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According to the latest Techcrunch report, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will use private suborbital flights to train new astronauts recruited for future space missions. The agency It hopes to improve its training protocols to better prepare its new members for the challenges of space.
This new plan will suggest a potentially huge new market for the fledgling private space flight industry, as NASA plans to use suborbital spacecraft the likes of Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic.
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NASA could be using private suborbital spacecraft to train novice astronauts – what are the risks?
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NASA could use private suborbital spacecraft to train rookie astronauts – will there be any risks the new plan may face?
Jim Bridenstine, the NASA administrator, explained at the next-generation suborbital researchers conference in March 2020 that the space agency is considering using suborbital spacecraft from private spaceflight companies.
(Photo: SpaceX on Unsplash)
NASA could be using private suborbital spacecraft to train novice astronauts – what are the risks?
“That is a capacity that we as a nation have not had until recently,” he said in the Space.com report. Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic have experienced suborbital flights and traveled into outer space. However, Bridenstine said that conducting test flights and commercial flights with astronauts who are inexperienced are very different.
Virgin Galactic is already selling tickets for the first flight with passengers, but there are no specific dates yet. According to the report, suborbital flights are currently aspirational as there are still no reliable schedules and records of successful missions. The report reiterated that this is the nature of space travel: 99% of the way is still nowhere.
The tests and training carried out by astronauts on the planet are not enough. They can do all the simulators, pool training and virtual flights, but in the end, they will only have the right knowledge and experience once they go into space and experience the new environment first hand.
Previously, experiencing space environments can only be accomplished by spending a hundred million dollars on developing a spacecraft. However, suborbital flights can provide the necessary space experience that is cheaper, making it more practical for new astronauts.
The suborbital spacecraft will have a rocket-powered ascent and will be launched out of the planet’s atmosphere. It will provide new astronauts with a few minutes of weightlessness, which is effective for training.
“This is a big change for NASA, but it is a major change,” Bridenstine said in the report.
NASA’s new plan will take advantage of private commercial flights that will be used as its official training location for its newly recruited astronauts.
However, the space agency clarified that the flights should be extremely safe, but is not required to meet the same safety standards for flights launched by ISS.
Suborbital flights that will not be operated directly by NASA would increase readiness for new space missions, speed up readiness, and decrease the complexity of current space programs that depend on NASA mission regulations.
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