Old Astronauts4Hire Website

Hello, aspiring astronauts and space enthusiasts! We have some very exciting news. After around a year of brainstorming, polling, and deliberation, Astronauts4Hire Inc., known in short as A4H, has officially been re-branded as the Association of Spaceflight Professionals, Inc., to be further abbreviated as ASP. This move was made after multiple sessions of careful consideration from our members, executive team, board, and various advisers, with the goal of better serving our members and helping them meet their goals in the pursuit of spaceflight opportunities. Astronauts4Hire was started with the goal of creating the world's first commercial astronauts corps; a group of people that commercial space companies could call up whenever they were in need of trained specialists to operate their spacecrafts and payloads and execute science experiments in space. While that is still a big part of our mission, its now integrated into a larger, multi-faceted mission involving more immediate an...

We would like to congratulate Dr. Aaron Persad, a Flight Member of A4H, for becoming one of top 72 candidates in the Canadian Space Agency’s astronaut selection campaign.   Well-done Aaron!   He is a tremendous asset to A4H.  Aaron set up a collaboration between our organization and students in the University of Toronto’s Department of Mechanical Engineering to develop a microgravity test bed.  It is designed to run experiments in parabolic flight, especially those involving fluids.    Another project he was instrumental in conceiving is that of a physical model of a bone cell to be tested in weightlessness.   Currently, Aaron is completing his post-doctoral fellowship in the Sinton Lab at the University of Toronto. All of us at A4H wish him good luck during the next phase of the selection process.   We hope he will achieve his goal of becoming one of Canada's next astronauts.

Hello everyone, First off, I want to say thank-you.   A4H is going through many changes.   With the challenges commercial flight providers have faced in recent years, we are rethinking how to contribute to the space sector and present ourselves to the community.   Switching from seeking jobs as payload specialist astronauts to creating our own opportunities to fly in space is necessary but tremendously challenging.   We have many questions.   How can we design experiments and develop technologies that allow us to fly into space eventually?   Who can help us?   Should we build our own technologies or test those built by others?   How can we do so ethically and responsibly? We are so grateful for the patience and support of our members.   Many of you are students.   With the cost of education and the job market as it is, especially in the aerospace sector, we recognize how hard it can be for you put money towards causes you care about. ...

One of our own A4H members, Iñigo Muñoz Elorza, will be participating in the upcoming Poland Mars Analog Simulation 2017, organized by the Space Generation Advisory Council's (SGAC) Space Exploration Project Group (SEPG), who is currently raising funds for the mission on Indiegogo . It will be a two-week mission where a crew of six analogue astronauts will conduct and record their experiences and scientific research in the newly built the M.A.R.S. Laboratory habitat near Rzepiennik Biskupi, Poland. The mission will be complete with a time-delayed link with the offices of ABM Space in Torun, Poland, where 30 international students and young professionals will act as the Flight Support Team (FST) in the PMAS 2017 Mission Support Centre (MSC). The mission will also include a 3-day lunar simulation in partnership with ESA  to mimic the potential future plans of not only returning to the Moon alone, but using a Moon base as testbed for future Mars exploration. Sebastian He...

Today, May 5, 2016, marks the first celebration of the NEW National Astronaut Day , created by marketing and management firm Uniphi Space Agency , who represents and arranges travel for astronauts to special events like keynote presentations, book signings, corporate and private events, conferences, and more. Uniphi celebrated with an online proclamation of National Astronaut Day and an global social media celebration where astronauts, other space industry professionals, and space enthusiasts all came together to discuss their love for space, using the hashtags #NationalAstronautDay and #WeBelieveInAstronauts . So, what is an astronaut? According to Google, an astronaut is "a person who is trained to travel in a spacecraft." Dictionary.com says "a person engaged in or trained for spaceflight," and Merriam-Webster defines it in full as "a person who travels beyond the earth's atmosphere; also: a trainee for spaceflight." Astronauts have long been - a...

Space is a dangerous place. Astronauts are trained to respond to and overcome challenges that they encounter on their missions. Some of these near disasters are featured in the TV series Secret Space Escapes , which continues in re-runs on the Science Channel. Set your DVRs to record tomorrow's episode featuring Robert Curbeam's own space escape! A4H's Victoria Varone sat down with astronauts Linger , Yi , and Curbeam during their recent appearance at New York Comic Con . Here, we've posted her interview with astronaut Robert Curbeam . They discussed his experiences with "mishaps" in space, what he thinks of commercial space, and his favorite NASA experience. RC: I’m Robert Curbeam, I’m a retired NASA astronaut. A4H: Thank you very much for sitting down with me. This panel coming up is for Secret Space Escapes, a new show about disasters that have happened in space, right? RC: Well, yeah, although we prefer to call them ‘mishaps.’ Fortunately, everybody y...

Dear friends, From all of us at Astronauts for Hire, thank you for a your support in 2015. May you have a joyful holiday and very happy new year! I am proud of our community of nearly 200 members, who work together to prepare for future careers as astronauts. Over the past year our members have completed training programs with Project PoSSUM and NASTAR, tested spacesuits for Final Frontier Design, and helped advance other new mission opportunities to grow the industry. We congratulate Blue Origin, SpaceX, Boeing, and others on major milestones reached in 2015 that advance commercial human spaceflight. We also thank NASA for once again accepting astronaut candidate applications and wish everyone who applies the best of luck throughout the selection process. Wishing you a 2016 that is out of this world, Brian Shiro, A4H President and CEO

Space is a dangerous place. Astronauts are trained to respond to and overcome challenges that they encounter on their missions. Some of these near disasters are featured in the TV series Secret Space Escapes , which continues on the Science Channel. A4H's Victoria Varone sat down with astronauts Linger, Curbeam, and Yi during their recent appearance at New York Comic Con . Here, we've posted her interview with astronaut Soyeon Yi . They discussed Yi's rough return to Earth in a Soyuz capsule after her mission to the ISS in 2008. Scroll down to read the whole interview but first check out this video on how she became Korea's first astronaut at the young age of 29!. Meet Soyeon Yi: Korea's First Astronaut! from GoodNeighbors on Vimeo . A4H: So, this panel’s about disasters in space. Have you experienced any mishaps in space? SY: We had a ballistic reentry because we had a problem during the separation of our capsule. Some part of the habitation module was stil...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 1, 2015 Astronauts for Hire Joins the Global #GivingTuesday Movement on December 1 Titusville, Florida – Astronauts for Hire (A4H) is proud to join more than 30,000 other charitable organizations participating in #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide. Occurring this year on December 1, #GivingTuesday is held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday to kick-off the holiday giving season and inspire people to collaborate in improving their local communities and to give back in impactful ways to the charities and causes they support. A4H accepts donations on #GivingTuesday and all other days at www.astronauts4hire.org . A4H is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides professional development opportunities for aspiring ...

Space is a dangerous place. Astronauts are trained to respond to and overcome challenges that they encounter on their missions. Some of these near disasters are featured in the new Secret Space Escapes , which premiers tonight on the Science Channel. A4H's Victoria Varone sat down with astronauts Linger, Curbeam, and Yi during their recent appearance at New York Comic Con . Here, we've posted her interview with former astronaut Jerry Linger . They discussed what the "right stuff" is for crew selection and how he survived the 1997 Mir fire . Scroll down to read the whole interview, but first check out this clip from the first episode of Secret Space Escapes . JL: Hi, I’m Jerry Linenger and I’m a retired NASA astronaut. Whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with today? A4H: I’m Victoria, and I represent an organization called Astronauts4Hire. It’s a nonprofit that preps aspiring astronauts to for the booming commercial space industry. JL: So by doing that, they ...

Astronauts4Hire is pleased to present Issue 7 of The A4H News ! Feature articles include "Alive & Well in Space", "G-CAP: A Novel Platform for Microgravity Research", "Meet an A4H: Jonna Ocampo", "Simulating Mars", recaps of recent A4H activities, and more! Click below to view the newsletter online in Issuu , or download the PDF . Like this? Sign up to receive email notifications for future issues of The A4H News , or contact us to learn about advertising opportunities. Want to catch up on previous issues of the newsletter? View them here: Issue 1 Issue 2 Issue 3 Issue 4 Issue 4 Issue 5 Issue 6

September 8th, 2015 A4H Flight Member Completes Course in Space Medicine Dr. Michael Gallagher, the Life Sciences Committee Team Lead and a Flight Member at Astronauts4Hire, recently completed a one month Principles of Aviation and Space Medicine course at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX.  There, he learned a wealth of information from current and former NASA flight surgeons, astronauts, and leading scientists in the field of aerospace medicine. As part of the course, he toured Johnson Space Centre and completed training in altitude and hyperbaric chambers.  Dr. Gallagher is confident that the knowledge and experience he gained there will help him contribute further to the space sector as a physician and eventually, as a commercial astronaut. This October, he is scheduled to do further training through the Project PoSSUM Scientist-Astronaut program held at Embry-Riddle University in Daytona Beach, Florida.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 18, 2015 A4H Members Complete PoSSUM Scientist-Astronaut Training Titusville, Florida – Astronauts for Hire (A4H) would like to congratulate six of its members for completing the inaugural PoSSUM Scientist-Astronaut Qualification Program that was held from February 7-10, 2015 at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. Project PoSSUM announced today that all graduation requirements for these candidates have been met. These members include: Pete Freeland of Redondo Beach, CA Jamie Guined of Houston, TX Heidi Hammerstein of Pembroke, GA Dr. Paul McCall of Hollywood, FL Jonna Ocampo of Kapolei, HI Jeffrey Scallon of Tampa, FL “The A4H members who graduated from the program offered valuable operational insights that helped refine the curriculum for this new training program,” said Project PoSSUM Principal Investigator Dr. Jason Reimuller. “We are committed to provide opportunities where our graduates may conduct valuable scientific res...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 15, 2015 NewSpace Researchers Workshop to be held on May 4, 2015 in Houston Titusville, Florida – The inaugural NewSpace Researchers Workshop (NSRW) will take place on May 4, 2015 at the South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center in Houston, Texas. Held in conjunction with the Sea, Earth, and Space (SES) Summit, this event will provide a unique opportunity for researchers to develop successful research campaigns for parabolic, suborbital, or orbital flights. More information is available at http://nsrw2015.org . "We developed this workshop to help researchers take practical steps to advance their projects from concept to flight," said A4H President and CEO Brian Shiro. "Networking among participants at the workshop will foster cross-disciplinary collaborations in science and engineering that will move the commercial space industry forward." Commercial space industry experts will speak on topics ranging from flight platforms to f...

Dear friends, On behalf of everyone at Astronauts for Hire (A4H), I wish you a joyful holiday and new year. May you reach for the stars and succeed in all of your 2015 goals! 2014 was a productive year for commercial space and for A4H. Companies like SpaceX, Boeing, and XCOR Aerospace achieved important milestones. The catastrophic losses with Orbital Sciences and Virgin Galactic have reminded everyone that spaceflight has risks. Triumph and tragedy alike teach us important lessons that help solidify the way forward. Against this backdrop, A4H continues to grow its most important resource, its members, at a steady rate. With 170 people strong, our expanding network continues to have meaningful impacts in a variety of ways: For the past nine months, A4H has taken an active role in the Urgency Network's Ticket to Rise campaign. Entrants into the contest earn chances to win a ride into space aboard the XCOR Lynx by supporting eligible non-profits. A4H has been one of the campai...