JUST minutes before the lame-duck US Congress鈥檚 final session ended on 8 December, a bill designed to foster space tourism was saved from what had seemed like certain doom, and passed by unanimous consent.
The bill was the result of 18 months of tough negotiations. Had it failed to pass this year, it could have been be lost for years, jeopardising the nascent space tourism industry just when the world鈥檚 attention was focused on companies like Mojave Aerospace Ventures, whose SpaceShipOne won the $10 million Ansari X prize in October 2004.
The bill, which establishes a framework for the Federal Aviation Administration to license flights for paying passengers, recognises that private space flight is a new technology with inherent risks. It therefore allows for would-be space tourists to sign informed-consent agreements after being told about the dangers.
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鈥淭he space bill opens the door for an infant industry to get started鈥�
Space policy consultant Charles Lurio says the bill 鈥渙pens the door for an infant industry to get started鈥�. Recalling President John F. Kennedy鈥檚 1960s vision of setting sail on the ocean of space, Lurio told journalists: 鈥淣ow that expedition can grow from a few costly ships to an affordable armada.鈥�
