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Space Tourism Rules Crafted

Posted on: Monday, 2 January 2006, 18:00 CST

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press writer

WASHINGTON Thinking of spending that next vacation on the moon or Mars or circling the Earth? Before liftoff, there's a list of things the would-be "space flight participant" should know.

More than 120 pages of proposed rules, released by the government Thursday, regulate the future of space tourism, touching on everything from passenger medical standards to preflight training.

Before taking a trip that literally is out of this world, companies would be required to inform the "space flight participant" known in more earthly settings as a passenger of the risks. Passengers also would be required to provide written consent before boarding a vehicle for takeoff.

Legislation signed a year ago by President Bush and designed to help the space industry flourish at the outset without too much government interference requires the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct a "phased approach" to regulating commercial human space flights.

The first set of regulations, proposed Thursday dealing with crew qualifications and training and informed consent for passengers are expected to go into effect next June. Some other safety-related rules cannot by law be issued for eight years unless specific design features or operating practices are brought into question as a result of an incident causing serious injuries or a fatality.

"This means that the FAA has to wait for harm to occur or almost occur before it can impose restrictions, even against foreseeable harm," the proposal says. "Instead, Congress requires that space flight participants be informed of the risks."

Physical exams for passengers are recommended, but will not be required, "unless a clear public safety need is identified," the FAA says in the proposed regulations.

Passengers also would have to be trained on how to respond during emergencies, including the loss of cabin pressure, fire and smoke, as well as how to get out of the vehicle safely.

Pilots, meanwhile, must have an FAA pilot certificate and be able to show that they know how to operate the vehicle. Student or sport pilot licenses would not qualify.

Each crew member must have a medical certificate issued within a year of the flight, and their physical and mental state must "be sufficient to perform safety-related roles," the rules say.

Did you know?

To date, three people have traveled into space by buying seats on rocket ships. The rides have cost up to $20 million apiece.

Source: Columbian

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