Calling All Astronauts

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Astronauts will no longer be limited to working for the government. There is a new gig in town and people are very excited about it. Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic is now looking to hire pilot-astronauts. Virgin Galactic, the first airline to offer space travel to us regular folks, is fervently building upon their initial promise. The company has seen steady interest since it began and will undoubtedly continue to gain passengers. For $200,000 anyone can venture into the orbit of the earth and view sights only visible from satellites. Virgin Galactic, which is based in the southwestern American states of California and New Mexico, aims to provide private trips to space via their SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo.

The start date for the position is in June of 2011. The major responsibility of the pilot-astronaut is to train the new pilot-astronauts that will join the company later. The initial set of pilot-astronauts will develop flight tests for the spaceflight system and establish the recruitment standard for future new-hires. In essence, the pilot-astronauts that Virgin Galactic seeks are going to be ...
... the ones to develop the handbook for passenger flights to space. This will range from determining a selection process, methods, techniques and space plans.

The pilot-astronauts have to be citizens of the United States and possess a commercial pilot license. Applicants are required to have graduated from a test pilot school and have 3,000 hours of flying experience. The ad clearly states the job responsibilities and duties but leaves out one important part. The only aspect that the ad doesn't clarify is the compensation package. I can only hope that these pilots will be paid handsomely for their services. After all, this is rocket science. If passengers are paying almost a quarter of a million dollars to literally see the stars, I hope that the pilot-astronauts are being well taken care of.

Virgin Galactic had gotten so much buzz and press over the past few years, but I actually forgot about them until now. At first the idea seemed to be very far-fetched, but now it appears to be taking shape. They have over 400 people that are already booked to travel and now all they need to do is get their act together. You would think that Virgin Galactic would have already hired a stable full of pilots and astronaut types to develop a flight plan. Why did it take so long to get a group together that actually knows what they are doing? If I were a potential passenger this would be my first concern. Who on earth is going to take you to space? I hope that the first batch of pilots has enough knowledge to be able to set the standard for this commercial space program.

All in all, Virgin Galactic looks like they are getting their ducks in a row and will probably soon take flight. In a few years, who knows? Maybe flights will get a little cheaper, allowing less affluent people to take a bite out of space.