posted 02-03-2010 02:57 AM               

I see a couple of different possibilities:

• The astronaut corps will remain essentially the same. NASA will hire commercial spacecraft and rockets to undertake their planned missions... and will use their own force of highly trained astronauts to carry out those missions.

• NASA and the commercial sector will each have their own ranks of astronauts, much like the government and the private sector have their own ranks of pilots to fly aircraft. NASA will use their astronauts to fly certain exploration missions, while the private sector will use their own astronauts to fly missions more routine in nature (re-supply missions, space tourist flights, etc.). Perhaps some sharing of talent from both pools will also occur, with private sector pilot-astronauts manning the controls and NASA sector scientist-astronauts conducting experiments and overseeing payload operations.

• NASA will get out of the astronaut business altogether and contract flight crews from the private sector in the same manner that they hire private firms to design and build spacecraft. Astronauts will be hired to complete missions on an as-needed basis.

posted 02-03-2010 05:56 AM               

NASA using private contractors to bus people to the ISS is not as close as they make it seem.

It will either be using the jump seat aboard a Russian craft as a NASA Astronaut or wait years and possibly their whole life to fly aboard a NASA manned craft.

posted 02-03-2010 09:19 AM               

Any company intending to use it's own astronaut corps would have to develop it's own training program and facilities, including simulators. I suspect if that turns out to be the case, they would look to hire astronauts and other experienced people from NASA.

posted 02-03-2010 09:26 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Delta7:
...Soyuz taxi missions dedicated to swapping out vehicles.

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posted 02-06-2010 10:46 AM               

collectSPACE.com:

A couple of weeks ago when you were in Israel, you made the comment that the question might be coming 'Do we need astronauts?', so if I can adapt that question a little bit, there are currently 80 astronauts in the Astronaut Office, 14 more training, what have you told them -- if you have talked to the Astronaut Office -- about the need of an office that size, and what have they given you as feedback to the announcement of this new plan?

NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden:

"I've had a number of conversations with friends in the Astronaut Office, but definitely with their leadership and I am going to Houston right after the launch because I am going to take some time to go and visit with the folks in the Astronaut Office, just to talk to them and get some feedback from them.

"So I haven't fully done what you've said, but in past conversations, the Astronaut Office is going down in number for a variety of reasons.

"Some of the people who were there for shuttle, like me, that wanted to go to space and love living and working in space but can't exactly rationalize with themselves that 'I want to spend six months in space?'. Six months, when shuttle leaves, will be the short time to stay in space and there are a number of people in the Astronaut Office that just to date have not brought themselves to say that that is something they want to do.

"I can pick on my own service for example, up until now, for those of you who pay any attention to the service representation on the International Space Station, up until now there has never been a United States Marine who has done a six month tour on the International Space Station. My reason is, after you go to Afghanistan and Iraq and other places, why would you want to spend six months on the International Space Station? Now I say that in jest... but I am told that now we have Marines in the Astronaut Office who are starting to say, 'You know, we really want to be a part of this and we want to do a tour of six months on the International Space Station.

"Those are reasons you are going to see the numbers dwindle, I think, because everybody doesn't want to spend six months in space.

"Some people will stay around because they want to be a part of the development of the next generation spacecraft and the next generation capability. Those are discussions that I need to have with the Astronaut Office.

"The other discussion that we all need to have, and this is one that needs to be had at among the inter-agencies and also among those who push commercial spaceflight, because you know I'm not stupid, and I know that while most of you idolize astronauts, there is a small contingent of people on the outside that really have a great disdain for astronauts. Because they feel because there is this elite astronaut corps that we have stopped others from being able to go into space. And so if they can just get rid of the elite astronaut corps, then everybody else can go fly. That's a discussion that we need to have.

"When we start using commercial capabilities to get people into low Earth orbit, does that mean that the Astronaut Office goes and says, 'I want to rent or I want to...', we're not going to buy, 'I want to rent a spacecraft to take a crew of six to the International Space Station? Or I want to rent a crew to go the International Space Station to do six months of work?' There is a distinct difference between that operational mode and that's the discussion that we need to have and we've already started having.

"And that is the discussion that I intended to have with people in the Astronaut Office. Because they are the experts.

"You know, they are probably some of you sitting out there that, you know, anybody can do what Peggy Whitson can do on the International Space Station given a week or two. I beg to differ. Peggy Whitson, who is the Chief of the Astronaut Office, has spent her life preparing for space exploration. She's lived on NEEMO under the water, she has lived on the International Space Station, she's commanded the International Space Station, she's flown on multiple spaceflights, she's trained in Russia. I contend that I can't go out here and pick 'Joe Schmuck' up off the street and send them to Johnson Space Center or here to the Kennedy Space Center for six weeks and they are going to be a Peggy Whitson. Ain't going to happen.

"So we need to have the discussion of what the future, the next generation of astronauts will be like. And our international partners have a lot to say about that, because they happen to like the elite astronaut corps. So we need to have the discussion of how important it is to have a career astronaut contingent as opposed to none, but you know, we'll do whatever the American public wants."

posted 02-06-2010 03:06 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Kel:
...would they still be able to pursue employment with a private company while still on active duty in the military?

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posted 02-06-2010 11:35 PM               

This wouldn't really be any different with a civilian astronaut getting a federal paycheck through NASA either. They can be assigned to work with a contractor once a contract is awarded, but they don't work FOR the contractor. If they want to pursue employment with that private company, they have to leave NASA due to a potential conflict of interest.

I recently had a discussion with Andy Thomas on a matter related to this. He (at last check) was working at NASA on the Altair lunar lander. As such, I asked him if he had any discussions with either Pam Melroy or Brian Duffey on Altair as both of them work for Lockheed now on various elements of Constellation out of the Houston offices. He said he hadn't had any discussions with them. Since the Altair contract wasn't assigned yet, he couldn't discuss anything about NASA's Altair work as that would give one potential contractor an unfair advantage over others.

posted 02-22-2010 11:48 AM               

NASA will enlist the National Research Council (NRC) to conduct an independent study of the activities funded within NASA's Human Space Flight Operations program. The study will focus on the role and size of the human spaceflight office in the post Space Shuttle retirement and Space Station assembly environment; the crew-related facility, aircraft and training requirements to support the astronaut corps' for the requirements of NASA's new human spaceflight program, and the more cost- effective means of meeting these requirements. Initiation of the study will commence as soon as possible, with the goal of being completed in time to inform the FY 2013 budget process.

posted 03-04-2010 11:30 AM               

The following paper provides recommendations for the transition to a commercial-crew vehicle to the ISS which leverages the experience gained in the operation of the Space Shuttle, the ISS, and in the design of Constellation.

posted 05-30-2010 09:02 AM               

Does NASA plan to reduce the size of it's astronaut corps purely by voluntary attrition, or is there a provision for forced cuts in staff? If so, what would be the criteria (length of service; number of missions flown)?

Will the branches of the military see less reason to "loan" their personnel to NASA and recall more back to active duty? The only available flight slots for the foreseeable future are Soyuz/ISS Expedition ones; the earliest unfilled and available start in 2013, and there will be only 4-5 per year until our as-yet-undetermined Shuttle successor is ready to fly, whenever that might be.

Presumably the Gulfstream II Shuttle Training Aircraft will be retired (or converted for other use), but what about the T-38s? With the inevitable attrition of the astronaut corps, plus an undetermined future role for pilot-astronauts, what will be the rationale for keeping them flight proficient, and how many airplanes will be required? I would expect at least some kind of reduction of the fleet size.

posted 09-02-2010 08:26 PM               

Probably most important is how old they are. If they're in their 40s, with one, perhaps two flights under their belts - and if those two flights consist of both a long duration ISS mission as well as a short shuttle flight - the time for a career change is now. In 10 or 15 years they're going to be thinking of retirement.

If they've just completed a mission, they have to get back into rotation. That's 2015 at the earliest before they can expect to fly again. Some of them have waited 10 years or more to get a flight.

Do they have a family and have young children or do they want to start a family? Spending time in Star City may not be where they want to raise kids or see them grow up.

Coupled with that is, how much Russian do they know? In order to serve on ISS, they need to know the language, which is different than post-Apollo astronauts transitioning to Shuttle.

posted 09-15-2010 10:14 AM            

For instance, by the time Canada's Chris Hadfield takes command of the ISS in 2013 it will have been 12 years since his previous flight!

posted 10-14-2010 02:46 PM               

With the final crews in training for NASA's last three space shuttle missions, the number of astronauts in the corps is down to 65 - a 25% drop since last year.

NASA plans to keep its roster of astronauts at 65 to support spaces station operations and other programs, including the development of the agency's Orion deep space capsule and planned commercial crew vehicles, said Jerry Ross, a seven-time shuttle veteran who heads the agency's Vehicle Integration Test Office, an engineering support team for the Astronaut Office.

The 65-member corps does not include nine astronaut-candidates selected last year who are still in training, Ross told AVIATION WEEK. Those newcomers, however, may not fully offset the number of astronauts like Ross who plan to leave NASA upon the shuttle program's completion next year.

posted 10-20-2010 01:05 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Jay Chladek:
The way it has also been in the past is that a member of the military can also be assigned to work with a contractor.

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posted 10-20-2010 01:13 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Delta7:
I've noticed an increasing trend lately of military astronauts retiring from active duty and remaining on the job as civilians.

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posted 10-21-2010 10:47 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Byeman:
That is so they can double dip - draw their military retirement pay while receiving civil servant pay vs just receiving their military pay. Has nothing to do with the current state of affairs of NASA.

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I don't think this is the case. I seem to remember seeing in my civil service paperwork somewhere that the receipt of your military pension is suspended if you return to work as a civilian government employee. But a retired military person may very well make much more in an equivalent civilian slot and earn more torward a retirement package than if they stayed in the military or used their military retirement alone.

posted 10-21-2010 12:11 PM               

By my count, there are:

• Navy: 10 active; 2 candidates;
  
• Air Force: 6 active; 2 candidates;
  
• Army: 4 active; 1 candidate;
  
• Marine Corps: 2 active.

posted 10-21-2010 03:09 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by kr4mula:
I don't think this is the case.

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posted 10-22-2010 11:53 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by kr4mula:
Or they can do as you say and receive their military retirement during/after civil service employment, but they start with zero time accrued for leave and retirement computation as a civil servant.

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posted 10-22-2010 11:55 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by kr4mula:
Military retirees have the option of foregoing their military retirement during/after civil service employment and instead applying their military service to their CS time, and thus retire on civil service benefits alone, as I said.

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posted 01-06-2011 03:50 PM               

What is the buzz out there for astronauts who may be moving on? I noticed in a recent article about Piers Sellers receiving the OBE that he is "set to return to NASA Goddard to resume his science pursuits." Surprised no one jumped on that. You'd think with a flight history of both EVA and robotics experience he would be in the ranks for a long duration increment.