Meet Alan Stern, Southwest Research Institute’s first official space traveler

Southwest Research Institute Funds First Employee Spaceflight for Science

Absolutely! Alan Stern is a fascinating figure at the forefront of space exploration.

Table of Contents

Here’s a quick rundown of his achievements:

Pioneering Space Scientist:

Throughout his career, Stern has been instrumental in numerous space missions, even being a finalist for a Space Shuttle mission specialist role in 1995.

Southwest Research Institute’s Space Trailblazer:

Stern played a key role in establishing Southwest Research Institute’s (SwRI) commercial space program, aiming to conduct suborbital science missions. This very program funded his historic flight!

A Suborbital Spaceflight First:

In November 2023, Stern became the first person officially affiliated with SwRI to fly to space. This suborbital mission aboard Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity served as training for a future NASA-funded flight where he will conduct scientific experiments in space.

His journey embodies the growing trend of private space exploration and citizen astronauts. It’s an exciting time for space research, and Alan Stern is definitely at the forefront!