PARSEC Astronaut Discovery Course - Questions and Answers
Certification
Q: What qualification, certificate, or recognition is awarded upon completion of the training? Will this be formally recognized in any professional or academic context?
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Regarding the certification, there will be a certification of participation with a summary of the completed activities and lectures provided by PARSEC. We are working on having our certificates set up in a larger frame of a standardization of astronaut training, which might allow for broader recognition in the near future, but cannot be guaranteed at this very moment.
Prerequisites
Q: What prerequisites are needed in order to participate in the Astronaut Discovery Course and are there any limitations regarding fitness, physiology, mental state or knowledge?
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There are only a few limitations that will prevent participation in this course, which are heavy chronic diseases affecting the cardiovascular system or psychological disorders, affecting the judgment or sanity. However, we will require a written statement from your general practitioner, confirming your fitness to participate in survival training and to an aerobatic experience. We will schedule a quick interview with you after your registration for a first get to know and for exclusion of any limitations. No prior knowledge is required, as everything that needs to be known, will be taught in the lectures. For the comfort of the high-G aerobatics flight we recommend max. weight of 100kg.
Specialist equipment
Q: Regarding the practical training, is any specialist equipment needed for any of it and will that be supplied? If not, available to rent? Or will there be a kit list we need to make sure we have all the items for?
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We currently don't anticipate any additional specialist equipment to be provided by the participants. However we will likely provide a list of items and apparel that will be needed at a later point, that people might consider useful to own by themselves.
Timing and Planning
Q: The timeline for the training may be challenging for some participants. Regarding the online lectures during the summer, when and how will the lectures be scheduled?
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For the timing and planning of the online lectures, we will come up with a plan by the end of April, that allows maximum flexibility because we are fully aware of the stress, which will be created for participants if up to 18 hours of lectures plus homework are scheduled "randomly". However there will be some lectures that have to be attended in person.
Accommodation and Travel
Q: Are the costs for accommodation and travel included and who takes care of the booking?
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The costs for accommodation and travel to the on-site training location in Burgos (Spain) are not included in the costs of the course as indicated on the invoice. We will arrange and take over the costs for the on-site transportation during the timeframe of the actual training, to ensure that all activities are properly taking place in time, which also relies on close-by accommodations of the participants. We therefore offer a collective booking of the accommodations on behalf of the participants. However, you will be free to book any other accommodation as well, but please check back with us if the custom location is within the estimated range of onsite transportation. If you need assistance for booking the flights, please reach out to us individually.
Payment
Q: What are the payment terms and can the course be paid in installments? What happens if I need to withdraw from my registration?
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After the registration you will receive an invoice, indicating the due date for the payment, which will reflect NET 30 payment terms. In case of withdrawal from the registration there will be two major milestones, which is before and after the delivery of the online lectures. Cancellation before the start of the online lectures will result in loss of 30% of the total cost indicated on the invoice, while cancellation after the completion of the online lectures will result in loss of 70% of the total costs. If the participation has to be cancelled by PARSEC, we will fully refund the participation costs including the deposit.
If you have further questions, please reach out to us: info@parsec.space