©
&
———CAMDEN
BoardofCountyCommissionersContact:BobHope
P.O.Box99/200East4"Street404-636-8200
Woodbine,Georgia31569bhope@hopebeckham.com
FORIMMEDIATERELEASE
CommercialAstronautTrainingFacility
EyedforSpaceportCamden
WOODBINE,Ga.May11,2020OpifexGlobal,provideroftraining
-——aaerospace
facilitiesandCamdenCounty,GeorgiahaveenteredintoaMemorandumof
Understanding(MOU)toexplorecommercialastronauttrainingfacilitiesnearthe
proposedSpaceportCamden.AdvisedbythreeformerNASAastronauts,OpifexGlobal
utilizesthesamequalitycurriculum,simulators,andtrainingdevicesthatpeoplehave
cometoexpectfromthespaceprogramandadaptedthemtotraincommercial
astronauts.
FormerNavyexplosiveordnancedisposal
(EOD)diver,BartonBollfrassfoundedOpifex
>
Globalwiththemissionofprovidinglabor
xservicesforthecommercialspaceindustry.
onANThecurriculumcouplesclassroomeducation
y,
4withrealworld,hands-onexperiencesin
i
;simulatorssuchasvacuumchambers,zero
A
8Cgravityflights,andgyro-seatspinnersto
rESs
Gjrecreatetheenvironmentinorbit.The
1centerpieceofthetrainingfacilityisthree
a
story,neutral-buoyancytankwithblacked-
outsurfacesthatallowstraineestopracticerepairingsubsystemswhilewearinga
pressurizedspacesuit,underwater,inthedark.
“SpaceportCamdenisanexcellentlocationforourtrainingfacilitywhichwillprovideoff-
worldtrainingsolutionsforprivateindustry,military,academia,andthegeneralpublic,”
saidBollfrass.
“LaunchingTomorrow’sFutureToday®”
STEVEL.HOWARDJOHNS.MYERS
CountyAdministratorCountyAttorney
LANNIEBRANTCHUCKCLARKJIMMYSTARLINEGARYBLOUNTBENCASEY
Commissioner,District1Commissioner,District2Commissioner,District3Commissioner,District4Commissioner,District5