The NASTAR Center

NASTAR Center Becomes NASA Space Place Community Partner

AdNasTARSysT — Wed, 29 May 2013 07:24:14 +0000

Southampton, PA, USA. May 29, 2013 – The NASTAR® Center, the premier commercial space training and research center in the world, has been designated as a “NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Space Place Community Partner”. The NASTAR Center and the NASA Space Place partnership help support mutual initiatives to encourage, facilitate, and promote space-based education. The Space Place was started in February 1998 as an education and public outreach project of NASA’s New Millennium Program. The Space Place program includes a kid-friendly website and bulletin board displays at Community Partner sites around the country. Its target audience is elementary-school-age kids. As a Space Place Community Partner, the NASTAR Center has added a Space Place display to its Educator Resource Center (ERC).

“This is one more avenue where teachers and students who visit the NASTAR Center can learn about current NASA projects,” said Gregory Kennedy, the NASTAR Center Director of Education. “NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, has provided educational materials that will help us excite young people about the space program,” he added.

The NASTAR Center is an Affiliate Member of the NASA Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium and offers science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational programs for students and teachers. To learn more about NASTAR’s Education Programs, go to www.nastarcenter.com/education.

Zero Gravity Corporation and NASTAR Center Sign Teaming Agreement for Space Training

nastar-intern — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 09:55:08 +0000

Southampton, PA, USA. February 4, 2013 – The NASTAR® Center, the premier commercial aerospace training and research center, announced today it signed a teaming agreement with Zero Gravity Corporation (ZERO-G) to provide space training programs and opportunities to pilots as well as crew, participants and general public audiences.

The goals of the collaboration are to advance the awareness, education and preparation of upcoming commercial space travelers, as well as provide exciting space experiences for general audiences everywhere.

Space training has been a standard part of professional astronaut training since the earliest days of space exploration. Space training can encompass many elements, but at its core it ensures space flight participants can survive and enjoy the journey to and from space; particularly, the launch, the weightlessness and the reentry phases of flight. Training to operate under the high G’s of rocket launch and reentry is the specialty of NASTAR Center, while ZERO-G provides microgravity training so participants learn to function effectively in space environments.

The NASTAR Center is the world’s leading provider of training services for commercial suborbital space flights and is able to support a variety of nominal and off-nominal scenarios and task objectives for suborbital and orbital spaceflight missions It is the first facility to receive safety approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct suborbital space training and now holds two of the four total safety approvals issued by the FAA (altitude training and launch/reentry high-G training). To date, more than 250 future space travelers have prepared for space at the NASTAR Center in Southampton, Pa.

ZERO-G uses a specially modified Boeing 727, G-FORCE ONE™, to perform aerobatic maneuvers known as parabolas to create the reduced environments encountered during suborbital and orbital flights. Training participants also experience Martian and Lunar gravity conditions as well as up to 1.8 G’s of hyper gravity. Issued a safety approval in 2011 by the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation for crew qualification and flight training, ZERO-G has flown 320 commercial parabolic missions for more than 9,000 people worldwide and holds the contract to conduct NASA’s microgravity research and education programs.

“We are interested in forming partnerships that add value for our clients,” states Brienna Henwood, director of space training and research at NASTAR Center. “Zero G is a great complement to our capability–we can put the G’s on, and they take them off. It’s a great match.”

Together, the companies aim to provide a comprehensive training solution for interested audiences and spaceflight clients. Look for opportunities and announcements from both companies in the year to follow.

Astronauts4Hire and NASTAR Center Sign Space Training Agreement to Expand Space Programs

AdNasTARSysT — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 11:28:31 +0000

Southampton, PA, USA. January 29, 2013 – The NASTAR® Center, the premier commercial aerospace training and research center, announced today that it has signed a services agreement with Astronauts4Hire (A4H) to provide NASTAR Center Space Training and to collaborate on new A4H-branded training programs for A4H’s commercial astronaut candidates.

A4H and the NASTAR Center will work together to develop A4H-specific training courses for astronaut candidates interested in aiding researchers, payload developers, and spaceflight providers with mission planning and operations support during spaceflight missions.

“A4H is an ambitious organization that has demonstrated diverse interests in space applications,” stated Brienna Henwood, Director of Space Training and Research at the NASTAR Center. “I look forward to their insight and am happy to support their training goals of conducting research operations in space.”

The agreement provides access to advanced commercial spaceflight training, including altitude and motion physiology curricula and hands-on simulated spaceflight launch to reentry flight exposures to A4H members at The NASTAR Center facility, which is located just outside Philadelphia. Space training will feature the NASTAR Center’s PHOENIX centrifuge to deliver the authentic full-force spaceflight mission simulation needed to support a variety of profiles and task objectives encountered by flyers on suborbital and orbital spaceflight missions.

“I am very pleased with this agreement and look forward to working with the NASTAR Center to enhance and tailor their training specifically for professional astronaut-scientist crewmembers,” remarked A4H President Brian Shiro. “With NASTAR as a valued partner, we are well-positioned to meet the needs of the emerging commercial spaceflight industry.

The NASTAR Center is the world’s leading provider of training services for commercial suborbital space flights and first facility to receive safety approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct suborbital space training. To date, more than 250 spaceflight participants and scientists have prepared for space at the NASTAR Center in Southampton, PA.

NASTAR Camp Summer 2013 Dates Available for Registration

AdNasTARSysT — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 09:18:49 +0000

Southampton, PA, USA. January 23, 2013 – The NASTAR Center©, the premier commercial space training and research center in the world, will once again host its popular NASTAR Camp summer program for students. In response to requests from parents, NASTAR Camp 2013 will include BRAND NEW sessions for grades 2 through 3 and 9 through 12. NASTAR Camp is a one week program that runs Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. The NASTAR Camp curriculum is structured to be fun while reinforcing the Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Science and Technology and Engineering Education. All curricula and activities are age- and grade-appropriate.

The emphasis of NASTAR Camp is on hands-on activities and projects that engage students and help them understand science and technology. Camp participants will construct balloon powered cars to learn about Newton’s Laws of Motion, build and launch small gliders to learn about the forces of flight, create simple weather instruments, pilot an aircraft simulator and engage in other activities that foster inquiry-based learning. The 2013 sessions will include brand new activities on robotics, computer control systems, solar energy and the solar system.

William F. Mitchell, President and Chairman of ETC, stated “We are pleased to open the NASTAR Center to students for this program. This nation is facing future shortages of skilled engineers and scientists. We hope NASTAR Camp will inspire some of these young people to pursue technical careers.”

NASTAR Camp will include new sessions for grades 2 to 3 and 9 through 12. The schedule for 2013 is as follows:

July 8 – 12: NASTAR Camp Grades 7 – 8
July 15 – 19: NASTAR Camp Grades 4 – 6
July 22 – 26: NASTAR Camp Grades 7 – 8
July 29 – Aug 2: NASTAR Camp Grades 4 – 6
July 29 – Aug 2: NASTAR Camp Grades 9 – 12 NEW!
Aug 5 – 9: NASTAR Camp Grades 4 – 6
Aug 5 – 9: NASTAR Camp Jr. Grades 2 – 3 NEW!

The cost for NASTAR Camp is $250 per week per child. For NASTAR Camp enrollment information, contact Greg Kennedy at (215) 355-9100, X 1512, or gkennedy@nastarcenter.com. Camp registration forms, permission slips and camp policies may also be downloaded from the NASTAR Center website: www.nastarcenter.com/education/nastar-camp.

NASA Study Begins for Integrated Vibration and Acceleration Testing to Reduce Space Payload Mass, Cost and Mission Risk

AdNasTARSysT — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 09:32:24 +0000

Southampton, PA, USA. October 26, 2012 – The NASTAR® Center, the premier commercial aerospace training and research center in the world, in collaboration with American Aerospace Advisors, Inc (AAAI) and Drexel University, was awarded a NASA STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) Phase I contract for “Integrated Vibration and Acceleration Testing to Reduce Payload Mass, Cost and Mission Risk”. Tests commenced on the reasearch project today. The goal of the research is to develop the capability to provide integrated acceleration, vibration, and shock testing using a state-of-the-art centrifuge (Phoenix Centrifuge) at the NASTAR Center, in order to subject payloads to the synergistic effects of combined environments. By providing more realistic load profiles, combined environment testing has the potential to significantly reduce payload and lunch vehicle subsystem mass, test costs, and mission risk.

“The results of this contract could have large implications for the space industry – namely the reduction of payload and launch vehicle subsystem mass, lower testing costs, and reduced overall mission risk,” explains David Yoel, CEO of American Aerospace Advisors Inc.

This contract is a follow on from a proof of concept demonstration performed in 2008 by NASTAR Center and AAAI. This contract expands on the original design and employs extensive modeling and simulation, a larger (electro-magnetic) shaker, a CubeSat-class satellite model, increased instrumentation (~10 accelerometers), and features a series of combined environments tests with multi-axis loads.

NASA Kennedy Space Center is the sponsor of the STTR, which runs from February 2012 until February 2013. The value of the Phase I award is $124,214. Combined environments tests are expected to commence in Fall 2012. A Phase II contract (if awarded) will introduce the capability to test even larger systems.

“The hope is that our efforts will lead us to receiving the Phase 2 award worth close to $1 million, which can enable our desired level of performance capability for a variety of payload mass range values”, said Michael Newman, Chief Research Scientist at NASTAR Center.

Earlier efforts to utilize centrifuges for flight qualification included the Space Shuttle Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission where payload up mass limitations created a need for additional testing using a centrifuge to reduce weight and qualify the lightened structure for flight. By testing in this way, NASA was able to substantially reduce the overall mass of the payload aboard the Space Shuttle.

About American Aerospace Advisors, Inc.
American Aerospace Advisors is a privately held, woman-owned small U.S.-based company consisting of scientists, engineers, and business people who are investing in the future of space, airborne remote sensing and unmanned aviation, as well as targeted applied technologies. Additional information is available at http://www.American-Aerospace.net or by contacting David Yoel at 610-225-2604 or email dyoel@American-Aerospace.net.

About Drexel University
In 1891, Philadelphia financier and philanthropist Anthony J. Drexel founded the Drexel Institute of Art, Science, and Industry to provide educational opportunities in the “practical arts and sciences” for both men and women. Today, Drexel University is a top-ranked, comprehensive research university widely recognized for its focus on experiential learning through its co-operative education program and translational research initiatives. With more than 23,500 students, Drexel is the nation’s 14th largest private university. www.drexel.edu

About NASTAR Center
The National AeroSpace Training And Research (NASTAR®) Center is a unit of Environmental Tectonics Corporation (“ETC”) (www.etcusa.com). The NASTAR Center is a state-of-the-art aerospace training, research, and educational facility dedicated in improving the health and safety of humans in extreme conditions. NASTAR Center serves military aviation (fixed and rotary wing), civil aviation (fixed and rotary wing), space travel (government and private) and provides research support for component and human factors testing. For more information about NASTAR Center, visit www.nastarcenter.com or contact Brienna Henwood at Tel: 215-355-9100 x1504 or email bhenwood@nastarcenter.com.

FAA Grants Second Safety Approval for Spaceflight to the National Aerospace Training and Research (NASTAR) Center:

AdNasTARSysT — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 09:34:07 +0000

Southampton, PA, USA. October 16, 2012 – The NASTAR® Center, the premier commercial aerospace training and research center in the world, earned its second safety approval from the FAA for the center’s Falcon 12/4 Altitude Chamber. This safety approval meets the Crew Qualification and Training Requirements of 14 CFR § 460.5 for Commercial Spaceflight and allows the NASTAR Center to conduct altitude chamber operations from zero (0) feet up to 100,000 feet to support commercial space launch activities, including research, testing, and training pre and post-flight. Rapid decompression events up to equalization altitudes of 30,800 feet are also approved.

This safety approval (SA 12-004) is the second received by NASTAR and one of only four that the FAA Office for Commercial Space Transportation has granted to date. In April 2010, NASTAR Center was the first recipient of an FAA safety approval for its Space Training System: Model 400 (STS-400), a high performance training simulation system capable of replicating the acceleration G forces, vibrations, and visuals associated with suborbital space flight.

The altitude chamber safety approval from the FAA adds to NASTAR’s credibility as a leading provider of Commercial Spaceflight Training. Parent company ETC’s CEO Mr. William Mitchell stated, “The addition of this FAA safety approval is a testament to the dedication NASTAR Center has to providing the best possible training experience for commercial space training participants. The ability of NASTAR Center to provide realistic demonstrations in a reduced oxygen environment is a vital part of any training program. We are proud that we have demonstrated to the FAA that, not only do we manufacture the best altitude chambers in the world, but also provide the best training possible while upholding the strict safety guidelines required by the FAA.”

So far, the NASTAR Center has trained over 250 people for upcoming commercial spaceflights in its NASTAR Space Training Programs, including 115 future Virgin Galactic ‘Astronauts,’ 45 scientists from Universities around the country who plan to conduct research on commercial space flights, and 70 Accredited Space Agents (ASA’s).

A New Approach to Flight Simulation

AdNasTARSysT — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 08:45:14 +0000

Co-Authored by: Hal M. Hornburg, General USAF (Ret); Michael D. Malone, Vice
Admiral USN (Ret); and Major General (Dr.) George K. Anderson, USAF, MC (Ret)

Introduction
The military services are expected to endure huge budget cuts and are looking for new efficiencies and innovative ways to save money. If objectively evaluated and tested, realistic tactical flight simulation using a high performance motion system that provides sustained G motion could prove to be a key new capability. As one element of an advanced flight training program, a flight simulator that flies just like a fighter aircraft including realistic motion offers better training at lower cost. In the paragraphs that follow three respected military officers, all retired and experienced in aviation, physiology and training, offer their insights in their own words.

General Hal M. Hornburg, USAF (Ret) served as Commander, Air Combat Command. He is a Command Pilot with over 4400 flight hours in: T-37, T-38, O-1, O-2, OV-10, F100, F-4D/E, F-15A/C/E, F-16C, KC-10, C-21 and T-6 Texan II.

I have flown flight simulators since 1968, and with more than four decades of hands-on experience, I have seen lots of changes, mostly for the good. Until recently, the highest fidelity simulation was only possible for larger airframes due to the inability to introduce realistic motion and G forces into fighter-type simulators. That limitation no longer exists. Follow me on a trip down Memory Lane.

My first “sim” experience was in a T-37 trainer. We called it a simulator but now know it as a procedural trainer. It remained stable, always at 1G, and allowed the trainee to watch instruments change based on power, pitch and bank. The “advanced” T-38 simulator was more of the same, but the airspeed indicator moved more quickly! Later, in the F-4 simulator, not much, if anything, had advanced. Finally, in the F-15 simulator, there was limited motion which provided transient motion cues to represent the appearance of movement, but it did not provide sustained G motion to accurately replicate the simulated aircraft movement. Most of the time, the motion was turned off due to a malfunction in one of the motion axes. The F-16 simulator? More of the same. The simulation community had introduced “part task trainers” into the family of simulation, but true replication of the flight environment didn’t exist.

A Revolutionary Flight Simulator For Tactical Flight Training

AdNasTARSysT — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 14:23:58 +0000

Introduction
Usually owned by military organizations, Human Centrifuges are typically used for G training in the aerospace physiology departments and for evaluating prospective fighter pilots for high G flight in fighter aircraft. More complex high-fidelity flight simulators installed on a high performance motion system (centrifuge) are used for advanced pilot and tactical flight training. One such revolutionary flight simulator is the ATFS-400™ PHOENIX™.

The Authentic Tactical Fighting System (ATFS)-400 PHOENIX
The PHOENIX Centrifuge is a high fidelity, interchangeable, tactical aircraft cockpit that is integrated with a state-of-the-art high performance “flyable” motion system. Its modular design enables it to realistically simulate the cockpit, dynamic performance, mission systems and interactive elements of a specific type and model aircraft in a specific tactical environment. The ATFS-400 realistically models real world aircraft and threat dynamics. Pilot inputs are processed by the ATFS-400 aircraft specific aeromodel to simultaneously drive the virtual (sight and sound) cues and command the multi-axis high performance motion system to correctly produce the correct inertial G forces. ATFS-400 replicates the flight dynamics providing both the virtual cues and physical stresses, providing the physiological stresses and sustained G forces experienced during combat maneuvers.

ATFS-400 Model 25 PHOENIX Performance Capabilities

Maximum Sustained Gz: up to +15 Gz / -4 Gz
Sustained Gx: +6 Gx
Gz onset (G/s): up to 10 G/sec

GYROLAB GL – 6000 GRYPHON

AdNasTARSysT — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 14:23:12 +0000

In the last several years, the world of military and commercial aviation has been revolutionized by the introduction of some of the most technologically advanced aircraft ever utilized. These include the Lockheed Martin F-35B (STOVL) Lighting II, Yakovlev Yak – 41, Bell-Boeing MV-22 and CV-22 Osprey, and others. Others such as VTOL UAV aircraft have also added new and unique dimensions to modern day flight.

The presentation of these aircraft has greatly expanded the capabilities of flight programs while simultaneously presenting new and sometimes unforeseen flight challenges. The expanded flight envelope and more demanding cockpit workload dictates an increased requirement for a ground based, full motion simulator capable of replicating these new, unique flight conditions.

The Environmental Tectonics Corporation is pleased to present the aeromedical and military training community with the GL – 6000 GRYPHON simulator, a comparably behaving, ground based flight simulator that precisely replicates the acceleration envelope of these aircraft in order to conduct research and training to meet the unique flight challenges they present.

Motion Performance Characteristics
The most notable capability of the GL – 6000 GRYPHON simulator, is state-of-the-art motion capability. Providing the most flexibility and fidelity of any other flight simulator on the market today, it induces 360 degrees of continuous rotation in four axes of motion (planetary rotation, pitch, roll and yaw). Two atypical axes of motion are additionally included, vertical and horizontal translation, both capable of performing in conjunction with the 360 degrees of rotation. The resulting motion platform yields a true six (6) types of motion flight simulation environment – six (6) degrees of freedom. Further, in all axes of motion, at all times, a maximum and sustained G force of ±3Gs is exerted in the Gx, Gz and Gy planes of motion (Ref: Table One). The vertical motion travel envelope is ± 3 feet and the horizontal motion travel envelope is ± 17 feet.

Aerospace Training and Adventure Experiences Made Possible by Travel Advisors: The NASTAR Center and Virtuoso® Enter Into Preferred Supplier Agreement

AdNasTARSysT — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 09:36:56 +0000

Southampton, PA, USA. April 11, 2012- The NASTAR® Center, the premier commercial aerospace training and research center in the world, and Virtuoso®, the leading luxury travel agency network, signed an agreement to make the dream of space-related travel experiences a reality for both public enjoyment and education, and to provide training for actual commercial spaceflight ticketholders. As a Preferred Supplier, the NASTAR Center will provide Virtuoso’s upscale clientele with educational and spaceflight training simulation experiences at its world-renowned aerospace facility just outside of Philadelphia, PA. In exchange, Virtuoso will provide access to its network of over 7,200 elite travel advisors in 20 countries, as well as marketing and travel-related services to promote, distribute, and sell the NASTAR Center programs.

The NASTAR Center offers unique educational and hands-on aerospace adventure experiences that range from Summer Camp programs to FAA approved Commercial Spaceflight Training. www.nastarcenter.com

Thus far, the NASTAR Center has trained over 240 people for upcoming commercial spaceflights in its training program, including 115 future Virgin Galactic ‘Astronauts’ and 70 Accredited Space Agents (ASA’s).

Virtuoso is the exclusive sales network throughout the Americas for Virgin Galactic’s suborbital spaceflights. Virtuoso also has the largest network of ASA’s trained to sell Virgin Galactic. The agreement with NASTAR will enable all Virtuoso member agencies, including its ASA’s, to sell the NASTAR Center programs to audiences around the world.

“For the first time, The NASTAR Center is making its programs available through travel agencies,” says Jim Osborne, vice president, air, space and specialty products at Virtuoso. “Virtuoso advisors can now offer a wide range of training options for aerospace enthusiasts of every generation. The appeal to future Virgin Galactic astronauts is a given, but we anticipate individuals and families alike will find NASTAR’s programs an exciting opportunity to enjoy an out-of-this world-experience.”

“Virtuoso has done a remarkable job of delivering unique travel experiences around the world,” said Brienna Henwood, Director of Space Training and Research at NASTAR Center. “We are delighted to formalize our relationship and look forward to bringing new exciting and unique aerospace experiences to Virtuoso’s extensive agency membership and their clientele.”