Astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, February 15, 2022. CHRIS GUNN/AXIOM SPACE
Ax-1, a first-of-its-kind, fully private 10-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS), is scheduled to launch April 6 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. On board the SpaceX-chartered ship are three passengers: American entrepreneur Larry Connor (pilot), Canadian entrepreneur Mark Pathy and Israeli philanthropist Eytan Stibbe (mission specialists), as well as commander Michael Lopez-Alegria. This 63-year-old Hispanic American who has been in space for four years is one of NASA’s most experienced astronauts, having commanded the ISS in 2006. However, he left Space Agency American in 2012 to promote commercial human spaceflight, then Chairman of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. In 2016, he joined Axiom Space, which organizes private manned flights, for a ticket price estimated by the New York Times at $55 million. Axiom Space, which for commercial reasons keeps secret how SpaceX, NASA and the countries that finance the ISS are compensated, wants to build its own space station.
You said you want to “set the bar very high for private astronaut missions.” What do you mean ?
I want the kind of mission that Axiom is pursuing, to distance itself from what the press calls “space tourism.” We really mimic a mission of professional astronauts and have trained hard. The only difference is the level of information about the ISS and the fact that the passengers are participating in a private rather than a government capacity. As with NASA or European Space Agency missions, we spend most of our time on scientific experiments and public engagements. This is a first, but we want it to become the standard because it makes these pseudo-professional missions all the more respectable and acceptable to the very strict manned flight community.
What was your education like?
My three colleagues did not have to familiarize themselves with the ISS control systems, their electrical circuits, their software or the mechanics of the toilets in detail: it is not their job to operate the front space station. However, they have attained a level of training that allows them to be safe on board, take care of themselves and respond in the event of an emergency. The training focused on the 25 onboard experiences that they prepared with their academic and private partner institutions. Larry Connor to study heart health in zero gravity and the effects of the space environment on senescent cells [qui ont cessé de se diviser, et sont liées aux maladies dues à la vieillesse]. Mark Pathy will evaluate holoportation technologies [qui utilisent la communication en réalité mixte à l’aide d’hologrammes 3D] and examine space-related neuroocular syndrome [dont souffrent nombre d’astronautes séjournant longtemps dans l’espace]. Eytan Stibbe will conduct experiments in optics, biology and especially agricultural sciences and will interact with young people in Israel.
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