Astronaut for Hire

After 3 years of hard work, I am proud to report that I completed my M.S. in Space Studies from the School of Aerospace Studies at the University of North Dakota (UND).  The multi-disciplinary program prepares students to become leaders in space exploration and development through a wide-ranging curriculum spanning science, engineering, applications, policy, law, history, business, and management.  As this post's title suggests, I can now call myself a double-master, as I previously earned a M.A. in Earth & Planetary Sciences from Washington University in St. Louis . Now, let's take a trip down memory lane [ insert funny time warp sound effect here ]: It was summer of 2007.  Facebook was taking over the world.  The Simpsons was finally available in movie form.  NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft had just made its second fly-by of Venus en route to Mercury, and the Phoenix spacecraft launched toward the Martian north pole.  The Peru earthquake pr...

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visits the GCTC. (credit: Alexey Nikolsky-AFP/Getty Images ) The Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) announced today that its director Anatoly Perminov signed the order officially creating the "United Cosmonaut Corps" (UCC).  As a previous press release detailed, the new UCC unites Russia's three separate cosmonaut groups into one at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City .  Currently, GCTC has 22 cosmonauts, RSC-Energia has 17 cosmonauts, and IBMP has 1 cosmonaut, so the new UCC will have 40 cosmonauts in total. The main purpose of the consolidation is to "enhance cosmonaut selection and training effectiveness and to maintain coordinated national policy in human space missions." This move comes as the latest in a series of re-structuring initiatives in Russia's space program.  On April 2009, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a presidential decree transferring the GCTC to ROSC...

ReelNASA posted an illuminating video with Astronaut Scott Kelly giving viewers a rare peek inside the personal crew quarters on the ISS. I found it interesting that ISS inhabitants can do online banking or shopping from the privacy of their own rooms. Although considerably smaller, the cramped ISS crew quarters remind me of the crew staterooms at MDRS and FMARS . In a previous video tour on the ISS, Kelly shared the stunning panoramic views of Earth from the ISS cupola . In its 10 months of operation, the cupola has quickly become a favorite spot for astronauts to photograph the Earth .

That is the question set before a special blue ribbon panel according to a provocative article appearing in the Orlando Sentinel (and LA Times ) this week, which made the not-so-surprising announcement that, "the White House has called for a 10-month study of the appropriate 'role and size' of the 64-member astronaut corps after the final shuttle mission next year." It was only a matter of time before the bad economy, combined with increasing political pressure to cut government spending, would lead to this question being asked.  After all, with the Space Shuttle's final launches upon us, there are not many opportunities left for NASA astronauts to fly.  According to the article, more than half of the 64 current astronauts are without a scheduled mission. While more than 30 ISS crew slots have not been assigned for missions through 2020, some are questioning whether less expensive "regular" scientists and engineers, rather than those who have underg...

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...