Waypoint 2 Space Announces Kickstarter Campaign for New Space Training System: Setting the Highest Industry Standard for Commercial Spaceflight Training
HOUSTON, TX (PRWEB) September 19, 2014 -- “The primary issue of training for space here on Earth is simulating weightlessness for long periods. NASA performs training in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) using buoyancy to offset a person’s weight underwater in order to translate around a stationary space module,” commented Dr. Kelly Soich, director of programs and chief payload specialist for Waypoint 2 Space.
“Training underwater is time consuming, extremely costly and not currently available to the public. Therefore the need to find a constructive solution allowing the public to experience long periods of weightlessness in a versatile manner which is low risk and low cost became evident - this is what METS is all about. If funded, METS will be a game changing space training tool allowing us to train people for EVA’s safely and at extremely low cost compared to current government systems,” added Soich.
“Additionally, METS modules are designed to be 12 feet in length and 10 feet wide which can incorporate a suite of interchangeable training scenarios such as live power, lubrication materials, asteroid mockups or other hardware which can’t be used in a pool,” Soich said. “METS is versatile, allowing systems to be fully functional and when used in concert with gravity offset equipment allows the participant to safely translate about a moveable mockup taking advantage of all six degrees of freedom, without friction or weight, simulating Extra-vehicular activity here on Earth.”
“This effort is an another example of Waypoint’s commitment to bring space to all humankind by not only offering real space training to the general public but now they can help us to build new space training technologies that they themselves could use to train for living and working in space,” said Kevin Heath, chief executive officer of Waypoint 2 Space. “We are working very hard to make commercial space training the safest and most affordable training available and this new hardware along with the FAA Safety Approval we received earlier this year for our Space Training Programs is another step in that direction,” commented Heath.
“The team assembled by Waypoint 2 Space is comprised of the same individuals who developed the training programs for NASA Astronauts and Air Force pilots,” Dr. Soich commented. “They are incorporating the best techniques and technologies from those programs into the Waypoint 2 Space programs and this concept is another example of their innovation.”
Heath also added, “Waypoint 2 Space is the only domestic company that is developing fully comprehensive and immersive space training programs for Pre-Sub-Orbital, Sub-Orbital and Orbital training and we really believe we are setting the standard for space training for the industry. If you want to go to space or just want to experience what it is like to train like an astronaut Waypoint 2 Space is your first step.”
Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/waypoint2space/spacewalking-on-earth
About Waypoint 2 Space: Waypoint 2 Space is a Nevada Corporation headquartered in Houston that provides space flight training programs for the commercial space flight industry. For more information, visit http://www.waypoint2space.com.
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Kevin Allan, WayPoint 2 Space, http://www.waypoint2space.com, +1 281.694.5533, [email protected]
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