Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

NASA and FAA Team To Streamline, Regulate Commercial Space Access

Posted by samzenpus on from the rules-in-space dept.

coondoggie writes "The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and NASA today said they signed an agreement to coordinate standards for commercial space travel of government and non-government astronauts to and from low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station (ISS). The main goals of the agreement are to establish a framework for the emerging commercial US space industry to help streamline requirements and multiple sets of standards and ultimately to regulate public and crew safety."

4 of 57 comments (clear)

  1. I hope that doesn't work the normal way... by TWX · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ...that joint-bureaucracy works...

    The intelligence of a group can be determined by finding the IQ of the least intelligent member of the group, and dividing that number by the total people in the group.

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    1. Re:I hope that doesn't work the normal way... by jhoegl · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I would not factor IQ, but more the brownnoser effect.
      "Yes sir, I think you are correct in saying that every space flight that takes off requires 500 packages of Twizzlers, never mind that you just received a large check from Nestle."

  2. Re:Also... by davester666 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This will totally work, because there is no place else to launch a rocket except within the continental US.

    --
    Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
  3. Re:Query by Nyeerrmm · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Actual Answer: Leave the regulatory regime completely undefined so that no one will risk launching for fear of over-restrictive 'DO SOMETHING!' regulations killing their business model after they've already settled on an approach.

    Its far better to define reasonable regulations right now than wait for poorly thought out ones to be implemented later when it becomes clear they're necessary.

    Also, the FAA AST (Office of Commercial Space) folks are very supportive of getting a real industry off the ground. They're space enthusiasts, not charicatures of empire-building bureacrats.