Announcing the Citizen Astronaut Program | Space for Humanity
The initial publication of this press release occurred on July 18th, 2019.
Do you dream of going to Space?
Space for Humanity wants to make your dream a reality.
Fifty years after highly trained NASA astronauts set foot on the moon, Space for Humanity today urged people from all walks of life to apply to go to space with all expenses covered by the nonprofit. Each crew member, however, must lead a long-term initiative with tangible social benefits after the once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“We believe space should be accessible to everyone, and that space travel creates a sense of awe that dramatically transforms people’s perspectives, as it clearly did for the Apollo 11 crew,” Rachel Lyons, executive director of Space for Humanity, said from the NewSpace Conference in Washington. “Our mission is to help regular people become citizen astronauts and, subsequently, social ambassadors working for the benefit of people and the planet.”
Now Accepting Applications
To apply, visit https://www.spaceforhumanity.org
The Denver-based organization today reopened its application process, asking candidates to describe why they want to see Earth from space and to propose a social impact project. The application is designed to support empirical research into how seeing Earth from a distance changes a person’s values. Conducting the research will be University of Pennsylvania research scientist David Bryce Yaden, an authority on the “Overview Effect” – the cognitive shift astronauts experience as they view the planet from orbit or on lunar missions.
“In my research, I have found that many astronauts report seeing the Earth from afar has affected them deeply and in an enduring way,” said Yaden. “By studying the experiences of Space for Humanity’s citizen astronauts, we think we can quantify this often transformative process and learn more about how the Overview Effect works, how long the changes might last, and how new perspectives can inspire positive action on behalf of humanity as a whole.”
Unlike initiatives to send wealthy tourists or artists to space, Space for Humanity is committed to democratizing and diversifying space travel, bringing the opportunity to diverse socioeconomic segments and de-emphasizing traditional astronaut credentials such as aviation and engineering expertise.
“Many of us thought during the riveting moments of the moon landing that the day would come when humans from all walks of life would follow in the footsteps of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin,” said Space for Humanity advisor Frank White. White coined the term “Overview Effect” and is author of The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution a seminal work on the topic. “Today, ordinary citizens’ dreams of space exploration are becoming reality, and we believe the changes they experience can tangibly improve life on Earth.”
What’s next in flight preparation
A crew of citizen astronauts will be selected for the first Space for Humanity flight in the months following the closing of the applications. Their chosen social impact venture must somehow advance the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which include ending poverty and hunger, and promoting equality, learning, environmental protection, health, peace, and economic opportunity.
Space for Humanity is currently raising funds for capacity building, program development, and flight training for astronauts. Early donations have been secured, and a fundraising campaign surrounding financial goals will commence in coming months. Space for Humanity’s leadership team is engaged in talks with several potential launch partners, including Blue Origin, as private space companies race to achieve readiness for crewed flights.
About Space for Humanity
Space for Humanity is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was founded to create a positive social impact on the world by enabling citizen astronauts from all backgrounds to experience the cognitive shift in worldview that can occur when seeing Earth from space. www.spaceforhumanity.org
For more information, to make a gift, or collaborate with us, visit spaceforhumanity.org/contribute
For technical partnerships, please contact todd (at) spaceforhumanity.org
lets see what comes out of it
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Hey there! This is Todd Youngblood, the Director of Technology at Space for Humanity.
Thanks for checking out our post! We're excited about the capability of the blockchain and electronic contracts within our organization, particularly in Research & Development. We are architecting our technology around the blockchain to measure the reach of the Impact Ventures lead by our Citizen Astronauts aligned United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We're excited about our participation within the Steem community and look forward to the upcoming developments within the ecosystem.
If you have any questions about our program, I can be reached via the email in the original post or you can follow me @circa.
Hi Todd,
please don't use bidbots to this extend.
I would like to respect the desires of the community. Is there a formal/informal policy on bidbot use that you can refer me to? Thank you for your feedback.
there's a little bit on it in the comments of this (overly bid-botted) post:
https://steempeak.com/life/@amirossanloo/the-frog-does-martial-arts-training-in-spain
Hello Todd! As a fellow space professional and enthusiast t's really cool to have your project on Steem.
Would you mind sharing this article on your Twitter account and just tell the world your content can aslo be found on Steem/Steemit? Mostly for us to know that this is indeed you and not someone else copying the texts in hope for rewards.
Thank you!
Hey @fredrikaa,
Good idea!
I've published a small blurb mentioning the Steem Network on our LinkedIn account. Thanks for the feedback.
https://www.linkedin.com/company/12955361
I have added a small self-vote to ensure visibility. [since removed]
This is amazing, where in space would we be going to and how long?
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We're working on partnerships for Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) flights initially, with potential partners including Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, and WorldView. Over the next 10 years, as the commercial spaceflight industry expands, we will start looking toward beyond LEO, sponsoring spaceflight to the ISS and beyond.
Any private or independent effort to take people into space is great. We need to become a space fairing race.
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Is this the beginning of the age of exploration? I'm really exciting! Fill me in!!
What a life-changing experience! I cannot wait to see more from this project.
That’s an awesome project but don’t we have a more precise date of launch ?
Great question - we get this fairly often.
We're relying heavily on commercial flight providers, as the industry is still immature. Virgin Galactic has sold over 600 tickets but hasn't started flying regularly. Blue Origin hasn't started selling tickets and hasn't performed any manned flight tests. Given the risks involved in any spaceflight, the flight providers need to ensure that the vehicles, training, and flight processes are as safe as possible - requiring many test flights.
Yes I dream of going to space, but can't I go just because I want to? The astronauts who have been there, how have they impacted earth, for them to be requesting for projects for those who want to go.
Seems like a fun project! I will be following for more details.