Old Astronauts4Hire Website

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 12, 2011 Astronauts4Hire Granted 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Status Tampa, Florida – Astronauts4Hire is proud to announce it is now officially a public charity with tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. Contributions donated to Astronauts4Hire are fully tax-deductible retroactive to the founding of the organization on April 12, 2010. Astronauts4Hire is also now eligible to apply for government and foundation grants, which will further broaden its access to resources and strengthen its ability to serve the commercial spaceflight industry. "Obtaining 501(c)(3) status is a major milestone for Astronauts4Hire," remarked President and Co-founder Brian Shiro. "This opens many doors for us to expand fundraising activities and fully realize our goals as a charitable educational organization facilitating the training and professional development needs of astronaut candidates. In doing so, we will create a...

If you're an aspiring commercial astronaut wanting to fly experiments in space, how can you make that happen? That is the focus of a new article appearing in this week's issue of the journal Nature ( Volume 476, Number 7361, pp 477-478, doi:10.1038/nj7361-477a ). It features interviews with A4H's Jason Reimuller and Brian Shiro on how Astronauts4Hire is creating a new model of astronaut training in the era of private spaceflight. The pair discuss ways the A4H organization is preparing them to realize their own space research goals and the prospects for future flight opportunities with carriers like Virgin Galactic , which already has a contract with SwRI researchers . In this new feature, author Katharine Sanderson follows up on her related  February 2010 Nature article which discussed how the commercial spaceflight industry is opening opportunities for researchers like never before. We thank her for the chance to expose A4H to Nature readers.  Nature is one of the ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 31, 2011 Astronauts4Hire, Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Lab Partnership Tampa, Florida – Astronauts4Hire is pleased to announce it has entered into a research and training partnership with the Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory (AGSOL). The two organizations recently signed a memorandum of understanding agreement focused on addressing the goals, challenges, and issues of astronaut training for private spaceflight. A particular emphasis of the collaboration between Astronauts4Hire and AGSOL will be improving task performance under modified gravity conditions and mitigating space motion sickness, which has plagued almost three quarters of all astronauts. Representatives from Astronauts4Hire toured the AGSOL on July 14 and gained a firsthand perspective of the lab’s capabilities to support human sensorimotor control in unusual force environments. Located at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, AGSOL researchers have spent the last ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 20, 2011 Astronauts4Hire Members Complete Suborbital Scientist Training Southampton, Pennsylvania – The era of private astronauts conducting commercial space research missions is almost here!  Eight Astronauts4Hire members have successfully completed the Suborbital Scientist Training Program at the National AeroSpace Training and Research ( NASTAR ) Center in Southampton, Pennsylvania.  Flight Members Christopher Altman, Kristine Ferrone, Jose Hurtado, Jason Reimuller, Brian Shiro, and Alli Taylor, along with Associate Member Jules Shiohira Ung, comprised the inaugural Astronauts4Hire class to undergo suborbital scientist training and certification.  Flight Member Mindy Howard also completed the course previously. "Centrifuge and high altitude training are core training elements that NASTAR provided to our members," remarked Astronauts4Hire Chief Operating Officer Dr. Jason Reimuller .  "The very realistic mission simulation in NASTAR’s ce...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 11, 2011 Astronauts4Hire Members Complete Emergency & Sea Survival Training Groton, Connecticut – Astronauts4Hire members have successfully completed Dunker, Emergency Egress, and Sea Survival training at Survival Systems USA in Groton, Connecticut.  These courses have prepared them with the knowledge and skills to safely cope with physical and psychological stresses encountered during emergency situations at sea. Flight Members Christopher Altman, Jason Reimuller, and Brian Shiro, along with Associate Member Jules Shiohira Ung, comprised the first Astronauts4Hire class to undergo these training certifications. "We have learned how to appropriately prepare for and respond to onboard emergencies that require forced water landing, inverted underwater escape, and sustained survival at sea," said Flight Member Christopher Altman . Astronauts4Hire President Brian Shiro added, "I was extremely impressed by the expert capabilities of Survival Sy...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 5, 2011 Astronauts4Hire Supports the One Flag in Space Initiative Tampa, Florida – Astronauts4Hire proudly supports the " One Flag in Space " initiative by Blue Marble Space , a nonprofit organization devoted to enabling international unity through space exploration. Astronauts4Hire Flight Members will wear the Blue Marble emblem on their flight suits during training and flight activities beginning with our inaugural training class this July. The historic Blue Marble image , captured by the Apollo 17 crew on December 7, 1972, is the first photograph of the full planet Earth taken by a human. It has become one of the most universally recognized symbols in the world—transcending national, political, ethnic, and religious boundaries. When shown alongside national flags on astronaut flight suits, the Blue Marble sends a universal message to present and future generations that, in space, humankind is working together for the benefit of all. The Blue Mar...

After three decades, the Space Shuttle era will draw to a close as Space Shuttle Atlantis embarks on the STS-135 mission later this week. We are proud to announce that two A4H members have supported payload integration for experiments to be flown on the final Shuttle flight. Luis Zea assembling hardware for STS-135 Luis Zea is part of a group currently at the Kennedy Space Center integrating several payloads on STS-135. These payloads comprise multiple scientific research objectives and experiments such as cell culture investigation, assessment of risk to biological integrity from the space environment, as well as the development of a new salmonella vaccine. Luis' job covers the life of a space-based research project from concept design, research & development, testing, documentation, integration, operations, all the way through to post-landing recovery and processing. After this final Shuttle flight, he will continue working on projects planned to leave the planet on  Space...