Astronauts4Hire Announces Summer Training Schedule

Online, June 28, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Tampa, Florida - The inaugural Astronauts4Hire training class will perform a series of group astronaut training activities leading to eventual research specialist qualification during the month of July 2011.

"Our training providers have been carefully chosen to provide comprehensive initial and recurring training for Astronauts4Hire," said Chief Operating Officer Dr. Jason Reimuller. "Their training programs will indoctrinate our candidates to the environment where they will be conducting experiments, greatly increasing the probability of full mission success. Candidates will also be well prepared to effectively react to possible mission contingencies."

The upcoming group training activities include:

•July 6-8: Survival Systems USA
Astronauts4Hire training participants will complete emergency escape and sea survival courses at Survival Systems USA located in Groton, CT. These programs will provide the knowledge and skills necessary to remain calm and react appropriately to on-board emergencies requiring evacuation from a spacecraft in over- or under-water situations.

•July 11-13: NASTAR Center
Astronauts4Hire training participants will complete the Suborbital Scientist Training Program at the NASTAR Center located in Southampton, PA. They will undergo high altitude, G-tolerance, distraction, and spaceflight physiology training focused on the needs of suborbital scientist-astronauts.

•July 14: Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory
Astronauts4Hire training participants will tour and test the facilities at the Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory located at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA. They will gain a first-hand understanding of how unusual force environments affect human sensorimotor control and orientation.

Astronauts4Hire members also plan to complete microgravity flight and wilderness survival group training activities later this year as well as accomplish individual training elements such as SCUBA diving certification, an aerobatic flight training course, and self-study theoretical courses on the space environment, spacecraft systems, and human factors.

"This is a major step for us," said Astronauts4Hire President Brian Shiro. "Training as a team and leveraging the collective power of the group are key aspects of the Astronauts4Hire philosophy. These training activities will prepare Astronauts4Hire members for a wide variety of suborbital missions and will pave the way for future opportunities."

About Astronauts4Hire:
Astronauts for Hire, Inc. (A4H) is a non-profit corporation whose objectives are to provide opportunities for students and professionals to develop and refine the skills necessary to become commercial astronauts and to assist these qualified candidates with networking opportunities in the space research community. A4H's commercial astronaut candidates are accomplished scientists and engineers who can support a wide variety of payloads. They are available today for contract and consulting work with researchers to design and conduct experiments on microgravity, suborbital, and orbital missions. For more information, please visit www.Astronauts4Hire.org or contact Public Relations Officer Ben Corbin at [email protected] or at (850) 685-2218.

About Survival Systems USA:
Survival Systems USA, Inc., an employee-owned company, specializes in providing military and civilian training in water survival, aircraft ditching emergency and escape procedures for both fixed and rotary wing craft, as well as rescue, land, and sea survival techniques. For more information, please visit www.survivalsystemsinc.com or contact Survival Systems USA President Maria Hanna at [email protected] or at (860) 405-0002, ext 15.

About NASTAR Center:
The National AeroSpace Training And Research (NASTAR®) Center is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Environmental Tectonics Corporation (ETC®). NASTAR Center is a state-of the art aerospace training, research, and educational facility dedicated to improving the health and safety of humans in extreme environments. NASTAR Center serves military aviation (fixed and rotary wing), civil aviation (fixed and rotary wing), space travel (government and private) and provides research support for component and human factors testing. For more information, please visit www.nastarcenter.com, or contact Director of Space Training and Research Brienna Henwood at [email protected] or at (215) 355-9100, ext 1504.

About Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory:
The Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory (AGSOL) is part of the Neuroscience program at Brandeis University. Since 1982 AGSOL researchers have studied human spatial orientation and movement control in altered gravity environments, including artificial gravity, high G and weightlessness of parabolic flight, and virtual environments. For more information, please visit www.graybiel.brandeis.edu or contact Senior Research Associate Janna Kaplan at [email protected] or at (781) 736-2038.