The Commercial Space Industry

1.    The idea of space tourism really began in the 1960’s. “During the 1960s, space tourism was viewed of as an industry that would one day balloon. Defunct U.S. airliner Pan-Am maintained a waiting list for eventual trips to the moon, while futurists forecasted that lunar colonies would be established by the year 2000” (Blum, 2015). Space tourism has developed slowly. There have only been 551 people who’ve been into space, with only seven of them private citizens. The first major accomplishment was in 1984, when a non-government employee ventured into space as a payload specialist for McDonnell Douglas. The next major accomplishment regarding space tourism was in 1998, when Space Adventures was founded. Space Adventures has been the only company to ever send private citizens into space at a cost of between $20 million and $40 million for a 10-day adventure and trip to the international space station. The first major hurdle came in 1986, when the Challenger ship disintegrated after takeoff, killing everyone onboard, including a teacher. Another major hurdle to space tourism came in October of 2014, when the Virgin Galactic SpaceShip Two crashed, killing the pilot and injuring another. This ship was meant to be used for tourism and exploration (Blum, 2015).

2.     The first rules developed in the 1980’s started with the Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984. It was "authored to facilitate the private enterprise of the commercialization of space and space technology. The Act recognized the United States private sector as having the capability to develop commercial launch vehicles, orbital satellites, and operate private launch sites and services. The Act also assigned the duties of overseeing and coordinating commercial launches, issuing of licenses and permits, and promotion of safety standards to the Secretary of Department of Transportation" (Commercial Space Launch, 2018). This act was passed due to NASA and Congress seeing the private sector as a viable option for our future space exploration. Since this act was passed, there have been two amendments to it, one in 1988 signed into law by President Reagan, and the other in 2004 signed into law by President Bush. These amendments were put into place to keep up with the advancements in technology and to address issues not included in the original act. Current requirements and regulations and the issuance of a commercial space license or experimental permit can be found in 14 CFR chapter III, Part 413.

3.     I see space tourism not headed anywhere, at least for a very long time. For at least the next 50 years, I do not see it as being a financially accessible activity for the majority of the population. As launch vehicles are developed to be cheaper to operate and have a capability of being reused (SpaceX is currently testing this and so far, mostly successful), the cost to enter space will decrease, but to what cost? I have no idea, but I think 50 years from now, instead of it costing around $20 million as it does currently, it might cost $100,000-$500,000. This is still out of the question for ordinary folks, but within the reach of a greater portion of the population, such as business owners. 50-100 years from now, I definitely see humans having a base on the moon (or Mars, but if I recall, it gets too hot at certain times for survival), but still cannot see it being within reach of most of the population. I see skilled tradespeople and those essential to a modern populace (such as doctors) being paid to settle the moon. 100-250 years from now is when I see space exploration being within reach of most of the population, where family members can take a shuttle to see relatives who have settled on the moon or another planet, or as a vacation.

4.     Current requirements and regulations can be found in the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004. Some specific requirements include that the “launch vehicle operators to provide certain safety-related information and identify what an operator must do to conduct a licensed launch with a human on board. In addition, launch operators are required to inform passengers of the risks of space travel generally and the risks of space travel in the operator’s vehicle in particular. These regulations also include training and general security requirements for space flight participants.” (New Regulations Govern, 2016) Finding information about a specific company’s requirements for a tourism pilot was difficult to say the least, so I am including the requirements to be a pilot astronaut for NASA, which should be close to other pilots in the commercial space industry. An astronaut must have a bachelor’s degree in engineering, biological/physical sciences or mathematics, a minimum of 1,000 hours PIC jet time, and be able to pass a space physical (Harrison, 2015).

References

Blum, S. (2015, November 25). A Brief History of Space Tourism. Retrieved February 23, 2018, from https://www.inverse.com/article/8528-the-space-tourism-timeline

Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984. (2018, February 22). Retrieved February 23, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_Space_Launch_Act_of_1984

Harrison, A. (2015, October 12). How to Become an Astronaut. Retrieved February 23, 2018, from http://www.astronautabby.com/how-to-become-an-astronaut-2/

New Regulations Govern Private Human Space Flight Requirements for Crew and Space Flight Participants. (2016, December 30). Retrieved February 23, 2018, from https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/human_space_flight_reqs/