In 2015, Boeing will launch its CST space capsule three times. Two of those trips will be unmanned. But the third launch — en route to the International Space Station — will be piloted by two Boeing employees. Who gets to go?
According to the BBC, they’re on the hunt for those two future pilots as we speak.
Boeing says the two pilots it plans to use on the manned mission in 2015 will emerge from a selection process that is already under way.
“We’re actually interviewing now for the first one,” said Mr Elbon. “I would like to get one on board so that they can be part of the design process and influence it from an operator’s perspective.”
The CST-100 will be propelled by United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket. The first launch will take the craft into low orbit and back. The second will simulate a malfunction and will prematurely fall back to Earth in a test of its safety system.
But I have a very serious question: does a profound love of Spaceballs make me uniquely qualified for this opening? [BBC via PopSci]