SUMMER 2014
ASTRONAUTS4HIRE.ORG
THE A4H NEWS
YOUR SPACEFLIGHT CREW SOLUTION
ISSUE 6 SUMMER 2014
SPACE ODDITIES How Bacteria’s Strange Behavior in Space Can Benefit Humanity
Meet an A4H Dr. Susan Jewell Industry Leader Brienna Henwood Excerpt Suborbital: Industry at the Edge of Space NSBE SEEK(s) Rocketeers The A4H Beat • What’s Hot in Commercial Space
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THE EDITOR’S SPACE
What does it take to be a Commercial Astronaut? Determination. At the start of every great endeavor, every historic accomplishment, every struggle to realize the unachievable, stand the determined few. Astronauts4Hire stands at the ready to assist those who have set their sights on the stars. A4H continues to push the envelope of commercial astronaut training by leveraging our key stakeholders’ resources and providing sound guidance from experienced industry professionals. Moving forward, we continue to seek out challenges that test our skills, form our characters and fuel our determination. This is not a vision based in singularity but one encompassing the spectrum of humankind. “One small step…” was only the beginning of a journey toward which every individual can contribute, leaving lasting imprints to inspire later generations. The A4H executive team would like to offer our gratitude and thanks to all of those within our organization whose daily determination makes the dream of commercial space flight achievable. To our stakeholders and contributing patrons — who make this sustained effort possible — we extend our deepest appreciation.
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions regarding this newsletter or want to advertise with us, please contact us at newsletter@astronauts4hire.org.
Jeremy Guin Editor-in-Chief
Jeremy.Guin@astronauts4hire.org
Gerry Manacsa Designer
Gerry.Manacsa@astronauts4hire.org
Brian Shiro Contributor
Brian.Shiro@astronauts4hire.org
Erik Seedhouse Contributor
Erik.Seedhouse@astronauts4hire.org
Luis Zea
Contributor
Luis.Zea@astronauts4hire.org
Susan Jewell Contributor
Susan.Jewell@astronauts4hire.org
Troy Cole
Contributor
Jeremy Guin
ABOUT ASTRONAUTS4HIRE
Astronauts for Hire is a 501(c)(3) non-profit formed in 2010 to recruit and train qualified scientists and engineers for the rigors of spaceflight. Commonly referred to as “A4H,” the organization conducts a range of activities related to commercial astronaut workforce development. A4H’s principal service is to train members as professional astronaut candidates who can assist researchers, payload developers, and spaceflight providers with mission planning and operations support.
Troy.Cole@astronauts4hire.org
FOLLOW @ASTRONAUTS4HIRE
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS
Interested in hiring A4H for a research project, training your workforce on scientific suborbital flight, or partnering with A4H? Contact us at business@astronauts4hire.org Contributions to A4H are tax-deductible (EIN: 27-2360828). If you are interested in supporting A4H’s inspiring mission at the forefront of the commercial space frontier, please contact us at donate@astronauts4hire.org
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S E I T I D D O E C A P
False color electron micrograph of a cluster of E. coli bacteria, 10,000 X magnification. Image: Eric Erbe, United States Department of Agricutlure
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How Bacteria’s Strange Behavior in Space Can Benefit Humanity The Antibiotic Effectiveness in Space – 1 experiment aboard the ISS may provide clues. By Luis Zea Soviet scientists collected and isolated bacteria from Jean-Loup Chrétien, the first Frenchman to go to space, before his launch to the USSR’s Salyut 7 Space Station. During his time living on orbit, the spationaut made observations on the bacteria that used to live in him to search for changes due to spaceflight. These observations were part of the CYTOS 2 experiment and led to two remarkable findings. After growing the bacteria in space, the French team of scientists working with Chrétien’s observed that the inflight E. coli needed more than four times as much antibiotics to be inhibited with respect to its ground control. Additionally, the French scientists from the Université Paul Sabatier discovered that some of the spaceflight cultures had a larger cellular envelope thickness. However, as soon as the bacteria returned to Earth they acted normally once again. They observed that bacteria behaved differently in space. Doing bacterial and other Space Life Sciences (SLS) experiments in orbit was significantly more complicated in the earlier days. The U.S.’ first attempt at an SLS satellite, the Biosatellite I (1966), operated fine in space but failed to re-enter Earth as planned – the samples and the data were lost. Other experiments were also sent up with the Skylab Space Station. However, when its meteoroid shield failed, the Station overheated and the bacterial experiments were also lost. Thankfully, a lot of things have changed. Now we have a reliable and advanced orbital laboratory: the International Space Station (ISS). This past January, Orbital’s Antares rocket launched from Wallops Island in Virginia on their first Commercial Resupply Service flight to the ISS. Although the Cygnus spacecraft it was carrying did not have any humans on board, it was bringing E. coli to the Station. The bacteria, and two different types of drugs, were part of the Antibiotic Effectiveness in Space – 1 (AES-1) experiment. AES-1 focuses on investigating bacterial growth and antibiotic effectiveness in
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space, and the relationship
Growth Medium
between the two. The
Bacteria
experiment consists of
Antibiotic
128 test tubes called Fluid
Fixative
ABOVE Each Fluid Processing Apparatus (FPA) tests a bacteria-antibiotic condition. Image: BioServe Space Technologies
Processing Apparatus (FPA), which as well as the rest of the hardware used in
AES-1, was developed by BioServe Space Technologies in Boulder, Colorado. Each FPA allows us to test a specific bacteria-antibiotic condition. The set of samples include two different types of antibiotics – one that kills bacteria by attacking its cell wall and another that does so by inhibiting the synthesis of proteins the cell needs to survive. The FPAs are packed in groups of eight into Group Processing Apparatus (GAP). In turn, sixteen GAPs were installed in a Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGBA), which was carried to ISS inside Cygnus. After Cygnus was berthed to ISS, the GAPs were transferred from the CGBA in Cygnus to a second CGBA that was already waiting in the Station. There, the sample temperature was increased and astronaut Mike Hopkins activated the experiment by simply cranking the GAPs. With this, the fluid in the chamber B E L O W A4H Member Luis Zea loads an FPA prior to launch.
containing the bacteria was transferred to its growth medium – we allowed them to start eating and be happy. Several hours later, Hopkins came back to do a second activation. This time, the antibiotic was introduced into the growth chamber. The day after, astronaut Rick Mastracchio terminated the experiment doing a last crank that permitted the fixative to mix with the rest of the fluids. This fixative puts the bacteria “on hold” to allow us to investigate it when it returns to Earth on board two different SpaceX’ Dragon spacecraft. SpaceX-3 (or CRS-3) will bring the first group of samples to be analyzed at the University of Colorado, Boulder (CU) for changes in cell size and on the membrane, among other things.
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The rest of the samples will return in SpaceX-4 and will be studied both at CU and at HudsonAlpha Institute for BioTechnology in Huntsville, Alabama. This second part of the analysis will be focused on identifying what genes are related to the bacterial strange behavior in space. The relationship between gene expression and a bacteria’s capability
A B O V E Astronaut Rick Mastracchio shows a GAP aboard the ISS.
to survive antibiotics is of paramount
Image: NASA
importance for all of us on Earth. Every year over 100,000 people die from infections caused by drugresistant bacteria. A little over twenty years ago that number was 12,000. We hope that AES-1 will help reveal which genes are key to reduced antibiotic efficacy and may lead to improved antibiotic testing, new targets for antibiotics or new approaches to reduce the acquisition of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. We also expect that this project will help us acquire new insight to differentiate the role of bacterial drug resistance and drug effectiveness behind the phenomena observed in space. AES-1 is a great example of applied research that sprung out of observational research… when Chrétien first analyzed bacteria to search for changes due to spaceflight.
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A B O V E Mrs. Jennifer Feliciano’s third grade class at New Horizons Elementary in Irvine, California, winners of the A4H Student Art Contest.
Dear A4H members and friends: I want to thank you for your continued participation with and support of Astronauts for Hire (A4H). We are here to launch astronaut careers by providing professional development opportunities to aspiring astronauts and also to inspire the next generation to explore the commercial space frontier. Did you know that A4H went to space? On April 18, KickSat blasted into space aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the CRS-3 mission. We were able to track the satellite’s telemetry as it zoomed overhead with an amateur radio ground station. Unfortunately, KickSat burned up in the Earth’s atmosphere on May 13 before its master clock timer could deploy its 104 “Sprite” microsatellites, including the two that A4H had on board. The crowdfunded project was led by a Cornell University graduate student who says he will take the lessons learned and apply them to KickSat-2 in the future. Last October, A4H held its first annual student art contest during World Space Week. It provided an opportunity for us to reach out to children and help encourage them to think about space. We posed three questions to spark ideas: “Where in space would you like to go?” “What will you do in space?” “How would you live on Mars?” Kids from all over the world sent us creative submissions, and it was a challenge to pick the winning entries. I would
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A B O V E “Where in space would you like to go?” by Danya (age 8), first place winner in the age 5–10 division of the A4H Art Contest.
“Where I would go is Goldilocks because I would love to see it and how it will look. I want to see the moon too,” wrote Danya.
like to once again congratulate the winners in each age group and especially extend my thanks to Mrs. Jennifer Feliciano’s third grade class at New Horizons Elementary School in Irvine, California. For their exceptional participation and engagement with the contest, we awarded the whole class the grand prize of a new Orion telescope. I wish them many years of happy stargazing! As rewarding as these outreach activities are, what inspires me the most about A4H is its community of members, fast approaching 200 individuals from almost every field of engineering and science on nearly every continent. Most are early- to mid-career professionals, and I am proud that A4H can play a role in their professional development. I learn something new from A4H members all of the time, and the collaborations we have forged have led to several creative projects and spinoffs. The recent additions of the A4H Aeromedical Committee and the Geoscience & Remote Sensing Committees are two examples of the types of collaborative research activities being conducted within A4H. A4H is only getting started and will accomplish many more great things in the future, thanks to you. Without further ado, I would like to share updates from A4H members on the following pages. Enjoy!
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Flight Member Updates
Jessica Cherry recently finished an aviation land/water survival and wilderness medical training program in
Tanya Estes, Michael Gallagher and Aaron Persad com-
Alaska through the Learn to Return organization and is
pleted the Basic Suborbital Space Training course and
gearing up for a second season of NSF/NASA funded ex-
hypoxia training at the NASTAR Center in March 2014.
periments to test a laser spectrometer from her own air-
Exposed to the forces of launch and reentry, they trained
craft to measure water vapor isotopes and help calibrate
alongside a Virgin Galactic team including a SpaceShip
the NASA Aura satellite. She’s working with the University
Two pilot and space tourists. In addition, Tanya complet-
of Alaska Fairbanks to set up an airborne research center
ed hypoxia training at Andrews AFB and was promoted
with its own aircraft too.
to full Academy Professor at West Point. Aaron joined the 2014 International Astronautical Congress planning
Jamie Guined founded two companies recently. LAUNCH
committee and the 2014 Space Generation Congress lo-
Fitness & Human Performance provides the Spaceflight
cal organizing committee. He was also interviewed about
Fitness Specialist certification to prepare fitness profes-
A4H in the University of Toronto’s Momentum magazine.
sionals to train spaceflight participants. IGNITE Health &
Michael was selected for the upcoming 2014 Internation-
Wellness provides other continuing education oppor-
al Space University Space Studies Program in Montreal.
tunities for the fitness and allied healthcare industries. LAUNCH is featured in Training Edge magazine (June
David Ballinger has also kept busy training recently. In
edition), as well as upcoming Wired and Maxim maga-
April 2014, he completed the 5-day NASTAR Space Pilot
zines. Jamie is featured in a new documentary entitled
Training course, as well as a microgravity flight with ZE-
The Future of Fitness, to be shown at the Sundance Film
RO-G Corporation, where he performed two experiments
Festival. In between entrepreneurial pursuits, Jamie led
on behalf of A4H. David also recently completed refresher
a mission to the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in
underwater egress and sea survival training, renewed his
March 2014, which was covered by National Geographic.
Red Cross First Aid and CPR training, and added Sikorsky S76 and AgustaWestland AW139 multi-engine helicopter
Mindy Howard guest starred on a Travel Channel TV
type ratings to his Airline Transport Pilot License, while
show about psychosocial aspects of a missile silo turned
also picking up a Private Pilot single engine rating.
bomb shelter. Jason Reimuller kept busy launching the American Astronautics Institute, which will offer its first space train-
B E L O W Michael Gallagher, Tanya Estes and Aaron Persad completed suborbital space and hypoxia training at the NASTAR Center in March 2014.
ing courses later in 2014. He and his mother were also involved with shooting a commercial in Los Angeles. Erik Seedhouse’s autobiography, Triathlon the Hard Way: Winning the World’s Toughest Triathlons, was published in November 2013, and Suborbital: Industry on the Edge of
Image: Aaron Persad
Space came out in February 2014 (see excerpt on page 18). His next book, Tourists in Space, 2nd edition, will be released in summer 2014 and will include suborbital as well as orbital groundschool manuals. Erik is also the Editor-in-Chief for the Handbook of Spacecraft Life Support
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Systems, a major reference guide by over 180 authors to be published by Springer in 2016. In addition, Erik is collaborating with Citizens in Space as an Adjunct Professor Image: Kai Staats & MarsCrew134
in their STEM education program and with Simon Fraser University Aerospace Physiology Lab’s ISS centrifuge project. He continues to also work as a triathlon coach and recently won his age group in the St Anthony’s Triathlon. Part of Luis Zea’s PhD thesis just returned from the ISS. It went up on Orbital-1 in early January 2014. Astronauts Mastracchio and Hopkins operated the payload, and Luis
A B O V E Susan Jewell joined Crew 134 at the Mars Desert Research Station.
served on ground control. The first half of the experiment returned on SpaceX-3 and the second will come back
nuclear fusion space propulsion. Hope this helps. Troy
on SpaceX-4. Luis is currently on a DAAD Fellowship at
also serves as a mentor in the Michael B. Anderson Me-
the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Cologne, Germa-
morial Aerospace Program at Museum of Flight in Seattle.
ny. Read his article on page 4 in this issue to learn more about his exciting research.
Brad Hoover graduated in May 2014 from the University of Central Florida with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering. In
Associate Member Updates
July, he will fly a microgravity collisional accretion exper-
Akram Amin’s “Egypt Against Hepatitis C Virus Experi-
iment for UCF’s Planetary Science Department with Josh
ment” (EGAHEP) will launch as a Nanoracks payload to
Colwell as Principal Investigator and Adrienne Dove as
the ISS on the SpaceX CRS-4 mission in August 2014. The
the Co-Investigator.
project was selected in 2012 through the Space Florida
Susan Jewell completed a mission at MDRS during
ISS Research Competition. Akram is also currently de-
January 2014, where she led a number of telemedicine
veloping the first Egyptian miniaturized satellite “Altair”
initiatives. Her article “Living on Mars: An Analog Astro-
with collaborators at the Technical University of Munich,
naut Experience Pioneering Space Surgery and Wellness
including German astronaut Ulrich Walter.
for Space Exploration and Colonization” was published in
Brennan Callan graduated in May 2014 with a Technical
the March 2014 issue of Astrosociological Insights. She is
Certificate in Design Technology from Ivy Tech Commu-
a new member of the Aerospace Human Factors Associ-
nity College, which helped him gain computer aided
ation, and she is featured in their latest newsletter. Susan
design skills to help him develop airbags for ultralights
was recently invited to speak at the ISDC conference, and
safety equipment. He is also active as a leader in his local
she is currently participating in the International Space
Robotics Club, Student Veterans Organization, American
University’s Space Studies Program in Canada along with
Legion Post, and the Ohio Chapter of the Mars Society.
Flight Member Michael Gallagher. Read more about Susan on page 22.
Troy Cole helped judge the Washington State Science & Engineering Fair and was recently accepted into the
Susan’s children Emmy (20) and Nicholos (21) are A4H’s
University of Washington’s Department of Aeronautics
youngest members. They have volunteered at the Mars
& Astronautics doctoral program, where he will research
Desert Research Station with their mother and are excited
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chanical engineering. He currently works at the Air Force Research Laboratory but will be matriculating to Stanford University for graduate school in mechanical engineering this fall through a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Casey Stedman is halfway through a 4-month mission on “Mars.� He is serving as mission commander of the second HI-SEAS mission on Mauna Loa, Hawaii. Back on Earth, he was recently selected for promotion to the rank of Major in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. When he gets back, he will assume a new position as Tactical Operations A B O V E Michael Parkhill was invited and interviewed as a guest at
Officer in the 910th Operations Support Squadron (OSS),
Starbase Studios in Oklahoma City, OK to tour the bridge set of the USS Enterprise from the television series Star Trek (original series).
Youngstown Air Reserve Station. Jennifer Steil completed her B.S. in physics from Sam
about spaceflight.
Houston State University in December 2013 while work-
Kavya Manyapu has been busy on a number of fronts
ing full time for NASA and taking care of four kids!
lately. She summited Mt. Kilimanjaro in February, served
Victoria Varone recently completed a Master Certification
as crew engineer on a MDRS mission to the remote Utah
in Social Media from Splash Media University, which helps
habitat in April, and was awarded the Rotary National
in her role as volunteer content creator for Penny4NASA,
Award for Space Achievement Stellar award in the early
which recently surpassed 100,000 likes/followers/fans.
career category. She continues her work in the Boeing CST-100 program and is also pursuing a Ph.D. in Space Studies through the University of North Dakota. Jonna Ocampo was selected as one of two students for a summer internship in biomedical research for Hawaii INBRE III. She was also recently inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Michael Parkhill continues to spread the word about space through his many teaching and outreach activities at high schools, colleges, and for the general public. He is active with the Suborbtial Applications Research Group (SARG), the 100 Year Starship Project, the Texas A&M STEM Collaborative, and he participated in the Texas A&M Commercial Space Workshop. David Salazar recently graduated from California State University, Long Beach in December with a BS in me-
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I N D U S T R Y L E ADE R
Brienna Henwood ∞ Training Private Astronauts Since 2007 By Brian Shiro
Brienna Henwood is Executive Director of Space Training and Research at the National AeroSpace Training and Research (NASTAR) Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She helped grow the NASTAR Center from its inception into an FAA-approved commercial space training leader. In that role, Brienna helps develop, market, and deliver astronaut training programs for commercial space clients and advocates on behalf of the industry. She is passionate about exploration and human performance in extreme environments from the oceans to space.
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What makes the NASTAR Center’s training programs so valuable and unique? People will tell you it is the best way to physically experience what spaceflight will be like. It is really the closest spaceflight experience you can have on Planet Earth. I have done the spaceflight training myself several times and it is quite an intense, but amazing experience — I have never experienced anything else that even remotely comes close to it in comparison. Certainly a must for space travelers.
How many clients has the NASTAR Center trained to date?
A B O V E Brienna has completed spaceflight training several times, an experience she describes as “intense, but amazing.”
440 space trainees.
It depends on your end goal. For a researcher designing an experiment, they may come several times. Initially
Are there any notable accomplishments or moments in that history that you are particularly proud of?
to receive an overall familiarity with different types of spaceflight profiles before selecting the space vehicle
Several! In addition to getting FAA approval, each one
they feel is best for their experiment. Then again, several
of my space training classes is our best accomplish-
times after the research is funded in order to best evalu-
ment — not only for me, for NASTAR Center, but for the
ate the timing sequence, the effects of acceleration and
entire commercial spaceflight industry.
vibration, and the configuration of their payload in the spacecraft for example.
How often do you recommend clients come in for training to ensure they remain prepared for flight?
For a space “tourist,” one to two times is common thus far. First, to learn about how to maximize their spaceflight
B E L O W Brienna joins clients during an FAA-approved sub-orbital
experience and see how the acceleration forces may
spaceflight training session at the NASTAR Center.
affect them physically or mentally during flight. Then again within about six months prior to their spaceflight. Several have come back multiple times. I highly encourage training right before spaceflight as the body is able to ‘remember’ and build up a bit of a G-tolerance if exposure is given within a few weeks prior to flight.
You are also a fitness instructor. How does human health impact performance in space? What, if any, medical conditions do you think might disqualify someone for spaceflight? Yes. I am a certified fitness instructor and a Kangoo PLYO rebound fitness instructor. Human health certainly is a
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A B O V E The NASTAR centrifuge can be configured to simulate various vehicles, including commercial sub-orbital craft like the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo and the XCOR Lynx.
topic that comes up a lot during spaceflight training. Generally speaking, we see that younger, healthy, fit individuals under 40 years of age tend to fare better and have less medical risk during simulated suborbital spaceflight
amazing to think that we have evaluated people 18 to
exposure at NASTAR Center; whereas individuals above
88 years of age, and covered quite an enormous medical
40 years of age with a known (or unknown!) medical
history spectrum including: hypertension, to diabetes,
condition and/or health problems have had more report-
heart disease, lung or respiratory disease, and neck and
ed problems and a higher medical risk for spaceflight.
spinal injury.
Obviously not everyone fits in these two categories and
In addition, we just concluded the largest space research
there have been exceptions on both sides. It is quite
study ever conducted in partnership with the Center of Excellence for Commercial Spaceflight (COE CST) and
B E L O W Brienna’s multi-faceted experience includes a background in marine biology and a passion for sea exploration.
aerospace physiologists from the University of Texas Medical Branch. This study evaluated close to 100 individuals with major disease state categories hoping to better understand if there are potential health and medical disqualifiers and how best to prepare the medically variant population for upcoming commercial spaceflights. Look for the article in the New Space Journal and for the results from the study on the COE CST website at www.coe-cst.org.
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What is the most unique environment you have explored, and where would you like to go if you had the chance?
you have for aspiring commercial astronauts?
Most unique… while I have several candidates, I
technology integrator, astronaut trainer, and PR /media
would pick diving the deep kelp forests off Catalina
executive. Each has allowed me to educate, inspire, and
Island — rich nutrient levels in the water host a variety of
enable public participation in vertical exploration (sea, air,
species and colorful life of all shapes and sizes. Swimming
and space) around the globe, which is my true passion. I
with humpback whales and sea lions are among them!
believe that “getting dirty,” as I call it, is probably the best
Antarctica is on my wish list for exploration.
way to truly enhance your knowledge and expertise in a
I have been fortunate to have found four paths in my life which encompass my passions: marine biologist,
subject.
Do you have plans to fly in space?
I speak to several young professionals and ‘explorers at
Yes.
heart’ groups each year and have given them “Brie
The commercial spaceflight industry is poised to take off, opening up new markets and opportunities. How did you get into this line of work, and what advice do
Henwood’s tips for success,” which are my two cents worth of advice (see below).
Brie Henwood’s
Tips
for
Success Discover who you really are. Know what you enjoy and are good at. When an opportunity comes – take it. Exude confidence and passion in everything you do. Surround yourself with people you admire. Find out what is stopping you and eliminate it. Pursue your goals regardless of others’ opinions. Dare to dream big.
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SUBORBITAL Industry at the Edge of Space
An Excerpt from the New Book by A4H Member Erik Seedhouse
Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo, during its first rocket-powered flight. Image: Virgin Galactic
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“We’re really on the cusp of an exciting new capability for our country and for our economy.” Lori Garver, NASA deputy administrator, explaining why NASA was seeking $75 million for the Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research program. As the main engine ignites, the crew feels a deep rumble far below them and a sudden sensation of motion as the launch vehicle lifts off, trailing a 150-meter long fountain of sun-bright exhaust in an inferno of smoke, searing light and earth-shaking noise. The mix of payload specialists and scientists feel the thunder of the launch, the numbing noise and the incredible acceleration, as they are pushed forcefully back into their seats. The gut-wrenching journey to sub-orbit, an event planned for many weeks and anticipated by the crew for several months, takes less than five minutes. Once in microgravity, the thrill of the ascent is replaced by the immediacy of the moment, as the crew pull out checklists and go to work on their payloads and experiments, mindful that they have less than five minutes to complete their task-lists. Welcome to the world of suborbital spaceflight. Until recently, spaceflight had been the providence of a select corps of professional astronauts whose missions, in common with all remarkable exploits, were experienced vicariously by the rest of the world via television reports and internet feeds. These space-farers risked their lives in the name of science, exploration and adventure, thanks to government-funded manned spaceflight programs. All that is about to change. The nascent commercial suborbital spaceflight industry will soon open the space frontier to commercial astronauts, payload specialists, scientists and, of course, spaceflight participants. Suborbital describes the tantalizing science opportunities offered when suborbital trips become routine within the next 12 to 18 months. It describes the difference in training and qualification necessary to become either a spaceflight participant or a fully-fledged commercial suborbital astronaut and it describes the vehicles this new class of astronauts will use. Anticipation is on the rise for the new crop of commercial suborbital spaceships that will serve the scientific and educational market. These reusable rocket-propelled vehicles are expected to offer quick, routine and affordable
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access to the edge of space, along with the capability to carry research and educational crew members. Yet to be demonstrated is the hoped-for flight rates of suborbital vehicles. Quick turnaround of these craft is central to realizing the profit-making potential of repeated sojourns to suborbital heights. As this proposal outlines, vehicle builders still face rigorous shake-out schedules, flight safety hurdles, as well as extensive trial-runs of their respective craft before suborbital space jaunts become commonplace. Suborbital examines some of these ‘cash and carry’ suborbital craft under development by such groups as Blue Origin, Masten Space Systems, Virgin Galactic and XCOR Aerospace and describes the hurdles the space industry is quickly overcoming en-route to the industry developing into a profitable economic entity. Suborbital also explains how the commercial suborbital spaceflight industry is planning and preparing for the challenges of marketing and financing and how it is marketing the hiring of astronauts. It examines the role of commercial operators as enablers accessing the suborbital frontier and how a partnership with governments and the private sector will eventually permanently integrate the free market’s innovation of commercial suborbital space activities.
Excerpt from Chapter 7
Flying A Suborbital Payload So, how does one go about flying an experiment on a suborbital vehicle? After all, you can’t buy a ticket from a company like a tourist can from Virgin Galactic — well, actually you can; six tickets to fly science flights have already been bought! The whole process will begin with an announcement of opportunity being made by a space agency or research institution. After coming up with an idea and filling in lots of forms, the application will be sent to the operator for review. Once accepted, the scientists, led by a Principal Investigator (PI), will embark upon a research design for the flight, which could take up to six months or longer. Sometime during the research design period, the PI will receive an experiment form from the operator, requesting that the PI provide them with the particulars of the scientists involved in the experiment, experiment objectives, experiment description, and a technical description of the experiment set-up. This will require the PI to provide a description of each system, an explanation of each experiment rack (including designation, function, mass, dimensions, etc.), schematics of the experiment, details of electrical circuits, a list of all products, photographs of the experiment set-up,
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and finally, the team’s approach for designing, building and testing the Image: Virgin Galactic
experiment. Other items on the experiment form will include details such as electrical consumption, a mechanical resistance analysis, in-flight procedures (a list of major tasks the scientists will perform during the short 5-minute flight), certification for use of human subjects, a liability waiver, an experiment hazard evaluation, and a hazard list. It’s a lot of paperwork, but it doesn’t stop with the experiment
A B O V E Payload rack installed in the SS2 cabin.
form because two months before the flight the equipment data package
form arrives. This requires more specific information including a structural load analysis, proof of mechanical resistance of each structure, detailed test procedures, the particulars of the data acquisition system and test operation limits and restriction. Once that round of paperwork is out of the way, the team can look forward to the Safety Visit. The Safety Visit is the final review before the flight and allows the operator to inspect test equipment, check any modifications to the payload, and approve or disapprove the test equipment. Around this time is when the team has to submit their medical certificates to the operator. After the Safety Visit, the team head back home and work on any modifications to the payload. Then, a week before the flight, they pack their bags and travel to the spaceport to begin their preflight preparations (Table 7.1). One of the first items on the schedule will be more paperwork; the operator will verify that all passengers have their medical certificates in order, that liability and waiver forms, if required, are signed, and all necessary modifications have been implemented. The operator will give the science team an overview of the week’s activities and training. Once all the paperwork is out of the way, the scientists will begin positioning their payload in the spacecraft, assisted by the operator’s check-out team who will help the scientists with attachment interfaces and electrical input and output requirements.
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Medical emergency… calling Mars Concordia Station…
Image: MarsCrew134, Kai Staats and Susan Jewell
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calling Earth mission medical center… crewmember down… we need immediate medical assistance… please acknowledge…
Susan Jewell
Like a scene from a Hollywood movie or a science fiction novel, an astronaut is critically injured at a Martian outpost, sustaining a fracture leg during an exploratory extravehicular activity (EVA) far from base. The medical EVA team conducts a successful search and rescue, implementing crisis management and surgical interventions in an attempt to stabilize their colleague. The scenario is made more challenging because the patient is the only one qualified to provide surgical aid for this type of emergency. This pioneering research simulation in telesurgeryteleanesthesia was led by A4H member Dr. Susan Ip Jewell, who was the Crew Medical Officer (CMO) and Executive Office (XO) of MarsCrew134 Analog Astronaut Expedition at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) under the auspices of the International Space Surgery Consortium (ISSC), an organization founded by Dr. Jewell.
MEET AN A4H
Image: MarsCrew134, Kai Staats and Susan Jewell
An Interview
A B O V E Susan dons experimental brain monitoring gear during the MDRS MarsCrew134 expedition.
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Describe yourself, your background and your interest in space?
awareness over time has made me stronger, more driven and determined to reach that objective and to never give up. I follow the doctrine of “Who Dares Wins” — the motto
Jewell: The past decade or so I have been on a laser
from the elite British military force, the Special Air Service
focused trajectory with the vision to become a com-
(SAS). The SAS was the grandfather of the modern special
mercial astronaut and one of the first group of Martian
forces headquartered in Hereford, UK, where I was born
colonists to settle on the red planet. As I traverse this path
and where my father, Kwong Lau Ip, was the first and only
and work through the myriad challenging and difficult
Chinese selected to join the 22nd Regiment after fighting
obstacles, struggles, failures and successes, I have truly
in WWII alongside General Orde Wingate in Burma among
found a deep sense of purpose for my existence and the
the 3,000 men known as the Chindits. So, I guess, my
authenticity in living life to its fullest. The journey, thus
spirit for adventure, space exploration, pioneering new
far, has given me the courage and inner strength to dive
frontiers, breaking paradigms, and evolving humanity to
deep into my own inner universe to understand who I am
the next evolutionary phase is very much entrenched in
and to truly comprehend the vastness of our unknown
my genetics and phenotypic makeup.
cosmos. It defines for me the meaning and drive to become a next-gen commercial astronaut and to under-
Professionally, I am a space physician-scientist, STEM
stand all that is entailed in becoming one — including the
educator, biomedical engineer and a strong advocate for
acceptance of the risks and dangers involved. In fact, this
empowering and educating women and young girls to become the next-gen scientists and astronauts. I have a personal mission to ensure that the first human step
Image: MarsCrew134, Kai Staats and Susan Jewell
B E L O W Susan (right) and other MDRS crew members conduct a simulated medical emergency during an MDRS extra-vehicular activity.
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on Mars is made by a woman! I am a proactive “human
ronment for a period of time. The crew members simulate
colonization of Mars” advocate, as a speaker and public
conditions and life as though they are actually living on
educator.
Mars and have to don mock spacesuits during EVAs. There is a remote team, i.e., mission support, who can communi-
Currently, I am training in survival skills, extreme environ-
cate with the crew during the mission via remote plat-
ments including pilot training to become a commercial
forms, such as Skype and satellite telecommunications.
astronaut for low earth orbit (LEO) projects and future deep space missions. I recently completed training at
I believe that analog astronaut experience is important
NASA Johnson Space Center and University of Texas
training to become a commercial astronaut, especially for
Medical Branch: Aviation & Space Medicine Program. I will
future deep space and long-duration Mars missions. In
also attend the International Space University (ISU) for
my opinion, one of the more limiting factors for human
its summer space program in June 2014 in Canada, as a
space exploration and future colonization of off-world
recipient of a European Space Agency (ESA) scholarship.
planets is the socio-psychological aspects of crew interaction, crew cohesion and human factors. Studying and
As a scientist, I trained in the Department of Molecular
experiencing these challenges first hand and developing
Therapeutics & Drug Discovery, National Cancer Insti-
mitigation countermeasures to ensure the health and
tute, NIH and UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine,
safety of astronauts are key since these will determine
Department of Medical & Molecular Pharmacology as the
to a large extent the success or failure of the mission.
recipient of two fellowships — the Cancer Research Train-
So I am “over the moon”, or in my case, “over Mars” to be
ing Award and the National Research Scientist Award. I
selected as a semi-finalist for Flashline Mars Artic Re-
am proactive in the space community, encouraging STEM
search Station (FMARS) expedition: a year-long mission
and public awareness of space exploration. I was recently
on Devon Island in the Canadian Artic. As the lead investi-
appointed as VP, The CosmoSphere, whose mission is to
gator, I look forward to an opportunity to implement my
open space for all humanity. I am an active member in
pioneering work looking at integrating complementary
various space organizations, such as the Aerospace Med-
modalities, such as yoga and meditation into the daily
ical Association, Royal Aeronautical Society, Astronaut-
schedule of the crew as potential mitigation counter-
s4hire, Mars Society including representing Ambassador
measures. The project was initiated during the two week
for SARG (Commercial Spaceflight Federation) and Mars
analog training at MDRS earlier this year and it looks quite
Initiative. My long-term vision is to expand space medi-
promising. Additionally, I have been shortlisted as “highly
cine, physiology, telesurgery and biomedical research in
qualified” for crew selection in the NASA funded Hawaii
low Earth orbit, deep space and a human colony on Mars.
Space Exploration Analogue Simulation, HI-SEAS, which
What is an analog astronaut and analog simulation training? How important is this to be a commercial astronaut?
has plans for 8-month and 12-month missions focusing on crew psychology studies. It’s all quite exciting!
What inspired you to pioneer the telesurgeryanesthesia study?
Jewell: Analog astronaut training is an extraordinary experience where one is lives and works in a totally immersive
Jewell: I have always been fascinated with space explo-
Mars analog simulation with a small crew of people, usual-
ration and the idea of humans becoming a multi-plane-
ly six in number, in an isolated, confined, extreme envi-
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Image: MarsCrew134, Kai Staats and Susan Jewell
THE A4H NEWS
A B O V E Susan (right) and Vibha Srivatava perform a simulated telesurgery at MDRS.
tary species. With this in mind, I knew we had to develop research in this specific area of medicine to ensure the
communications with Earth mission control?
health and safety for astronauts and future space colonists. The goal of this pilot research was to develop the
Jewell: So, depending on the alignment of Earth and Mars
telesurgery subspecialty within the innovative area of tele-
to the Sun, there is a time delay in communication rang-
medicine. In this case, that meant using remote guidance
ing between three minutes to twenty minutes. We decid-
from experts (board certified surgeons, anesthesiologists
ed to implement a three minute delay, which at first was
and space medicine physicians) at one location (Earth
difficult for team members to remember. We did speak
“ground mission control medical centers” or Concordia
over each other, which caused frustration and increased
Station, the Antarctica Mars analog) to guide a group
error rates for the crew team performing the surgical
of non-medical or minimally trained analog astronauts
tasks until everyone became cognizant of this… then
(members of MarsCrew134) at MDRS in Utah.
communications ran smoothly. In the events of “black
I am currently forming another team, MarsWithoutBor-
outs” and loss of communications, we plan to develop
ders, for submission for the upcoming MDRS field season.
ancillary and contingency plans for future simulations by
I will continue to expand and develop these studies with
using other tools and training methods. For example, we
the consortium, with the near-term vision of taking it
may integrate innovative technologies such as adaptive
into suborbital and ISS testing, which can, hopefully be
virtual reality, medical video libraries, robotic surgical
conducted by A4H flight members.
assistance, Google Glass, 3D holographic “Surgeon-Assistant”, and AI. These are some ideas for expanding this ini-
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tial pilot project and developing higher fidelity complex surgical tasks and procedures for longer duration analog simulations.
Why did you simulate a “Mars-to-Mars” scenario with Concordia Station in Antarctica? Jewell: This was an opportunity for two Mars Analog stations to simulate two bases already established on Mars at different locations, testing how we can interact and assist each other in times of medical emergencies. In this scenario, we did not use any time delay since we wantA B O V E Susan (front left) joins her children, fellow A4H members Emmy (center) and Nicholas (right), in exploring the possibilities of virtual reality and other technologies for telesurgery and teleanesthesia.
ed to simulate a Mars-to-Mars telecommunications. The Concordia medical team guided the MarsCrew134 team through the telesurgical phase of the simulation. The recent simulation with Concordia was the first they had
procedures in this field and become the gold standard of
conducted that was a” Mars-to-Mars” medical simulation.
care for astronauts, crew personnel and humans on Earth.
It was quite successful and both teams are excited about
Additionally, we want to build an ISSC global system of
continued collaboration and partnerships to expand the
surgeons and physicians who are members of this remote
research initiated at MDRS and to integrate the study
network and who will be able to come onboard remotely
into a higher fidelity training program. The idea is that in
to assist in any emergency.
the near future, all medical doctors working and living in
What are some challenges to space and to becoming an astronaut?
Antarctica or other analog stations will have undergone some aspects of the telesurgical-teleanethesia simulation training prior to mission deployment.
Jewell: There are many challenges when pioneering new areas in Space especially in the fields of space medicine,
In the future, will astronauts be trained in telesurgery-teleanesthesia skills for their missions?
space psychology and human factors. Taking humans into space should always be about skills, safety and survival. The same applies whether one is a scientist, explorer, or
Jewell: That is one of the aims for the future and the direc-
an astronaut. We need to decode the “X” factor in the
tion of our work within the ISSC. We envision not only de-
equation of life — to take the journey inwards into the
veloping telesurgery-teleanesthesia for space exploration
micro-universe of self and an outwards journey into the
but also as spin-off benefits for terrestrial Earth, such as in
expansive macro-universe of the cosmos, if we are to truly
disaster areas or war zones where no immediate access to
be successful in becoming astronauts and a multi-plane-
medical assistance are on-site. The idea of remote telesur-
tary species. We need to continue to pioneer work in this
gery guidance and access to board-certified physicians
new frontier: an environment that is very dangerous to
using innovative technologies is an advantage and po-
life and still very mysterious to humans. This thought can
tentially a life-saving platform. My vision is that the ISSC
be overwhelming and fascinating at the same time. What
will be able to develop the standardized protocols and
drives one to keep forging forward despite the force of
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facing Goliath head-on is this sheer will, determination and deep belief that we have yet to attain our fullest human potential as a species‌ there is so much more we can become as the human race and we can evolve, transform and transcend into the next stage in our evolutionary path as transhumans. It is our curiosity and our innate drive to be in constant motion that propels us to discover and to move forward with the vision, one day, of expanding upwards and outwards. The mission and goals of organizations such as A4H are made up of pioneers, visionaries and leaders who get it and have the courage to take us there‌ one small step at a time‌ and to show us how. Once the path is set, I honestly believe, the rest will follow.
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NSBE SEEK(S) ROCKETEERS BY JEREMY GUIN
The National Society of Black Engineers’ (NSBE) Summer Engineering Experience for Kids (SEEK) program is now recruiting future “Rocketeers.” While attending the NSBE’s Annual Conference in Nashville, TN, I had the opportunity to sit down with the SEEK team and discuss the recent expansion of the SEEK curriculum to include rocket design and aerospace engineering principles. The history of NSBE is one of excellence in engineering, rooted in community service to provide a comprehensive and obtainable vision of the future. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, NSBE offers academic excellence programs, scholarships, leadership training, professional development and access to career opportunities for thousands of members. With its growth and dedication to its core mission “to increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community,” NSBE sought to further provide influence in STEM to the youth of our world by formulating and enacting the SEEK program. The SEEK program purpose is to expose students in 3rd–5th grade (and 6th-8th grade in selected locations) to the question, “What is an engineer?”, a service now extended to over eleven cities. The SEEK program provides a free three-week summer camp that allows young students to experience what it is to be an engineer by recruiting university STEM students from across the country to mentor them in engineering projects. These projects range from solar cars, gravity cruisers, gliders, and now, rockets. The 6:1 student to mentor ratio enables mentors to guide these “future engineers” through the engineering process, the scientific method, theories in thermodynamics, principles of flight, and concepts in physics. This may sound like an intense summer, but the concepts that the students grasp and the fun they have in SEEK’s nurturing environment cannot be experienced anywhere else. Now SEEK, with encouragement from the NSBE Space Special Interest Group (Space-SIG) and NASA, are getting ready to implement the rocket design curriculum this summer. Space is without limits, so why should we limit our children’s imaginations? A child’s future as an engineer might begin with SEEK! Please visit the National Society of Black Engineers Summer Engineering Experience for Kids website at www.nsbe.org/seek.aspx to identify a host city near you.
Image:s: NASA
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WHAT’S HOT in Commercial Spaceflight by Troy Cole Virgin Galactic Picks SpaceShipTwo Payloads
A B O V E The human-rated Dragon v2 prototype was recently unveiled by SpaceX at its Hawthorne, California headquarters.
Virgin Galactic recently announced the payloads selected for the first research flight aboard SpaceShipTwo. The
signed for the system. The engine is noteworthy because
twelve experiments by universities, private enterprises
its combustion chamber is entirely 3D printed out of the
and government labs include a space-optimized 3D
nickel-based alloy Inconel. The thruster’s first flight test
printer from Made in Space Inc., an on-orbit propellant
will be be a pad abort test scheduled for late 2014.
storage stability investigation for a prototype orbital depot by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and a mi-
Commercial Crew Teams Hit Milestones
crogravity multi-phase flow experiment by the Johnson
Sierra Nevada Corporation, Boeing, and SpaceX — the
Space Center. NASA contracted Virgin Galactic to ferry the
companies participating in NASA’s Commercial Crew
microgravity experiments through its Flight Opportuni-
Program — completed the first phase of milestones for
ties Program.
certifying their crew transportation systems. Sierra Nevada, which is developing the Dreamchaser, also
Dragon Version 2 Prototype Unveiled
tested the vehicle’s main propulsion system and reaction
SpaceX unveiled the new Dragon v2, a prototype of the
control system (RCS). Boeing is currently preparing its
human-rated version of the Dragon cargo spacecraft. The
CST-100 spacecraft for a critical design review to see if it is
new version has the capacity to carry seven people and
ready for further testing with a production model. SpaceX
features a new, improved heat shield and an innovative
is preparing structural integrity tests for its Dragon v2 to
pusher launch abort rocket system. SpaceX also complet-
see if it can withstand the physical stresses of the various
ed qualification testing of the SuperDraco thrusters de-
phases of an orbital spaceflight.
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