FAA approves astronaut training program

I'm still mesmerized by the programming that NASA, ESA, and other space-based research has put out.  I mean, we've put people on the moon, rovers on other planets, and probes beyond the reaches of our solar system. We have telescopes that can see billions of light years away in wavelengths beyond human perception. And now we have astronaut training for the general public.

Waypoint 2 Space, which is based at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, just got FAA approval for multiple space training programs. These are broken into 3 parts:

• Level 1: Spaceflight Fundamentals. It's a one-week intro course in astronaut things like suit fittings, G-force and microgravity activity, terrain navigation with rovers, and physiological effects of being in space.
• Level 2: Sub-Orbital Training. This one is three days and covers how to deal with the effects of rocket-powered flight, like G-forces and weightlessness, as well as how to handle any emergency situations like hypoxia or smoke.
• Level 3: Orbital Training. The most intensive part of their offerings, this lasts eight weeks or twelve weeks with training outside the orbiter. It prepares trainees for life in space with an emphasis on test scenarios for situational awareness, like if they were to become disoriented depressurized.

These trips aren't cheap; Level 1 training runs around $45,000, and the other two aren't available to the public just yet. However, I think it's a great opportunity for people to give space training a go, and it's a lot cheaper than the Virgin Galactic trip (though admittedly that would be really cool too).