Public Spaceflight..will government try to stop it?

Now that public spaceflight is becoming a possibility, do you think that the government will try to legislate it to make it not possible. The government has many reasons why they wouldnt want just anybody that can afford a ticket to be able to go into space. They have spy satelites, the space station, communication satelites, possible military projects....ect. ect. , all of which could face possible danger if private spaceflight becomes a fact. what do you guys think???

[edit on 4-10-2004 by John bull 1]

That's a great question man.. It's questionable though, while I do reasons on why the United States would want to restrain the public spaceflight programs from becoming a possibility..

Do you think that the U.S citizens would take it? I can just see/hear the U.S arguments about spaceflight... dadadada *9/11* dadada *homeland security* dadada

hmm good question and I'll enjoy everyone elses response to this subject.

I think you're raising a really valid point. Space has been, up until almost now, the particular domain of a very few governments, specifically their military. How it will unfold as private individuals begin to access orbit is going to be a nightmare for security of spysats, gps systems as well as a full range of communications sats.

It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall at a meeting of CIA analysts discussing the near future of private space flights and the probability of unfriendly incursions into those orbits.

Great thinking, shoafy...I'm sure there'll be lots of head scratching on this.

That's a great question man.. It's questionable though, while I do reasons on why the United States would want to restrain the public spaceflight programs from becoming a possibility..

Do you think that the U.S citizens would take it? I can just see/hear the U.S arguments about spaceflight... dadadada *9/11* dadada *homeland security* dadada

hmm good question and I'll enjoy everyone elses response to this subject.





I think that the press and government has got most of the public so scared of another terrorist attack that most people would go with whatever the government thinks best. The sheep always follow the sheperd.

Another angle on this is that if the private sector starts designing, building and operating space capable vehicles, at a fraction of the cost that the governments are, some folks might start asking questions about where all the taxpayers money went

A really good question. As you point out the government runs the risk of people discovering and perhaps photographing spy sats. Not to mention that there might be some things up there that aren't supposed to be there (in violation of treaties).

There is also the risk that multimillion dollar sats or space station could be damaged by private sector spreading space junk.

I think at the very least it will be very strictly regulated. Something along the lines of the way air-traffic controllers regulate air space, with certain areas that you aren't allowed to go into.

There will also probably be a need for a LOT more treaties amonst nations to define accepted uses of space and rules of conduct. But inforcement will be a whole 'nother issue.

Some articles I've seen on the www suggest that the US is strongly committed to dominance of space. They have the lead, and hope to keep it. That implies that they will try to control who goes into space and what is done up there. In fact I think I recently saw that the US had put a sat in place capable of attacking other sats (physically or electronically, I don't Know).

[edit on 4-10-2004 by cimmerius]

I think they'll simply expand the role of the FAA...other nations will do likewise with their respective agencies... They'll be no-fly zones, etc. The trick though then is...how do they enforce them? They can't tip their hand and use killer satellites to do it....and it isn't like they can scramble interceptors... The only recourse may be some kind of ballistic missile to target items in space...but then you reveal that. Sure will be interesting to see what happens.

Originally posted by Britguy
Another angle on this is that if the private sector starts designing, building and operating space capable vehicles, at a fraction of the cost that the governments are, some folks might start asking questions about where all the taxpayers money went

thats a good point. kind of like a $1000 dollar toilet seat huh?? just one more reason to stop space tourism.

Does anybody else think that the government might restrict it b/c of the possibility of these private spaceships seeing/coming into contact w/ alien spaceships? That's the first thing i thought of when i saw this thread...

very interesting topic. I fear what will happen to public spaceflight and the restrictions placed on it. The US govt is usually a supporter of free enterprise to expand new areas of science and exploration, but I think space might be different because there's so many secrets up there and someone with the knowhow might be able to disturb the satellite network or perhaps the existence of UFO's would be undeniable once public spaceflights are up there taking film of these things.

thanks,
drfunk

I think at the very least it will be very strictly regulated. Something along the lines of the way air-traffic controllers regulate air space, with certain areas that you aren't allowed to go into.

Yeah,i think that the worlds goverments would have to go into an international meeting to appoint a "space pilots handbook,the do's and dont's of space flight" it would have to be regulated in a very serious way,but they'd probably go way OTT and tell us all that its for our own safety that we cant go in certain areas.
I firmly believe that no 1 country/goverment should be allowed to lay claim to areas of space or planets-thus restricting acces to others,even if they tried,how could they make it stick? but if they wanted you to disappear up there........well,who'd know what really happened? Retrieving the "Black Box" flight recorder could be a bit of a problem

There is a lot of space to govern, and if the govenment is going to try and regulate it they are going to be in for a rough time. Perhaps it is time for all these 'secrets' ufos, spacestations, bases, etc. to finally come into the open and this just might be the way.

TextThere is a lot of space to govern, and if the govenment is going to try and regulate it they are going to be in for a rough time. Perhaps it is time for all these 'secrets' ufos, spacestations, bases, etc. to finally come into the open and this just might be the way.

may be thtas the sole reason they will govern it so tightly? imagine if one of Richard Bransons space ships lands on the moon and reports back "Hey guys,just to let you know youre goverments have been lying to you for half a century,look-theres an alien moon base,ooohhh-look theres another 1"-people would believe branson more than their goverments-and goverments wouldnt like that---discoveries like this wouldnt so much cause shock and disbelief because of what is found,more likely shock and disbelief to the masses that there hard earned taxes have been spent covering up the knowledge of the very things they payed taxes for to be discovered.

Well if there are any 'unexplained' accidents pretty early on in public space flight I would start to get a little suspicious.
Personally i dont think it's up to any country or group of countries to restrict what they do not in all honesty own. Of course you have the whole point of who is going to take any notice..... will china? or some of the arab nations?
They have a couple of options really, either come clean with everyone [not likely] or slowly start to phase out certain technologies. Using a homeland security excuse is a joke really, whats to stop a rouge nation or craft from going into an 'allowed area' and launching an attack on a nation or sat from there? After all it's alot different up there than down here on earth.
But I've got to admit this is a damn good question.


Wayne...

[edit on 5-10-2004 by the secret web]

I think for some reason. If the goverment was going to try to stop "it", then they would have done so already.


I think this is happening, the goverment wants to get new ideas for crafts, Without the failures.

Uhhh yeah the U.S. government wants to restrict it, its obvious why else would NASA be creating contests based on the X-prize, why else would the FAA be creating a space tourism liscense, I mean we all know the best way to stifle private spaceflight is to fund private devolpment and liscense the operators for safety.

Originally posted by mwm1331
Uhhh yeah the U.S. government wants to restrict it, its obvious why else would NASA be creating contests based on the X-prize, why else would the FAA be creating a space tourism liscense, I mean we all know the best way to stifle private spaceflight is to fund private devolpment and liscense the operators for safety.

Yeah that all looks great in the public eye, considering we are still probably quite a few years away still from space tourism. Do you think the support will still be there when it gets closer to actuality? and if so will that support be a front for the public only to be undermined by passing laws that nobody knows about till its too late to contest them?

I dont know how long it will be before we have real space tourisem, but a few years back when I was reading up on the FAA, there was a provishen to register a private space craft.

The government won't control it, per se', but what it may or will more than likely do is regulate it. Privatizing is always a good thing and in the case of space flight, definitely a good thing.



seekerof

Originally posted by Gazrok
The only recourse may be some kind of ballistic missile to target items in space...but then you reveal that. Sure will be interesting to see what happens.

Or we could just realise our role in the Universe and drop the damn weapons for once, and work together to explore.

HAHAHAHA! Of course, what am I thinking? I must be out of my mind, that's crazy notion, sorry I must've taken a crazy pill there, I'm back to normal now *phew*