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