Astronaut for Hire

Astronaut Candidate application submitted

1/26/2012 08:18:00 AM

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

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

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T Minus 10 Days

1/17/2012 08:09:00 PM

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

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

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

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Astronaut Advancement

1/01/2012 12:00:00 PM

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

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

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

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

Happy New Year (Hau'oli Makahiki Hou)!

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'Moon' is not a 4-letter word

12/01/2011 09:54:00 AM

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

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

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

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

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NASA Astronaut Candidate Application Period Opens

11/14/2011 10:22:00 PM

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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