Virgin Galactic and NASA Launch a New Program to Train Private Astronauts
upstart writes in with an IRC submission:
Virgin Galactic and NASA launch a new program to train private astronauts:
Virgin Galactic announced it has signed a deal with NASA to develop a "private orbital astronaut readiness program" that trains and supports private astronauts for missions to the International Space Station.
The background: Last year NASA announced it was accepting bids from private companies for missions to the space station, both as a tourist destination and to use its resources and the microgravity environment to run different kinds of science and tech experiments. However, it's never been quite clear exactly how these companies are supposed to train their own astronauts and provide the sort of logistical support and resources necessary to pull off a crewed mission in orbit.
The new deal: Under the new agreement, Virgin Galactic will act like something of a middleman that helps interested parties (private companies, tourists, research institutions) go to the ISS for short-duration missions. Its services will include identifying potential customers, arranging private astronaut training, procuring the launch vehicles needed to launch these customers into space, and providing on-the-ground and in-orbit support for these missions.
Also at CNET
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