Environmental Tectonics Corporation's The National AeroSpace Research and Training (NASTAR) Center announced today an international contest for students to design a patch that will commemorate NASTAR Center's newest training program for suborbital scientist-astronauts who will fly aboard commercial suborbital spaceflights. The winning design will become the Official Patch for NASTAR's Suborbital Scientist Training Program.
The NASTAR Center will accept student artwork submissions through December 16, 2009 on its website. This contest is open to full-time students from the elementary to University levels. The winning artist and patch design will be announced January 11, 2010. The winning patch will be worn on the flight suits of all Suborbital Scientist Trainees. In addition, a cash award of $500 dollars will be granted to the winning artist along with a certificate and NASTAR gift pack. For rules and the contest entry form, go to The NASTAR Center website at www.nastarcenter.com/patchcontest.
To help Suborbital Scientist-Astronauts prepare for the rigors of space flight, the NASTAR Center has devised a new training program. Due to debut in January, 2010, the first NASTAR Suborbital Scientist Training Program will feature 13 researchers from organizations around the nation and is organized by Dr. Alan Stern and The Southwest Research Institute. The "Suborbital Scientist-Astronauts" will personally carry, test and manipulate experiments aboard upcoming commercial suborbital spaceflights. "This course will provide both the knowledge and the training needed for researchers, scientists, engineers, teachers and students to take advantage of the upcoming opportunities in the suborbital science research industry," says Brienna Henwood, Director of Space and Research Programs at The NASTAR Center.
The NASTAR Suborbital Scientist Training Program is a 2-day training course featuring altitude training, space launch and reentry training on the Space Training Simulator (STS-400) and distraction factor exercises. Suborbital Scientist Trainees will learn about the commercial space industry and train for the physiological, physiological and time/pressure constraints experienced by conducting experiments in space. Additional Suborbital Scientist Training Programs are planned to be offered by The NASTAR Center in the future.
About The NASTAR Center
The NASTAR((R) )Center (www.NASTARcenter.com), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Environmental Tectonics Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: ETCC - News), houses state-of-the-art equipment and professional staff to support the training and research needs of the aerospace community, including military aviation (fixed and rotary wing), civil aviation (fixed and rotary wing), space travel (government and private) and research support and data collection. The NASTAR((R)) Center's equipment and programs are highly modular and flexible and can accommodate a wide range of aerospace training and research requirements.
ETC was incorporated in 1969 in Pennsylvania and this year we have celebrated our 40th anniversary. Our core technologies include the design, manufacture and sale of Training Services (TSG) which includes (1) software driven products and services used to create and monitor the physiological effects of flight; (2) high performance jet tactical flight simulation, and; (3) driving and disaster simulation systems, and Control Systems (CSG) which includes: (1) steam and gas sterilization; (2) testing and simulation devices for the automotive industry, and; (3) hyperbaric and hypobaric chambers. Product categories included in TSG are Aircrew Training Systems (ATS) and flight simulators, disaster management systems and entertainment applications. CSG includes sterilizers, environmental control devices and hyperbaric chambers along with parts and service support.
