Keith’s note: 1.7 million views so far. I have ridden a full acceleration simulation of SpaceShipOne’s flight in the NASTAR Centrifuge. Rest assured – this has got to be quite a kick – even more so in reality.

The Next Space Race, Newsweek “To get a peek at how commercial space will prepare its people, I signed up for private astronaut training, a three-day NASTAR certificate course for suborbital researchers. Founded in 2006, NASTAR began as a showcase for its parent company, Environmental Tectonics Corp., a leading maker of flight simulators. In 2010 it won Federal Aviation Administration approval for private space training, the first company to do […]

NASTAR Center Completes First FAA Safety Approval Audit – Space Training Simulator Centrifuge “Representatives from FAA AST, Washington, DC, conducted the audit. The audit consisted of a review of conformance to the terms of the Safety Approval as well as a review of the STS-400, including operating and safety procedures, operation and maintenance manuals, and inspection and maintenance documentation. Additionally, the use of the STS-400 in the NASTAR Center space […]

Last week I had a rather remarkable experience: I flew into space in Pennsylvania. Well, almost.

Video: Cockpit screen view: NASTAR SpaceShip Two Centrifuge Simulation of 100% Acceleration Profile This video is from a 11 May 2011 centrifuge run at the NASTAR center with SwRI scientist Cathy Olkin in the cockpit. The view simulates what one would see on a suborbital flight profile aboard Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShip Two. These centrifuge rides are an integral feature of the NASTAR Center’s suborbital scientist astronaut training program. Video: External […]

NASTAR Suborbital Scientist Astronaut Training: Full Acceleration Flight Profile Centrifuge Runs (archived video) Keith’s note: My three centrifuge runs – Virgin Galactic SpaceShip Two flight profiles – one at 50% acceleration and two at 100% acceleration – starts at 51:50 in the archived webcast. As you can see, we all had a great time. Let me tell you, the experience of pulling 6Gs is utterly exhilarating. With the proper training […]

Space science: Along for the ride, Nature “Three days after Discovery ‘s launch … two planetary scientists are talking with a group of fellow researchers about what should come next. Sipping his drink, Daniel Durda laments that after half a century, only about 500 people have flown in space. Access to humanity’s final frontier is still restricted to people employed by a handful of powerful governments and corporations, plus the […]

NASTAR Center and Special Aerospace Services Commence Research Study on Emergency Detection and Human Response of Atlas V Profile “The NASTAR(R) Center, the premier commercial space training and research center in the world, has completed the initial phase of a research effort focused on commercial human spaceflight and systems development related to emergency detection and response using an Atlas V flight profile, under a contract with Special Aerospace Service (SAS) […]

NASTAR Center Appoints Former NASA Science Mission Directorate Associate Administrator as Advisor for Space and Research “Environmental Tectonics Corporation’s The National AeroSpace Training and Research (NASTAR(R)) Center announced today that it has retained Dr. Alan Stern as an advisor for space and research related business including the Suborbital Scientist Training Program, which provides researchers and educators with training to perform experiments aboard suborbital vehicles.”

NASTAR Center Awarded First FAA Safety Approval from Office of Commercial Space Transportation “Environmental Tectonics Corporation’s NASTAR Center announced today that it is the first entity to receive a Safety Approval from the Federal Aviation Administration Office of Commercial Space Transportation. This approval, granted April 7, 2010, allows NASTAR Center to offer prospective space launch operators seeking a launch license, its pre-approved, NASTAR Space Training Programs using the Space Training […]