RULES OF
THE ROAD
In the United States,
the Federal Aviation
Administration will make
rules and regulations
for the space tourism
industry. It is drawing
up guidelines for
pilot training, safety
procedures, and
flight schedules. Only
highly trained fighter
pilots, test pilots, and
astronauts will be
licensed to fly space
tourist vehicles.
But passengers need
to know that no matter
how many rules are in
place, space travel is extremely risky.
From 1981 to 2011, the United States
operated a fleet of space shuttles.
During those years, NASA estimated that the chance of a shuttle
disaster was one in ninety. Indeed, fourteen astronauts have died
in two space shuttle accidents, in 1986 and 2003. Space vehicle
accidents have killed twenty-three astronauts and many more
workers on the ground. Before they fly, space tourists will be
required to sign documents stating that they understand the risks
they take during a spaceflight.
NASA’s space shuttle Atlantis
launches in 2006. This was the first
successful launch following the 2003
Columbia disaster, which killed all
seven astronauts aboard the shuttle.
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