Astrowright Fitness Director Ashley Boron presenting at NSRC 2012.

Astrowright Principal Research Scientist Ben McGee and Fitness Director Ashley Boron gave pioneering preflight fitness and spaceflight readiness presentations at this year’s record-breaking  Next-Generation Suborbital Researcher’s Conference (NSRC), a unique gathering of spaceflight professionals held February 26-29 in Palo Alto, California. 

Organized by the Southwest Research Institute, the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, and NASA Ames Research Center, NSRC 2012 set records for both attendance and sponsorship and was the third-annual gathering of its kind, rallying scientists, spacecraft providers, educators, and regulators to discuss current and future uses of commercial suborbital spacecraft, civilian astronaut training, and more.

Astrowright Principal Research Scientist Ben McGee with Southwest Research Institute planetary scientist Dr. Constantine Tsang.

During the Sunday evening poster session, McGee presented the research justification behind Astrowright’s recent preflight fitness program upgrade, which now includes the use of an at-home, suspension-based training system.  Entitled, “A Qualitative Assessment of Preflight Fitness Training Strategies and Methods,” the presentation emphasized the importance of “points of stability” in triggering the conditioning of stabilizer muscle groups utilized during high-g and microgravity phases of flight. 

Boron presented a talk during the Tuesday morning flight training session entitled, “Astrowright ‘Flight Readiness Status’ Fitness Benchmark Testing,” which premiered Astrowright’s industry-leading physio-cognitive testing service.  Flight Readiness Status (FRS) certification testing is intended as a voluntary credential for spaceflight professionals seeking to demonstrate their ability to perform mentally-demanding tasks while under the physical stresses of spaceflight to potential employers or clients.  By combining aural and visual reading, speaking, computation, and memory retention tests with standard fitness benchmarks, earning an Astrtrowight FRS certificate proves a holder’s ability to not only withstand spaceflight, but also to think under pressure at the same time.

In addition to contributing research to the conference, Astrowright was also a proud co-sponsor of NSRC 2012, joining ranks with sponsors such as Virgin Galactic, XCOR Aerospace, Masten Space Systems, Mojave Air and Space Port, and the NASTAR Center, among others.

Corporate sponsors of NSRC 2012.

For more information regarding Astrowright’s suspension-based prelight fitness training, FRS certification, or the firm’s history, other services, or personnel, visit www.astrowright.com.