From: Doug Jones (random@qnet.com)
Date: Tue May 25 1999 - 08:27:59 MDT
Raymond G. Van De Walker wrote:
>
> "Billy Brown" <bbrown@conemsco.com> writes:
> >Actually, it would be illegal for you to build or operate
> >a spacecraft you need a few tens of thousands of pages worth
> >of permits and paperwork before you'll be allowed to play with
> >toys like that.
>
> *sigh* I thought that it had gotten better with the legislation that
> centralized it in the Dept. of Commerce, but you may well be right.
Really, it has gotten better. I've met the chief of regulations for
the FAA's AST, Manuel Vega, and he's one of those rare creatures- a
bureaucrat with dedication, intelligence, and a sense of duty. I
doubt if we'll need more than two full-time staff to take care of
all the paperwork for licensing (in addition to a little time by a
bunch of others including myself). Space launch vehicles pack a lot
of energy into a small package, and are inherently dangerous to
innocent bystanders. I've seen the NPRM for RLV's and it's not
onerous- certainly not even a thousand pages to comply.
I've been a member of self-policing organizations like the US
Parachute Association, and while I am a libertarian, a bit of
organization does help make things run smoother (as in Heinlein's
quote on good manners).
Anyway, I don't see the FAA seriously getting in the way of me
personally participating in spaceflight (in about a year if things
continue to go well).
-- Doug Jones, Rocket Plumber Rotary Rocket Company
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