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Private Spaceflight Law Passes Senate

Posted by samzenpus on from the major-tom dept.

Neil Halelamien writes "HR 5382, the commercial spaceflight bill which has been previously mentioned on Slashdot, has been passed by Congress at the last minute (almost literally). The bill had previously been stalled several times due to disagreements about how much the FAA should regulate crew and passenger safety. It's now headed to the White House to be signed into law. Under this legislation, the FAA's role until 2012 will be to protect the uninvolved public on the ground, and allow passengers to ride as long as they've been properly informed of the related dangers. Also, the FAA will be able to regulate certain aspects of the vehicles if they prove to be dangerous."

15 of 227 comments (clear)

  1. Wel... by tarunthegreat2 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I, for one, welcome our legislation-passing White House overlords...oh...wait.

    --
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    1. Re:Wel... by Tibor+the+Hun · · Score: 2, Funny

      hahaha, won't the alpha centaurians be quite surprised when I announce that I own their whole system and I am their new overlord!
      hahaha

      --
      If you don't know what AltaVista is (was), get off my lawn.
    2. Re:Wel... by WormholeFiend · · Score: 2, Funny

      hahaha, won't the alpha centaurians be quite surprised when I announce that I own their whole system and I am their new overlord!
      hahaha

      Ah, yes, but as the legal representative of Alpha Centauri here on Earth, I feel obliged to point out that your so-called ownership of this system would be intermittent, ie a small fraction of the Earth's 24 hour rotation time, if it were not for the fact that Alpha Centauri Prime is wholly owned by the current head of a monarchy, and as such, it owns everything extending infinitely in all direction from their planet.

  2. Space Traffic Control by frugle · · Score: 4, Funny

    Has anyone yet decided who is to oversee "air traffic control" once you pass out of the air and into space? Will each country be responsible for their own spacespace - and will a strike by the space trafic controllers of one particular country cause you to orbit in a holding pattern for 3 days?

    --
    http://www.frugle.co.uk/
    1. Re:Space Traffic Control by madaxe42 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Space is international, so I suppose it'd have to be a nonnationally oriented body... At the moment, the only thing which comes close is the ESA (europe isn't a country FYI america). Ladies and gentlemen, due to STC strike action our landing will be temporarily delayed. Please step into the Cryogenic chamber, and hot towels with lemon will be served in several millenia.

  3. FAA's contribution to spaceflight... by lottameez · · Score: 5, Funny

    Please put the tab into the buckle, and pull snug across your waist. Your seat may be used as a flotation device. No smoking in the lavatory.

    --
    Yeah? Well I think you're overrated too.
    1. Re:FAA's contribution to spaceflight... by TehHustler · · Score: 3, Funny

      "Excuse me, yes, you, over here please. Did you say place the small metal flap into the buckle... or, place the buckle over and around the small metal flap?" (c) George Carlin.

      --

      TheHustler
      http://www.elmarko.org/ - Useless bilge
      http://www.asylum-games.co.uk/ - Co-Founder
    2. Re:FAA's contribution to spaceflight... by VendettaMF · · Score: 3, Funny

      "In the event of a water landing seat cushions are property of Scaled Composites and must not be removed from the craft." (Plagiarised from The Tick)

      or

      "In the event of craft failure you will all die near instantaneously, except for the unlucky few who may live long enough to burn up, asphyxiate or splatter. This message has been brought to you by the FAA and the 'We-are-so-glad-no-ones-ever-listened-to-this-or-a ny-other-take-off-message-ever-spaceways-corporati on'".

      I'd still really like to see the "Emergency action instructions card from the seat pocket of Spaceship One though. "In the event of an uncontrolled roll all passengers and cargo should attempt to rotate themselves in the same direction as the crafts roll" with appropriate big red arrow diagrams.

      --
      kartune85 : Incapable of reason, observation or learning. A kind of dim, drab, flightless parrot.
    3. Re:FAA's contribution to spaceflight... by Courageous · · Score: 2, Funny

      Did anyone see "Fight Club".

      When they replaced all the airline safety glossies with pictures of horrified passengers screaming, that was hilarious...

      C

  4. Business opportunity ;) by Dtyst · · Score: 2, Funny

    Space is still uncontrolled without authorities now is your opportunity to fast build (preferably black) space pirateship and the raid the tourist ships :)

    1. Re:Business opportunity ;) by Zonnald · · Score: 1, Funny

      It's so ... black you can hardley make out the shape... light just seems to fall into it!

  5. Offworld action ... ? by thrill12 · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...ofcourse, this also opens up a way for terrorists to form a covert spacebase on the moon and launch attacks from there.
    Will we see a short-term invasion of the US on Mare Crisium ?

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    1. Re:Offworld action ... ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Will we see a short-term invasion of the US on Mare Crisium ?

      I really hope so. It would be so cool to watch a small scale nuclear war on the moon from your own back yard. Plus, afterwards, the US could name all the new craters after US presidents and generals.

  6. passed at the last minute by hool5400 · · Score: 4, Funny

    passed by Congress at the last minute (almost literally).

    Passing a bill literally? Sounds painful.

    --

    Remember, it takes 42 muscles to frown and only 4 to pull the trigger of a sniper rifle.
  7. Re:Wrong paradigm by fenix+down · · Score: 4, Funny

    The first marriage will be a gay marriage. Then the Republicans on board will stage a mutiny, lock everybody else in the laundry room and then run the ship aground on a Direct TV satellite. Then we'll have legends about the Gay Republican Ghostship that hovers over Guatemala and swoops down to kidnap small children who don't do what their mothers tell them.

    Well, we will.