Retirement won’t free astronauts from going back into space, or at least that’s what NASA wants. The last thing that has been seen is that to try to make private trips to space more popular, NASA wants to use the letter of an expert staff to accompany people who are able to pay for these journeys.
Yes, you read it right. To make travel to places like the International Space Station more attractive, astronauts who are already retired as Sherpas will be employed. to ensure that space tourists feel more secure and comfortable when undertaking this type of trip, which is not common at all.
It is strange to think that NASA itself wants to make its astronauts who have already completed their work in space exploration available to be pilots, guides and stewardesses of people who have bank accounts with figures that are unpronounceable. Of course, NASA’s excuse or justification is security.
In the statement that they have issued, what is said is that the trips to the International Space Station must be in charge of an astronaut in a rest period. What can be read throughout this statement echoed by international media such as Engadget are a series of references to security.
From what has been seen, the use of these astronauts would be designed so that the people on board these trips have greater security when facing complex situations. And, it is that, the experience of astronauts with hundreds of hours of flight makes it capable of entertaining complex situations.
Although the idea is good, many factors must be taken into account, such as the number of retired astronauts. Currently the figure is around 200 people and, in many cases, they are adults with physical abilities that may not be the most optimal to face the journey to and from the International Space Station.
You also have to take into account the number of astronauts who must be willing to slip back into their suit and start working again. A better bet may be to train staff to perform these types of tasksbut only time can tell if NASA’s plans will work or not.