Waypoint2space: Closer Look at Website Claims About Operations at NASA JSC
Keith’s note: The other day I wrote about the announcement made by Waypoint2space about the astronaut training services they are currently selling – services that claim use of NASA JSC facilities. I did get a few responses from the company (with legal disclosure caveats attached) before they stopped responding. I have asked NASA PAO to respond but they have yet to do so. Below are some observations regarding what is still posted on the Waypoint2space website. I’d be more than happy to post any responses from Waypoint2space – so long as they do not attach legal restrictions on the dissemination of those responses.
For starters, the Waypoint2space site refers to their services in the present tense i.e. that they already exist: “Our Level 1 classes are accepting enrollment and are scheduled to begin in April 2014.“, “Operating from NASA’s Johnson Space Center, we offer the definitive training experience with our fully comprehensive and immersive space training programs.”, and “Operating from the global hub of space technology – Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas – we are helping to shape the future of the Commercial Space Industry”. As best I am able to determine they operate out of Houston Technology Center located in Building 35 at the same address Waypoint2space uses.
Waypoint2space does not have any signed agreements with NASA although they will tell you that one is in the works. As for all of the company logos they list on their website, I have inquiries out to see if there are actual endorsements or business relationships in place. So far the answer seems to be no.
If you visit this webpage you’ll see this claim “To go into space, step out of the vehicle, and float above the earth while reaching for the stars – but wondered if you have what it takes? For the first time in history, you can train like an astronaut using the most advanced facilities and equipment in the world.” Sadly, nearly everything once used to train astronauts during the shuttle program at JSC has been sent to museums. What remains is in active use for ISS and exploration activities. Access to these facilities by NASA Is highly protected – and always has been. MOD is not going to readily allowing paying customers to starting using these facilities. Multiple sources within NASA state rather emphatically that MOD has made it clear to all involved that they not interested in working with Waypoint2space on astronaut training.
If you go to this page this page one of the images that rotates though is the Saturn V at JSC – but it is shown as it was 10 years ago (outside) not inside is new education center. Another image shows an artist’s concept of a new three story building onsite at JSC that is “coming soon” yet NASA sources at JSC know nothing about this building. On this page one of the photos shows someone in an EVA suit training the large pool at JSC. There is simply no way that this is going to happen.
This page states “Our Level 1 classes are accepting enrollment and are scheduled to begin in April 2014. At this time, we have limited enrollment with only 300 seats available.” This page also shows the JSC electric rover with the company’s logo on it. I have been to Desert RATS twice. They limit the operation of this vehicle to a handful of highly trained individuals. Without MOD cooperation there is simply no way that any of the facilities at JSC are going to be opened up to this or any other company – especially one that purports to “train astronauts” and to start doing so in April 2014.
This page says “The course will subject the SFP to high G-force load effects on the human body coupled by stimulation of the vestibular and visual senses as a result of unusual attitudes” You need a human-rated centrifuge for that. JSC no longer has such a centrifuge – and hasn’t had one for decades.
This page states “This course will prepare the SFP for the planned EVA utilizing fidelity correct mock-ups in a neutrally buoyant or neutral gravity environment simulating microgravity procedures for orbital EVA or terrestrial based facility if performing lunar EVA.” To do this at JSC would require use of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory or the agency’s C-9 aircraft or ZeroG’s jet. Again, without MOD’s cooperation, NASA facilities are unlikely to be available. No mention is made of ZeroG Corporation services or any partnership with them.
– Can You Train Like An Astronaut at JSC for $45,000? Not Without NASA’s Permission, earlier post
– Waypoint2space Clarifies A Few Things About Astronaut Training at NASA JSC
If you look at this press release from the Tuesday the 28th is sure is a lot different from what you say. They do NOT mention utilizing any existing infrastructure .. they are vague. The press release is for them getting FAA approval.
“HOUSTON – Jan. 28, 2014 – Waypoint 2 Space, a leading provider of spaceflight training for the commercial space industry, today announced it has received FAA safety approval for its highly anticipated training services that will begin late spring of 2014. The FAA safety approval solidifies Waypoint 2 Space’s commitment to establishing the safest and highest training standards for the industry.”
How can they be a leading provider if they just received approval?
“The company is offering future and prospective crew and spaceflight participants the opportunity to receive innovative training techniques and have access to the most advanced equipment in the world.”
They fail to mention where exactly that advanced equipment is actually at.
“The FAA safety approval (SA 14-007) for Waypoint 2 Space meets the Crew and Space Flight Participant Training requirements of 14 CFR § 460.5 (a), (b) and 14 CFR § 460.51 allowing the company to offer its spaceflight training services to a prospective launch or reentry operator. The following programs will begin to be offered in late spring of 2014:”
Now they say that their services haven’t even started yet, how can they be the leading provider?
““The Waypoint 2 Space team is a strategic mix of individuals who have developed training programs for both NASA Astronauts and Air Force pilots,” said Dr. Kelly Soich, director of programs and chief payload specialist for Waypoint 2 Space. “Waypoint 2 Space training programs incorporate the best techniques and technologies from NASA and Air Force programs while the FAA safety approval allows us to move forward with offering training classes and bringing the programs to the public.”
Okay here they are just going to “incorporate” the technology what and where?
“Waypoint 2 Space is working in collaboration with NASA Johnson Space Center. Through this collaboration Waypoint 2 Space training programs will utilize the same technology and equipment that has been used to train NASA Astronauts for the past 50 years”
Now they are saying their program is just going to use the same equipment as JSC not actually saying they will be using their actual facility… Seems kind of dogey.
This is starting to remind of the DreamTime debacle from 2000-01. (Great idea, no real money.) Except that DreamTime DID have an agreement in-place…but still managed to screw the pooch.
“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” — Bill Shakespeare.
Anyone take a look at the “New Facility coming Soon…” image on the about page? They apparently plan on building a space age version of the Capitol building… you know… “coming soon”.
And then they are gonna plaster it with their log from every angle.
Then you go to their “About Us” page… their President and CEO is “Kevin Heath, MBA”. Nevermind I’ve never seen any business man in my life sign their name with “MBA” fixed to it, background after background is extremely generic and filled with platitudes. And then only the President/CEO and COO have their LinkedIn’s actually linked (again another oddity).
And the website itself? That image slider and the social media bar at the top makes it look suspiciously like a WordPress template.
There is so much extremely off about this. Everything about it looks like a scam with zero money and a lot of vacuous platitudes about how awesome space travel is and how great it is to train people to be astronauts. But the attaching of names and faces is the vexing part. If “Kevin Heath, MBA”‘s company says “we’re going to use Building 35, we have a plan and we’re starting classes” and MOD wants nothing to do with them and says he’s making it up, what does that make Kevin Heath, MBA and his company and every person with a face on that page?
Someone here basically has to be a lot less than honest. I’m gonna go with the company who took a “New Facility”, that looks completely massive by the way, and says “soon”, like it’s a beta release of software or something.
Yep I was right! I looked through the code of the website. Found the following tidbits.
“<meta name=”generator” content=”WordPress 3.7.1″/>”
So it’s a standard WordPress website. It certainly looked the part. Granted this is not entirely terrible as WordPress powers many great sites. But for a business? Pretty unprofessional.
Then I found this:
(don’t actually click this link, though nothing harmful will happen)
“<script type=”text/javascript” src=”http://waypoint2space.com/w…“></script>”
It’s using the Avada wordpress theme:
http://theme-fusion.com/avada/
The Avada theme is extraordinarily popular – it’s one of the top themes out there, the reason being it’s very customizable for people who know next to nothing about css, html and java. They’ve in fact barely modified it. For $55 they got a website that they moved some minor parts around and threw space images and logos up.
If you want a good laugh, scroll to the bottom of the Avada page. Then look at the top of the W2P page. Then mouse over the Avada buttons on the top of their page, and do the same on the W2P page.
This is… something special. I mean, this “company” didn’t even get their face-to-the-world (and customers) anywhere past “my first website” level. They paid $55 bucks and downloaded it. Who are these people?
that’s some world-class sleuthing there.
I don’t know… maybe in the second decade of the 21st century, when so much business is done on the “internet” and a company’s website is very much their public face… and maybe if said company, with already extremely questionable credentials will ask for thousands of dollars to “train like an astronaut”… maybe a comprehensively professional presentation and not a High School level My First Website is kind of in order? Maybe it reflects the kind of company this is?
A business in 2014 using WordPress is like a business in 1999 using Geocities. And let’s not forget. Geocities was popular and easy to use too.
But maybe my standards are too high. Maybe I’m wrong to expect a company with a string of highly dubious statements and a website filled with clip art and a “coming soon new facility” that looks like something out of a super hero movie, to be appear trustworthy and professional, before handing them my money. After all… who doesn’t want to be an Astronaut? Sign me up and take my money!
Now come on, just because it’s a WordPress site doesn’t mean it’s unprofessional necessarily. The whitehouse.gov site (and countless other professional sites) is made using Drupal. Drupal is free as well. Probably plenty of businesses use WordPress. Are you insulting all of them? There is a lot more to making a quality web site than the possible framework used. And who says it can’t use a CMS for a business site? It depends on the needs and the resources. Geocities, the place where there were ads all over that weren’t yours? And you probably mean Javascript, not Java. Now I don’t say anything about the company. I won’t be giving anyone $45,000 anytime soon and if I did I’d surely check it out with third parties, talk to previous clients. Things don’t look good for this one right now. Maybe I’d wait until that big new facility was open before checking back 🙂
When I read the information they put out in the press release and on their website, I get a little bit different flavour. To me, it seems like they do a very good job of not *specifically* stating they’re using NASA facilities or resources but heavily *imply* that is what their “training” will incorporate.
e.g. they state they are “Operating from NASA’s Johnson Space Center”, but don’t specifically identify JSC as where the training will occur. They state that “you can train like an astronaut using the most advanced facilities and equipment in the world”, but it’s only *implied* that those facilities and equipment are at JSC.
I get the feel that they’re relying on some pretty dark grey areas and general vagueness to let people read more substance than is really there. Sort of like the radio stations giving away 100 Grand bars or Toy Yodas to their listeners (http://www.snopes.com/busin…. They’re just putting it out there; we’re reading more into it and coming up with higher expectations.
For what it’s worth (and I’m not sure it’s much), their artist’s rendition of the “coming soon” building appears to be at or just outside of Ellington Field. https://www.google.com/maps…
Anyway, my take on the whole matter is that this venture is basically Space Camp for adults. Nothing particularly wrong with that, but if that’s the case it seems a bit misleading to me.
Of course, if I’m entirely wrong then I’m willing to take it back and apologize, but this is what I think.