Astronaut for Hire

Ask most people what they like about the Big Island of Hawaii, and you'll get responses ranging from enjoying its beaches to exploring its active volcanoes .  Astronomy buffs may highlight the world-class observatories on Mauna Kea or the 'Imiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo.  In fact, the elevation extremes of the island make it the most environmentally diverse place on earth, sporting all but one of the world's terrestrial climate zones , including desert, tropical, temperate, and even tundra. From an extraterrestrial perspective, this eco-range also means that Hawaii harbors very good planetary analog environments.  The high elevation, dry weather conditions, and lunar regolith-like volcanic deposits make Hawaii an ideal place to practice for missions beyond Earth.  That's why it served as a training ground for Apollo astronauts in the 1960s and why the PISCES (Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems) program has called Hawaii home since 20...

With Earth's ever-expanding human population putting pressure on its limited resources, it's only a matter of time before we get serious about seeking out new real estate to colonize. I think it's inevitable that one day we'll spread out across the solar system and indeed the galaxy, but in the meantime, the 70% of the planet covered by water is prime for exploration, exploitation, and inhabitation. I'm proud to announce that I have been selected as a crewmember to the Atlantica I Expedition planned for July 2013.  Spending five days beneath the sea, I'll earn my aquanaut credentials along with a distinguished crew of highly accomplished individuals .  You can read my Atlantica bio here .

The Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) announced last week the selection of one new cosmonaut and up to five new cosmonaut candidates, with the potential for choosing more candidates in a future open contest. The Roscosmos press release provides more details below: The Number of Cosmonaut Candidates will Increase On Oct. 12, Interagency Board chaired by Roscosmos Head Anatoly Perminov qualified Oleg Artemiev as test cosmonaut of RSC-Energia. The Board also recommended to appoint Alexey Khomenchuk (GCTC), Denis Matveev (GCTC), Sergey Prokopiev (Aviation Corps) as cosmonaut candidates, and ordered GCTC to arrange their spaceflight training as test cosmonauts. RSC-Energia’s Sviatoslav Morozov and Ivan Vagner are also planned to go through the training as cosmonaut candidates. GCTC Chief Sergey Krikalev offered to have an open contest to select new cosmonauts. He stated that not only GCTC and Energia shall provide their cosmonaut candidates, but also other companies of t...

10-10-10 was a historic day for commercial human spaceflight. The VSS Enterprise (aka: "SpaceShipTwo") completed its first piloted free flight from its WhiteKnightTwo mothership ("Eve") over the Mojave Desert.  Here is an excerpt from the Virgin Galactic press release : VIRGIN GALACTIC'S SPACESHIPTWO ACHIEVES MAJOR MILESTONE IN ITS PROGRAM TO BECOME WORLD'S FIRST MANNED COMMERCIAL SPACE VEHICLE. VSS Enterprise achieves manned free flight from over 45,000 ft (13,700 metres) and successfully glides to land at Mojave Air and Spaceport . During its first flight the spaceship was piloted by Pete Siebold , assisted by Mike Alsbury as co-pilot. The two main goals of the flight were to carry out a clean release of the spaceship from its mothership and for the pilots to free fly and glide back and land at Mojave Air and Space Port in California. If you like the photo of the VSS Enterprise shown here, you can view more images and video of the flight on Virgi...

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about exciting my son about aviation . Well, a father-son duo from New York has taken that lesson to the extreme by sending an iPhone to space on a homemade balloon. Seven year old Max Geissbuhler and his dad Luke spent 8 months building the balloon and special housing for the camera and then sent their mini spacecraft aloft for a 70-minute-long flight that reached 30 kilometers (100,000 feet) into the stratosphere. Along the way, it captured amazing video footage . In their own words: In August 2010, we set out to send a camera to space. The mission was to attach a HD video camera to a weather balloon and send it up into the upper stratosphere to film the blackness beyond our earth. Eventually, the balloon will grow from lack of atmospheric pressure, burst, and begin to fall. It would have to survive 100 mph winds, temperatures of 60 degrees below zero, speeds of over 150 mph, and the high risk of a water landing. To retrieve the craft, it w...

We're all faced with difficult decisions in our lives.  Sometimes the 'right' choice may not be the best one and vice versa.   I was at such a crossroads yesterday when I had to decline paying $5000 out of pocket to go on a ZERO-G flight (I tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a lower price.).  In doing so, I let an opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream slip through my fingers. I had the honor of being invited to attend the pre-flight activities for ZERO-G's first ever flight in Honolulu.  Watching the pre-flight safety video, listening to the pre-flight briefings, observing the FAA at work, and talking with ZERO-G coaches, I learned a great deal about the process of going on a flight aboard the G-FORCE-ONE 727 aircraft.  The day was also valuable for me because it was an opportunity to speak in person with company representatives about future relations between ZERO-G and Astronauts4Hire .  The attention to detail in ZERO-G's operation really impresse...

Beer is among humanity's earliest of inventions.  Predating writing, the fermented beverage traces its roots back to the dawn of agriculture more than 10,000 years ago.  Throughout human history, no matter where people go they bring beer with them.  Thus, it is only a matter of time until beer becomes a fixture of life in space.  When that day comes, we know we'll be in space to stay. No research has been done on the effects of alcohol on people in a microgravity environment.  For example, no one knows how alcohol absorption and metabolism differ in space compared with Earth.  Well, that's about to change.  I am proud to announce that the 4-Pines Brewing Company and Saber Astronautics Australia (through a joint venture called Vostok Pty Ltd ) have hired Astronauts4Hire (A4H) to test the first beer meant for consumption in space.  It is intended to meet anticipated demand from the upcoming space tourism market. Vostok Space Beer. Image Cre...