Commercial Space

The idea of space tourism was brought up over a decade ago in 1996. It all started with a competition named “X Prize” and was later named the Ansari X Prize due to a substantial donation from the Ansari family in 2004 (Wall, 2014). Later, in 2006, Anousheh Ansari made history by becoming the first woman to ever travel to the International Space Station on a privately funded trip. Essentially, the Ansari challenge provoked teams throughout the world to compete in the ability to build a “manned vehicle capable of carrying three people to an altitude of 62 miles (100 kilometers) — the generally accepted boundary marking where outer space begins — and back twice within a two-week span” (Wall, 2014). One team in particular, out of the 25 that competed, set a record in 2004. This team was called Mojave Aerospace Ventures, headed by Burt Rutan and it received funding from Paul Allen who was the co-founder of Microsoft. Rutan and his team designed and built a “28-foot-long (8.5 meters) vehicle called SpaceShipOne, which was lofted to an altitude of about 50,000 feet (15,000 m) by a carrier plane and then released, using its onboard rocket engine to blast into suborbital space” (Wall, 2014). SpaceShipOne was the first manned aircraft to reach space at 62.5 on June 21, 2004. There have been many accomplishments throughout the past decade solely due to the competition of teams. The biggest hurdle is finding the money to build and maintain these manned vehicles along with the challenge of getting passengers to and from space safely.

Currently, the commercial space industry is governed by rules and regulations established by The Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) which was originally governed by the Department of Transportation until 1995. In 1995, the AST was transferred to the FAA and their main objective was to “regulate the U.S. commercial space transportation industry, to ensure compliance with international obligations of the United States, and to protect the public health and safety, safety of property, and national security and foreign policy interests of the United States” (14 C.F.R. § 460 (2016)). The rules and regulations for space flight are in the FAR under Title 14 part 460 for Human Space Flight Requirements. As far as crew qualifications, I do not see them as being over restrictive, given the circumstance that they are operating a complex space craft carrying passengers with the potential of causing damage or harm to others. Since this is a growing sector of aviation, there will be incidents along the way that will spark new regulations. As of now, some of the crew requirements entail the following:

“ 1. Possess and carry an FAA pilot certificate with an instrument rating. 2. Possess aeronautical knowledge, experience, and skills necessary to pilot and control the launch or reentry vehicle that will operate in the National Airspace System (NAS). Aeronautical experience may include hours in flight, ratings, and training. 3. Receive vehicle and mission-specific training for each phase of flight by using one or more of the following— A method or device that simulates the flight; An aircraft whose characteristics are similar to the vehicle or that has similar phases of flight to the vehicle; Flight testing; or An equivalent method of training approved by the FAA through the license or permit process. 4. Train in procedures that direct the vehicle away from the public in the event the flight crew abandons the vehicle during flight; and 5.  Train for each mode of control or propulsion, including any transition between modes, such that the pilot or remote operator is able to control the vehicle.” (14 C.F.R. § 460 (2016)).

The following regulations listed above are current as of March 11, 2016. Personally, I feel as if the posted regulations are appropriate in the scope of things. Take into consideration that these aircraft that are being operated are traveling to extremely high altitudes at very high speeds; therefore the training and requirements for the crew should be set to a higher standard to help ensure higher means of safety to the crew, passengers, and the public.

As of right now, I see space tourism only being accessible to high salary people. With ticket prices up to $250,000, it is very unlikely that an ordinary family or even individual would be able to front that type of money. When commercial aviation first started out, only the wealthy people were the ones flying. I think with more time and technology, the prices will drop substantially and it will eventually be more affordable for the general public. I personally think that it will stay as a one-time bucket list adventure. To develop an aircraft large enough that will reach those altitudes would be a whole another project. Think of it as the Concorde, they accomplished the speed of sound, but there were some other faults that needed to be fixed. It would be decades until we see commercial space flights, in my opinion.

References:

Wall, M. (2014). Space. How SpaceShipOne and X Prize Launched Commercial Spaceflight 10 Years Ago. Retrieved from http://www.space.com/27339-spaceshipone-xprize-launched-commercial-spaceflight.html

Human Space Flight Requirements, 14 C.F.R. § 460 (2016).