST-100 as Boeing conducts its first parachute drop test at Delamar Lakebed, NV.
think about is liability. We are very sensitive to liability in this country. Boeing is very sensitive to creating third party injury where Boeing could be held accountable for an accident. We don’t anticipate things like that to happen, but we insure ourselves, just like we do when we drive a car. We insure ourselves
Image: Boeing
when we fly a rocket, and that kind of insurance is very expensive. So these little things that the companies don’t think about when they go into this business, these added costs are very significant. Therefore liability is a major challenge. We are doing this whole operation without the global reach that NASA had. When we flew the Shuttle or the Apollo missions, you could land anywhere in the world, and you were sure that a Navy vessel was not too far away to come and get you. You have this exposure to the world wide network of ground based satellites that were all government owned and airborne satellites that could relay communications for you that were government owned. Now, we are buying these services on the open market in terms of ground services and satellite coverage. Government had an incredible resource from which they could choose, whereas commercial companies need to pick and choose these services, and it gets expensive. Therefore, we have to work very efficiently
Image: Boeing
and maybe forgo some things that NASA routinely did, or maybe get NASA to assume the responsibilities for global outreach services such as worldwide rescue. So these are these some of the challenges that the commercial space operations might be facing.
Apart from Commercial Crew where do you envision commercial procurement supporting future space endeavors? Two things specifically come to my mind, and of course we are not limited to these. Fuel is a precious commodity in space, and we are just not making any of it in space. If we put our minds to it, we probably will be able to make a lot of it on the surfaces of Moon and Mars. But what can we do commercially to advance NASA’s mission is we can probably haul their fuel to space for them and be their tankers. To provide an analogy, it’s like the commercial maritime ships providing support to warships for forward operations. I don’t view this
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as any different to what we want to do. Let NASA be the forward deployed exploration arm discovering what life is like living at L2 for six months, or go to a Martian orbit, but we will be there to provide support services to make these missions successful. There is a lot to be gained doing things outside the influences of the atmosphere that we normally think of as only being performed on earth. One of them that I think is just going to be key for future exploration is stereolithography—the manufacturing of goods off the planet. We are never going to get beyond LEO for a very long time unless we can fix the things that we take with us. Right now, we bring spares with us to orbit, and if a computer breaks we just replace it with a whole new computer. We should get better at these kinds of things and fix them as we go — be able to make a new part, bring your pocket 3D sintering machine, and make yourself a new widget for whatever it is that broke. I think as commercial providers we can bring these things to market and offer them up. NASA may develop them in house, but it would be feasible if we could offer the government survival kits for space. That’s how we (Boeing) and the commercial space industry can innovate to make NASA’s business easier. There are a couple of areas out there, such as in situ manufacturing and building a facility on the surface of the Moon, that I think will be commercial ventures. It is not a question of ‘if’, but it is a question of ‘when’ these will take shape, and it is inevitable. Space is just such an unforgiving environment that the more you can prepare yourself for the eventualities of things breaking down, the better you can explore.
Being a former NASA Astronaut and the commander for the last shuttle mission STS-135, how in your opinion would training compare for commercial verses NASA astronauts? That’s a good question, and we are thinking about that now. We are trying to make the commercial vehicle a lot simpler to operate than the space shuttle. The shuttle was wonderful but was labor intensive and required a lot of intervention by a human, and there are a lot of different facets of the mission that we think you can automate. Now, that’s not to say automation is always better. Automation has a lot of overhead too, as it requires a lot more planning on the ground. And this is what I struggle with— if you had the ability to automate something, does the pilot not provide a level of redundancy to whatever it is you have automated? Can you not always use the pilot as a way to recover from whatever automation has failed, and if you need to prepare the pilot to take over in any case, then don’t you have to train the pilot just as much if not more to cover an automatic vehicle than if you let the pilot
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T O P Ferguson and the crew of STS-135.
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fly himself? So we are going to struggle as we approach flying operations here; we are going to have to get very comfortable with the way our vehicle works automatically to say we really don’t need to train our pilot that heavily because the automation works. But, until we get comfortable, we are going to train our pilots just as much in how to do things like perform an orbital burn, or avoid a piece of space debris, or how to come back manually from the ISS, in case our vehicle has a failure and has to do a manual deorbit burn or the like. So there will be some training involved, but ideally several years from now we will get so comfortable with automation that we will limit the training the pilot receives to specific events. The pilot would be more of a systems’ monitor but would still need to know how to maneuver the spacecraft. The CST-100 is completely autonomous from launch to landing. For an ideal mission the pilot should never have to get involved other than to monitor the systems and just to be there in case something unexpected may happen. We will always have the ability to take over, fly manually, perform an abort, and
Image: NASA
Image: NASA
execute an orbital burn manually.
As a former NASA Astronaut and a current leader in the Commercial Space sector, what advice can you offer to commercial astronauts-intraining, such as the members of Astronauts4Hire? Well, I’ll give you the first answer, what was the secret of my success? I’m not really sure. I think that having the ability to spatially orient yourself is really kind of the key. You wouldn’t think it is, but generally those who were successful astronauts and pilots were the ones who made very successful robotic arm operators and also performed well in the Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL). There is something inherent about that ability to visualize things in three dimensions, understanding the spatial relationship of things regardless of which attitude you are in. I think being a pilot helps you develop those skills. It does not mean you cannot be an astronaut if you are not a pilot, but there is an intrinsic ability in some people to be successful in that realm, and being a pilot actually fosters that development. Another important aspect is getting close to the space program. I encourage folks to get into the space program. You may really want to be an astronaut, but it would be harder to become an astronaut if you are not working in the space program.
B O T T O M Ferguson trains in the Space Shuttle
simulator.
You may consider doing a co-op or an internship with NASA when you are a student, or work for a company that specializes in space products, etc. The closer you are to the space program, the more you will understand, and the more you will appreciate the qualities that are inherent in those who have become astronauts.
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Image: NASA
The A4H NEWS
Expandable Module on Space Station
Commercial Test Pilots to Launch to LEO by 2015
NASA announced the terms of a landmark deal that will
Garret Reisman from SpaceX stated at a NASA news
allow Bigelow Aerospace, a private company based in
conference in Kennedy Space Center, “the commercial
North Las Vegas, to attach one of its inflatable habitats to
crew program is
the ISS. The deal gives the company, founded by hotelier
to certify systems astronauts to the space station”, but within the safety panel’s concern is the option that
Image: SpaceX
that will fly NASA
A B O V E NASA Astronaut Rex Walheim stands inside the Dragon Crew Engineering Model at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California.
Image: NASA
NASA could ask its commercial partners to fly the preliminary orbital flights with their own crew before NASA Astronauts can be aboard the commercial crew vehicle.
Robert Bigelow, the opportunity to test a new type of
READ | http://bit.ly/SpaceX-humans-2015
space dwelling that would stay attached to the station
Liftoff! SpaceX Dragon Launches First Private ISS Cargo Mission
for at least two years. Under the agreement, NASA would pay Bigelow Aerospace nearly $18 million for the module, which is about the size of a large bedroom. It would be
The unmanned Dragon space capsule, built by commercial
used to increase the amount of living space aboard the
spaceflight firm SpaceX, roared to orbit atop the
station, which itself is about as big as a football field.
company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force
READ | http://bit.ly/Bigelow-ISS
Station, beginning a three-day flight to the space station.
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On October 7, 2012, SpaceX landed in the history books as
your astronaut profile and let the world know why you
the first private company to launch a spacecraft on a cargo
deserve to go to space.
mission to ISS. The mission is the first of a dozen SpaceX
article | http://bit.ly/Aldrin-AASA
cargo flights under a $1.6 billion deal with NASA for its
Space Insurance
Commercial Resupply Services program. Dragon returned to earth safely splashing down in the Pacific carrying return
Members of the congress extended the government
cargo from ISS in the morning hours on October 28.
risk-sharing for commercial launch companies, which
article | http://bit.ly/SpaceX-Dragon-launch
require the commercial launch companies to purchase insurance for any probable damage to third parties. But,
SpaceX Tests Reusable Rocket, Lucky Dummy Cowboy Goes for an Exciting Ride
what about personal space travel insurance? Aon Risk
On December 17, 2012, SpaceX documented a successful
for an insurance policy providing comprehensive and
29 second test flight of the reusable rocket Grasshopper in
customized protection for space travelers. If you have
efforts to colonize Mars, Mr. Musk said “ reusable rockets
purchased a ticket on the Lynx Spacecraft and for any
like the Grasshopper are the ‘pivotal step’ in achieving
reason is cancelled, delayed or even it doesn’t come back
that”, the cowboy dummy rose 131ft and hovered until
on time from space for your Monday morning meeting,
safely landed on the launch pad using closed loop thrust
Aon has you covered!
vector and throttle control.
article | http://bit.ly/space-travel-insurance
Solutions partnered with Space Expedition Corporation
Image: SpaceX
article | http://bit.ly/spacex-reusable-rocket
A B O V E Perspective: The six-foot tall cowboy dummy that rode the Grasshopper rocket all the way - and survived.
Smell Good in Space with the AXE Apollo™ Space Academy (AASA) Buzz Aldrin has joined the team of AXE to send 22 explorers to a suborbital flight more than 100 kilometers into space, achieving astronaut status. Space Expedition Corporation (SXC) secured the seats in the Lynx Spacecraft from XCOR. All you have to do is sign up at axeapollosweepstakes.com and create
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Image: Golden Spike
Private Company aims for Manned Moon Mission by 2020 Golden Spike, a new private venture, aims to sell manned trips to the moon by the end of this decade. Alen Stern, the Golden Spike’s CEO, and Chairman of the Board Gerry Griffin, a former Apollo flight director and NASA Johnson Space Center director, announced their plans on December 6, 2012. For the same price as many unmanned robotic missions, Golden Spike will provide a round trip for two humans to the moon. article | http://bit.ly/Golden-Spike
Virgin Galactic’s SpaceshipTwo Passes Key Flight Test A B O V E Golden Spike announced its plans to offer round trips to the moon aboard commercial spacecraft like this lunar lander concept.
On December 19, 2012, Virgin Galactic suborbital SpaceshipTwo completed a key flight test at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California — an on-the-fly appraisal that serves as an important precursor to upcoming hot-engine flights using its hybrid rocket motor. “Today was a big step closer to first powered flight,” said George Whitesides, CEO and president of Virgin Galactic, a spaceliner firm backed by British entrepreneur Richard Branson. “We still have a bit more work to do before we will be ready to ignite the rocket, including two more glide flights. 2013 will be a big year,” Whitesides said. article | http://bit.ly/SpaceShip-Two-Flight-Test
Image: Virgin Galactic
B EL O W Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo takes another step closer to powered flight.
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by Paul McCall Astronauts4Hire has experienced significant
A B O V E Brian Shiro talking to kids at Pali Preschool in Honolulu.
growth in the last year. With membership
demonstrating his passion and resourcefulness when
increasing to over 100, the platform for
it comes to inspiring future scientists, engineers, and
A4H to engage the public with educational
astronauts. Both talks focused on the importance and
and outreach activities has grown as well.
significance of human spaceflight, STEM-based careers, as
Many members take time to contribute to
well as his involvement and training activities in A4H.
various Science, Technology, Engineering,
Flight Member Brian Shiro has continued his contribu-
Mathematics (STEM) related activities, both
tions both to A4H and future spacewalkers by volunteering his time at Pali Preschool in Honolulu. During his
at the educational and professional level. The
talk, Brian spoke about space exploration and astronaut
following are highlights of recent outreach
training; both topics mesmerized and captured the full
activities of A4H members all over the world.
attention of the young audience. Brian also has a unique opportunity through his work at National Oceanic and
Flight Member Luis Zea has taken time to give STEM
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to regularly devote
presentations to Eagle Rock High School in Estes Park,
time towards educating various student groups as well as
CO as well as MI-EL Christian School in Santo Domingo,
interested public. For example, Brian was recently able to
Dominican Republic. For his talk in the Dominican
speak at the Kawananakoa Middle School career day.
Republic, Luis was brought in to speak via Skype, further
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Associate Member Kavya Manyapu presented at the
inspect model spacecraft, see space exhibits, and talk
100 Year Starship Public Symposium held in Houston
to dozens of ESTEC volunteers about past, present and
in September. Kavya gave a presentation titled “Rocket
future ESA activities, along with representatives from
Science 101-Simple steps to designing a Spaceship” with
ESA’s industrial partners and the Dutch National Space
the goal to inspire the public and teachers about space
Office. Mindy volunteered to assist Holland Space Center
exploration and
in giving children a chance to picture themselves in the
give an overview
ISS as they got their pictures taken “in orbit”. (To view a
of what is involved
sample picture, see “Meet an A4H” in this issue).
in designing a spaceship. The 100 Year Starship Public Symposium was
Astronauts4Hire members strive to continuously give back
attended by thought leaders, experts, trendsetters, space
to their communities with idea sharing and outreach,
advocates and space enthusiasts, international space
recognizing the key role of education in nurturing young
agencies, and numerous others of all ages and interests.
minds and a far-seeing outlook that goes beyond the horizon.
Flight Member Dr. Mindy Howard had the opportunity to volunteer at the European Space Agency (ESA) Open Day. More than 8500 people visited and were able to
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