Posted by Ray Katz in current, private
They’re hiring astronauts.
Where will these future astronauts go? When?
In the event that Blue Origin, SpaceX, Bigelow Aerospace, Virgin Galactic and others get their manned space businesses up and running…who will fly?
[Bigelow is already advertising for astronauts directly.]
In addition to paying customers, these private space companies will need astronauts. A startup nonprofit, Astronauts For Hire, hopes to train them and get them flying. In fact, AFH has picked its first trainees—including a 21 year old.
The organization is hoping to train astronaut-scientists by sending them to the NASTAR Suborbital Scientist Training Program. It’ll be interesting to see how this develops. How many private astronauts will be needed? Which companies will succeed in the space business and which will fold?
Meanwhile, Astronauts For Hire is also taking donations. You can’t train astronauts for free.
