Well, ramping up to the birth of our second child, (daughter Sloane on 08/05/14!), I’ve been completely absorbed by family by night and the incredible clip at work at Bigelow Aerospace by day. -And amidst it all, I’ll admit that there is a visceral seduction in the elbow-grease-saturated chaos. So, with this in mind, during […]
Read More What the world thinks spacecraft scientists/engineers do…I recently had the great pleasure to give a talk (and serve as co-author for a second) at the fourth annual Next Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference (NSRC), held this year in Boulder, Colorado. As a one-of-a-kind collection of researchers, entrepreneurs, spacecraft providers, students, and government representatives, NSRC’s intent is to foster collaboration of a sort […]
Read More Talking Space Radiation Dosimetry at NSRC 2013[[Again, apologies for the delay on getting this one out!]] It’s hard to believe the last day has already come and gone. This program was worth everything it took to get here, from the fundraising and the family support (thanks, guys!) to the late-night flights and the headaches, (juggling finals for grad school comes to mind…) Trust me, it delivered. So, […]
Read More NASTAR: Day 3 – The Full MontyToday was even more incredible than yesterday. (The camaraderie between those of us in Class #4 is developing as we learn more about one-another, and the time is flying by.) The training is in all respects a dream-made-reality, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. So, alternating coursework and practical training during day two of the NASTAR Center’s […]
Read More NASTAR: Day 2 – Under Pressure[[NOTE: I apologize for the 1-day lag. It’s also finals week in grad school.]] Today was truly extraordinary – the training more utilitarian than I could have imagined. I’m still attempting to process it all. The day began with general introductions and a tour of the NASTAR Center along with the extensive onsite manufacturing facilities […]
Read More NASTAR: Day 1 – Sky HighI’m coming up on a positively Everest-ian milestone in my ongoing quest to become a commercial astronaut, and it’s been a long time coming: Astronaut training. Supported by my spaceflight consulting firm, Astrowright Spaceflight Consulting LLC, I’m heading out in a week to attend highly specialized training offered by the only FAA-certified civilian spaceflight training […]
Read More T-minus 1 week: Aiming for NASTARFor those of you who have known me a while, who have had to endure my many rants during the last decade-and-a-half about the future and the promise of corporate space exploration, I have four words: I told you so. It’s with an almost electric sense of expectation that I am pleased to report a […]
Read More Dawn of the Corporate Scientist-AstronautTo start, I know I may be the only human being on Earth for whom the most recent Indiana Jones film ranked very high in the series – perhaps second only to the original Raiders of the Lost Ark. I love sci-fi, and some of the visuals nonwithstanding (and the fact that we trudge across […]
Read More Indiana Jones and the Right StuffWell, this is again a tactical time of transition for me. I’ve worked the last two years as a geohydrologist with Parsons in the deep Neavda wilderness performing hydrologic and meteorological measurements and analyses for the Southern Neavda Water Authority. Tomorrow, due to budget cuts, is my last day. I’ve been lucky enough to use this […]
Read More Leaving Hydrology, back to Spectroscopy
Chronicles of an Atomic Astrowright 