Membership or sponsorship in organizations which adversely affect the confidence of the public in the integrity of, or reflecting unfavorably in a public forum on, any ISS partner, partner state or cooperating agency."I think what we want to do is simply be sensitive to each of the other partners," NASA chief astronaut Charles Precourt told reporters in a late afternoon teleconference.
"When we nominate someone, we don't embarrass our partners by having someone who would be so controversial that it would be an insult to the other partners to fly them because of some behavioral background that was considered distasteful," the veteran shuttle commander and pilot said.
"This language is really pretty much (like) the kinds of things that you see in a government background investigation for a security position, or a position requiring a security clearance," he added.
"A lot of judgment goes into making that assessment. But that kind of terminology is the thing that we use to describe what we're looking for."
Made up of space agencies from the U.S., Russia, Europe, Canada, Japan and Brazil, the station partners, however, did leave themselves a little wiggle room.
Candidates that otherwise would be disqualified could redeem their chances based upon the "critical/sensitive nature of the ISS crewmember position, the nature and seriousness of any misconduct and the circumstances surrounding the misconduct."
The length of time that has elapsed since any misdeed, the age of the candidate at the time of the discretion and the "contributing social and environmental conditions" in which the transgression took place also could be considered.
What's more, a single, non-repeated slip-up along with time in rehab could become the basis for granting a ticket to a candidate that otherwise would be shown the door.
"I think what we're saying here is that there is actually a very small set of things that are disqualifying for flight," said Michael Hawes, NASA's deputy associate administrator for the station program. "We view this as actually being very open."
In work since the year 2000, the slow development of the criteria began to pick up speed when cash-strapped Russia came forward with a proposal to launch U.S. millionaire Dennis Tito to the international outpost.
NASA steadfastly opposed the plan, saying that it was inappropriate to send a non-professional astronaut or cosmonaut to the station during a time period when critical construction work was under way.
Tito, however, already had agreed to pay the Russian Aviation and Space Agency an estimated $18 million to $20 million for an eight-day round-trip to the station, and NASA's most influential station partner stuck to its guns.
Despite NASA's vehement objections, the former NASA engineer-turned-California financier joined two Russian cosmonauts on a Soyuz taxi mission that was launched last April.
NASA's opposition to the flight -- at least in part -- centered on the fact that the station partners had yet to agree upon a sweeping policy for vetting would-be visitors to the outpost.
The agency's stance, however, softened as the station partners began making headway on the new criteria, and the partners already have cleared South African Internet tycoon Mark Shuttleworth for a flight to the station in late April.
The Shuttleworth decision came hand-in-hand with the adoption earlier this month of the "Principles Regarding Processes and Criteria for Selection, Assignment, Training and Certification of ISS (Expedition and Visiting) Crewmembers."
The nine-page document - which outlines formal standards for selecting those who will fly to the complex - sets up an orbital caste system of sorts.
Within it, a professional astronaut or cosmonaut is defined as "an individual who has completed the official selection and has been qualified as such at the space agency of one of the ISS partners and is employed on the staff of the crew office of that agency."
A "spaceflight participant," meanwhile, is an individual sponsored by one or more ISS partners.
Examples cited: people associated with "commercial, scientific or other programs." Other potential fliers: "crewmembers of non-partner space agencies, engineers, scientists, teachers, journalists, filmmakers or tourists."
"Normally, this is a temporary assignment that is covered under a short-term contract," the criteria state.
Beyond the "general suitability" of a candidate, a would-be station crewmember must meet "agreed-upon" medical criteria" as established by the station partners, including "the medical aspects of behavioral aspects."
The exact nature of those criteria is not elaborated upon. Precourt, however, said each of the station partners essentially have agreed to certify that a candidate has met the mutually established standards.
"We are not the medical operations folks," he said. "We defer to the docs, if you will. And what we're saying here is that each partner, when they nominate (a candidate), has to certify that they are going to go through that process of doing medical certification."
The agreed-upon standards for professionals, meanwhile, are "less stringent" than any of the medical criteria already in place for astronauts and cosmonauts employed by the various space agencies involved in the project, Precourt said.
And while the exact medical standards for "spaceflight participants" still are being worked out, both Hawes and Precourt said the criteria for tourists and other visitors likely will be even less rigid.
In terms of "behavioral suitability," the candidate must have "the interpersonal and communications skills necessary to function as a successful member of a space flight team in a multicultural environment."
Also a must: "The ability to demonstrate situational awareness to conduct himself or herself effectively in the space environment."
To determine "behavioral suitability," the station partners will look for a number of candidate traits, including:
- Relevant operational experience.
- Demonstrated performance under stress.
- Ability to function as a team member.
- High moral integrity.
- Adaptability and flexibility.
- Motivation consistent with the program mission.
Station crewmembers must be able to speak and read English, and the ability to communicate effectively in other languages might be required, particularly by candidates aiming to fly up to the station on a Russian transport vehicle.
Spaceflight participants, however, can get by with a more rudimentary knowledge of Russian -- or "fly with crewmembers that can provide interpretive support," the criteria state.
A training timetable for professional astronauts also was recommended: Those flying on lengthy trips should begin mission-specific training 12 months in advance of launch.
But the training requirements for spaceflight participants were not set in stone.
A designated board will define a "minimum ISS training program," on a crew-by-crew basis. That program, meanwhile, in most cases will be tailored for specific crews according to mission objectives.
At the very least, Precourt said crews selected for Russian Soyuz taxi flights to the station will undergo a week of training at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, and visiting NASA shuttle crews will be put through a like amount of training in Moscow.
The new station crewmember standards, meanwhile, leave open the possibility that space tourists one day might fly on NASA shuttle missions to the station.
"What we tried to do is not prejudge that, but make a criteria that could stand in either case," Hawes said. "We certainly understand how this would apply to a shuttle-based case, but this does not make any judgment about whether that would be available."
Well-heeled tourists also might be able to buy into lengthy trips, rather than short jaunts, to and from the frontier outpost some day.
"It may be possible to have spaceflight participants as part of an expedition," the criteria state. But not until "the ISS has a crew complement of more than three persons."
That won't be anytime soon.
Faced with a projected $4.8 billion U.S. cost overrun, NASA has shelved - at least for now -- plans to build a U.S. habitation module and an American crew rescue vehicle for the outpost.
A crew of three is needed just to maintain the station and conduct a limited amount of science, and the U.S. dormitory and lifeboat are deemed key to expanding the station's current staff to six or seven.
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