Commercial Space Tourism

For ages, mankind has looked to the sky in awe and wonder of what lays beyond the pale blue. He has longed to escape the bonds of earth to explore the vastness of space. On the 12th of April, 1961, the first man was able to achieve this goal. Yuri Gagarin, on board the Russian Vostok 1 became the first human being to slip beyond the bonds of gravity (well, more like use them to his favor, but that's a different discussion). Since that historic day, space travel has been solely the product of government research and funding.

Or has it?

In 1984, Charles D. Walker became the first non-government employee to travel into space (Tuscon), although he did so on board the government built shuttle, Discovery. This marked the first time that a civilian was able to get a ride to space, even if he got there via governmental means. After this, the door was opened to try to figure out cost effective ways to send private citizens into space on privately funded vessels. (While we're on the topic of Charles Walker, it should be noted that he is a strong proponent that future space travel should not rely SOLELY on the private sector -- I tend to agree.)

The next great leap for private space exploration came when Dennis Tito became 'the first "fee-paying" space tourist' (NASA) to visit the International Space Station. This happened in April of 2001, and he stayed on board the ISS for 7 days. This all came about through the efforts of the "MirCorp" company, that was in charge of operating the Russian space station "Mir" (NASA). As part of their operations, they began to seek out private citizens that were willing to pay a nominal fee to gain a ride to space. The next major leap after Dennis was the first privately funded human space flight, SpaceShipOne, in June of 2004. This was spearheaded by Mojave Aerospace Adventures, which was a joint operation between Burt Rutan and Paul Allen (NASA). The SpaceShipOne shuttle was able to reach an altitude of 62 miles (regarded as the threshold of space) twice within a two-week period, then returned safely to the ground in a reusable condition both times. This feat won the SpaceShipOne program the Ansari X Prize, which was established in 1996, and offered a $10 Million prize to the first private organization to launch a reusable piloted vehicle into space on two different occasions (NASA). This feat really blew the door open for privatized space travel, but it still remained a treat that only the super rich or well-connected could indulge in.

The success of SpaceShipOne led to the Virgin Galactic company as we know them today, as well as the birth of the SpaceShipTwo program, who's goal it was to provide sub-orbital flights for paying private citizens (NASA).

Another good step in the right direction is the utilization of Elon Musk's SpaceX company and Orbital ATK to stock and resupply the International Space Station in the post-space shuttle NASA days. (NASA). While this doesn't mean much for passengers as of yet, commercial trips to space with freight can only be followed up with commercial trips to space with passengers in the near future. As of September of 2014, NASA announced the selection of Boeing and SpaceX to be the two main carriers to transport crews to and from the ISS for the foreseeable future (NASA).

As of right now, the FAA has been given the enabling statute under 51 U.S.C. 50901 - 50923 (FAA) to oversee and authorize rules and regulations as the governing body. The rules and regulations for commercial space travel can be found under 14 CFR Parts 400 - 460 (Chapter III). However, with the commercial space industry still being so freshly new, there simply isn't that many rules or regulations that are written down at this time, basically as we do not know what regulations from standard aviation will be applicable and carry over, and which rules will not in a space environment. Amateur rockets are not covered under 14 CFR Chapter III, they are regulated under 14 CFR Chapter I (FAA). This also causes a bit of a headache, because where is the line drawn between an amateur rocketeer and a professional trying to start a business? Some of the guys in the model rocket hobby are REALLY into it, and they create some large scale models that come very close to being able to attain orbit. What's to stop them from starting a business strapping supplies or other goods to their rockets, and controlling their movements with GPS as they fly?

I personally see a private sector commercial space tourism industry becoming a more popular vacation choice among civilians in America as time goes on, and especially as it becomes more affordable to do so, but I do not see it becoming a huge deal until there is a space hotel or space station on which it can dock to allow guests and travelers a place to enjoy an extended stay in space, or until we are able to ferry people back and forth from Mars.

The current regulations on becoming a pilot for a commercial space program are not too far off from the requirements needed to be a pilot for a major airline. What is currently needed to be a 'space pilot' is:

- U.S. citizenship (to satisfy export regulations).
- A current FAA commercial (or equivalent) pilot license and FAA medical clearance. - Degree-level qualification in a relevant technical field.
- Graduate of a recognized test pilot school, with at least two and a half years of postgraduate flight test experience.
- Diverse flying background with a minimum of 3,000 hours flying, to include considerable experience of large multi-engine aircraft and high-performance fast jet aircraft and low lift-to-drag experience in complex aircraft.
- Operational experience in an aerospace aviation project or business.
- Preference given to those with experience in spaceflight, commercial flight operations or flight instruction.
(NBC)

As is the case with all rules and regulations in the aviation industry, these are subject to change as the industry develops and we see what more is needed, or if there is something that maybe isn't so needed after all.

I really hope that space travel continues to grow, both government and private sector. It seems that the human race has lost sight of the beauty that lies within space, and I would love to see that vision restored. Mankind went from not being able to fly at all to putting a man on the moon in 60 years. In the ~60 years since then, we've seemed to stagnate and gone no further. At the fever pitch rate at which we were going, we could have easily had people on Mars by now, but we lost sight of the importance of space travel and exploration. I truly wish to see us return, and I think that the private sector can help us get back there.



References:

Tucson - Walker, C. D. (2016, January 16). Charles D. Walker: Don't relinquish all space exploration ... Retrieved October 21, 2016, from http://tucson.com/news/opinion/charles-d-walker-don-t-relinquish-all-space-exploration-to/article_6fa60912-6d6f-5e9b-991d-e8bbc3d56665.html 

NASA - Granath, B. (2015, December 1). Commercial Flight Opens Unlimited Opportunities | NASA. Retrieved October 20, 2016, from http://www.nasa.gov/feature/commercial-flight-opens-unlimited-opportunities/ 

FAA - FAA. (2016, October 3). Office of Commercial Space Transportation - Regulations. Retrieved October 21, 2016, from http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/regulations/ 

NBC - NBC. (2011, April 13). Dozens Apply For Space Pilot Jobs. Retrieved October 21, 2016, from http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2011/04/13/6466987-dozens-apply-for-space-pilot-jobs