The industry isn't greatly regulated other than the fact that the FAA has said that it has a say in everything being done in the industry such as possibly creating new or alternate requirements for a specific mission. It is a hard thing for the FAA to regulate being an entirely new industry. There will certainly be a learning curve as the industry continues to grow.
I see commercial spaceflight growing very quickly in the next 35 years and even more beyond that. Passenger travel into space is here to stay. I believe it will be much more than something to check off of your bucket list, with the possibility of cooperation between governmental space programs and commercial programs to explore even more of space. It is even stated that use of the International Space Station is encouraged in Subchapter II, Section 50111 in Title 51 of the U.S. Code (Commercialization of Space Station).
The minimum requirements for becoming an astronaut may surprise you. You will need a bachelors degree in engineering, science or similar degrees, U.S. citizenship, 1,000 hrs of PIC jet time and to pass a pretty strict medical examination. These are only the minimums though as you most likely will need much more experience before you get accepted (Harris, How do I become).
Commercial spaceflight is going to grow very quickly by 2050 and even more so space exploration. I am very curious to where we will be able to send people in my lifetime and as to what will be discovered about the universe with it.
References
Commercialization of Space Station (n.d.). In Subtitle V—Programs Targeting Commercial Opportunities. Retrieved from http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml;jsessionid=9BF6A4E8B8A5FE534EE9ADD6EC06E1FE?req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title51-subtitle5&saved=L3ByZWxpbUB0aXRsZTUxL3N1YnRpdGxlNS9jaGFwdGVyNTA5%7CZ3JhbnVsZWlkOlVTQy1
FAA, . (n.d.). In Office of Commercial Space Transportation Regulations. Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/regulations/
Harris, W. (n.d.). How do I become an astronaut?. In How Stuff Works. Retrieved March 13, 2016, from http://science.howstuffworks.com/question5341.htm
It will be interesting to see if commercial space industries become a commonality in the future. I think that the shear costs and safety concerns will prevent it from becoming widely available in our life time. It only takes one incident to ruin public perception.
ReplyDeleteI think that what we are seeing now is just the start of the commercialization of space. Right now they are able to sell that there have been less than 50 people that have ever been into space. You could be the 77th person ever to visit space and so on. But as it gets more popular and trusted, maybe we will see an expansion into orbit flights and maybe even the moon trips or space hotels. We have to start somewhere.
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