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Astronauts for Hire (A4H) is a nonprofit corporation whose mission is "to increase the competitiveness of commercial astronaut candidates by providing skills training, facilitating forums for candidate communication, engaging with potential employers, and inspiring the next generation."[1][2]
Background Astronauts for Hire, Inc. (also known as "Astronauts4Hire" and "A4H") was incorporated as a nonprofit in the state of Florida on April 12, 2010.[3][4] The organization was established with the intent of training groups of scientist-astronauts and making them available for hire. Research institutions, principal investigators and private spaceflight companies would engage these individuals to conduct experiments in suborbital and eventually orbital space, as opposed to sending their own personnel on these missions.[5] In 2011, an inaugural class of flight and associate members completed emergency egress and sea survival training[6], suborbital research scientist training,[7] spatial orientation-disorientation testing and acclimation.[8] Astronauts for Hire has been featured in Discover Magazine[9], Nature[10], New Scientist[11], Aviation Week and Space Technology[12] among others. The organization received extensive press coverage following its test of the first beer specifically intended to be consumed in space, targeted at the emerging space tourist market.[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Flight Members The organization currently has nineteen Flight Members, who are considered commercial astronauts for hire. These flight members are: Ongoing Projects Development of Training Standards With the assistance of a board of advisers composed of former astronauts, astronaut training specialists, and space operations professionals, the organization is developing a comprehensive set of training standards for use in training commercial astronauts.[28] Industry Partnerships Astronauts for Hire has entered into training partnerships with Survival Systems, USA for emergency escape, sea survival and open water rescue,[29] and a research and training partnership with the Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory (AGSOL) at Brandeis University[8]. Past Highlights  A4H Personnel at NSRC 2011 NASA Astronaut Selection Webinar In December 2011, in conjunction with the NASA Astronaut Corps, Astronauts for Hire held a public online seminar and discussion session on the astronaut selection process with Duane Ross, Manager for NASA Astronaut Candidate Training and Astronaut Candidate Selection.[30] Participation in 2011 NSRC A4H was an official sponsor of the 2011 Next Generation Sub-orbital Researchers Conference (NSRC).[31][32] A4H personnel assisted in the planning and execution of the event. Contract with Vostok Pty Ltd A4H was awarded a contract to provide flight research services on a Zero-G flight, for commercial company Vostok Pty Ltd, which is a joint venture between Saber Astronautics Australia and the 4-Pines Brewery.[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] The experiment consisted of measuring the physiologic and biometric responses of alcohol consumption under conditions of weightlessness. Sponsors & Donors The organization has received support from individuals and organizations including Optify, Target Process, Bob Page, Tony Webb, Doug Drexler, 4Frontiers Corporation and Mike Kronenberg. See also References External links
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