Astronaut for Hire

So you made it to space. Now what do you do? Well, look no further. NPR assembled some 1980's NASA footage of Space Shuttle astronauts and made this lighthearted video guide to surviving life in space. The playful, retro-styled film shows them eating, playing, exercising, and horsing around. Take a lesson from these darkly humorous astronaut suicide photos courtesy of Wired.com and don't let your nostalgia for the now bygone Space Shuttle era get you down. Let's hope no astronauts are so depressed by the Shuttle's retirement to consider such drastic measures, especially in light of the recent Russian Progress launch failure and the possibility that the ISS may have to be abandoned in November. With the upcoming SpaceX Dragon test docking to the ISS in early December, maybe NASA won't have to rely on Russia as its sole ride into space for too much longer.

A few weeks ago, GOOD Magazine published a very entertaining infographic titled " Should You Give Up Your Dream of Being an Astronaut? " in response to a USA Today article interviewing Duane Ross on the changing prospects for NASA astronauts .   I really like how well they were able to lightheartedly boil down some rather complex career decision factors into such simple binary choices. The main criticism I have for the flowchart is that it assumes the only way to be an astronaut is through NASA.  It ignores the commercial pathways to space.  For example, one can go into space and technically be an astronaut without having a science or engineering degree as long as one can afford the ticket as a private spaceflight participant .  Assuming the chart is targeted towards prospective professional astronauts only rather than tourists, perhaps after the "Do you speak Russian?" question's "No" choice, there should have been another question like "A...

Let's face it. Until the cost of spaceflight significantly decreases, only a few highly qualified and lucky people will be selected as astronauts to fly in space. But that doesn't mean they have to have all of the fun. Here are some free space simulators you can download to hone your skills. Some are targeted at students for educational purposes, some are just for fun, and others are real research tools used by NASA. ORBITER ORBITER is a free flight simulator that goes beyond the confines of Earth's atmosphere. Launch the Space Shuttle from Kennedy Space Center to deploy a satellite, rendezvous with the International Space Station or take the futuristic Delta-glider for a tour through the solar system. Many addons that expand the simulator's capabilities are available. ( Windows only)   

No, I'm not talking about drag racing monster trucks. Usually, when I have free time on Sunday nights, I try to watch The Simpsons and Family Guy on Fox, but I might just have to change that routine. A blog reader who works for the National Geographic Channel tipped me to a couple of upcoming space-related programs. Alien Earths and Hawking's Universe will air back-to-back on Sunday, August 23. In addition, the struggling space-based relationship drama Defying Gravity continues with its fifth episode on ABC (see previous episodes on Hulu ). With all of these shows to watch, I guess my TiVo will get a workout this Sunday.

Living in the isolated environment of FMARS with a small group of people, one needs some comic relief. Luckily, this group of space cadets seems to know about all the best space YouTube music videos. A few days ago, I shared with you Aldrin's Rocket Experience . Below are three more entertaining (bad) space rap videos: The first is I.S.S. Baby . As a fan of Ice Ice Baby myself, I have to say this is my favorite. The lyrics are included in the description on the video's YouTube page. It was made by a group of NASA co-op students.

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first Apollo Moon landing, Buzz Aldrin teamed up with Snoop Dogg and Talib Kweli to make a rap video called "Rocket Experience", which you can watch below. There's also a really funny video on the Making of the Rocket Experience . These videos are on YouTube too in case you want to watch them there. According to Funny or Die , who produced the video, a portion of the proceeds from the song sales will go to ShareSpace Foundation , to further benefit and support the work of the National Space Society , The Planetary Society and the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation . Buzz Aldrin's Rocket Experience from Buzz Aldrin

Blog reader Ben tipped me off to a really interesting movie called Moon . It stars Sam Rockwell as an astronaut spending a three year solo mission on the Moon mining Helium-3, which could be an important source of fuel for clean nuclear fusion . His only companion at the lonely outpost is his robot, voiced by Kevin Spacey . The suspense heats up in this scifi thriller as, just before he's set to go home, Rockwell realizes he's not alone. You can watch a clip below. There are more clips and images here and here . If Rockwell's performance in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is any indication, this should be a real treat.

A couple of weeks ago, Google released a major update to it's popular Google Earth software. The upgrade to version 5.0 is a must for Google Earth fans because it boasts some exciting new features that allow you to explore the Earth's oceans or Mars in 3D. In addition to regular Earth mode and the alternative Sky mode , there is now a new Mars mode, which goes way beyond Google's previous foray into displaying Mars imagery . Google Ocean Previously, Google Earth imagery was very crude for the 2/3 of the Earth's surface that is covered by water. Now Google Earth includes global bathymetric data and labels for underwater features like seamounts, ridges, trenches, reefs, and geographic boundaries of marine areas. The underwater relief is clearly visible from a far off view of the planet's surface, but the really cool features start when you zoom in. Now the program allows users to dive beneath the ocean surface and explore the aquatic world below.

If you've ever dreamed of going on a spacewalk, now's your chance to at least pretend thanks to the really cool Astronaut Mode for Google Earth . The overlay makes it look like you're an astronaut floating above the planet. It also works in sky mode , so you can look away from the earth too. If you feel lonely floating in space all by yourself, you can make the experience a little more interesting by also showing all known orbiting satellites and spacecraft . The network link from AGI shows in real time all 12,000+ earth-orbiting objects tracked by the United States Strategic Command . Here are screenshots looking both towards earth (with the satellite database turned on) and away from earth at Orion's belt :

The NASA Image of the Day today is shown below. I just wanted to share it because as a kid growing up I was a big Snoopy and Peanuts fan. I never knew there was an official connection between Snoopy and NASA. The picture caption reads: In 1968, Snoopy was chosen as an official symbol of merit for America's Space Program and to this day, the Silver Snoopy is award to NASA employees who demonstrate excellence in their work. Through the decades, the connections between Peanuts and NASA have remained rich. In fact, the Apollo 10 command and lunar modules were named after Charlie Brown and the lovable beagle.

I was driving through Anchorage listening to Diffusion Science Radio on a local educational talk radio station when I heard a song that just blew me away. The song's called "Pi-Man!" by the Australian indie rock band Unicron's Revenge.  You can listen to or download the full song on the band's website or listen to it right now! Sell music on itunes at ReverbNation.com

As the Mars Phoenix Lander was successfully touching down on Mars, I was completing the PADI Open Water Diver certification course .  During the week prior to the dives, I had to study the PADI Open Water Manual, watch the videos with the class, and take quizzes plus a final exam.  Then, the class spent Saturday and Sunday doing 5 closed water and 4 open water dives. Diving was a lot of fun.  I got to see a white-tipped reef shark, swim with a large sea turtle, watch a sea horse, as well as the usual reef wildlife (fish, urchins, starfish, etc.).  I logged nearly 2 hours during my 4 open water dives, and the deepest I went was 27 ft (8.2 m).  I was originally worried about equalizing the pressure in my ears, but it wasn't hard at all.  The thing that surprised me the most was how heavy the scuba equipment is out of the water.  In fact, just gearing up and walking between the staging area and beach really wore me out.  I feel like I've been on a...

The Onion is on target once again with its witty humor. Click the link below to read the article. NASA Intern Hoping To Go On Space Walk Before He Leaves In June

One thing that been on my to-do list for a long time is earning my scuba divers certification. I started taking a scuba class during my junior year of high school but couldn't commit to the dive portion because I couldn't afford the cost of buying my own equipment (and rental wasn't an option for some reason). I started snorkeling in 2001 on my first Fiji trip during graduate school. I almost decided to earn my scuba certification then, but I couldn't afford the approximately $400 cost. Since then, I've also snorkeled in Tonga, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Hawaii. Now that I'm applying to be an astronaut and have a decent income, it's high time I start diving. First, I investigated all PADI instructors on Oahu. The costs generally range from $250-$500 for 3-7 day classes. The best deals I found were $249 for a 4 day course and $275 for a 3 day course, both of which include all fees and gear rental in that price. This is good because I don...