(David Gump) wrote in message . com...

What's not safe: enforceable medical standards and any "other"
standard that might appear to be a good idea to the fine professionals
at the FAA, whom I admire.

You appear to be assuming that it will be FAA setting the medical and
other standards. It's a reasonable assumption. But the language
doesn't support it. The standards are specified in the license. But
the license essentially consists of the license application plus a
cover letter signed by the Licensing and Safety Division Manager of
AST. In essence, the applicant writes the license, and AST says yea
or nay. So the standards specified in the license are the standards
the applicant sets.

Surely, then, AST would deny the license application if they didn't
approve of the medical and other standards set therein? No; they
can't. They don't have the authority. The Commercial Space Launch
Act of 1984 requires the Secretary of Transportation to issue a launch
license if the proposed launch is consistent with the public health
and safety, safety of property, and national security and foreign
policy interests of the United States. Nothing in passenger medical
or other standards has any influence over any of those. Therefore
medical or other standards, or lack thereof, cannot be used to deny a
launch license.

What HR 3245 says is that the launch licensee: must have medical and
other standards for spaceflight participants; must specify those
standards in its launch license; and must comply with those standards.
It says nothing about AST adopting any medical or other standards.
Considering that the physical environments will be quite different
from one vehicle architecture to the next - compare Xerus and Black
Armadillo, for example - the appropriate medical standards will be
equally varied, and AST would have great difficulty adopting a uniform
medical standard. HR 3245 quite wisely leaves the development of
these standards to the vehicle developer.

So, to answer your question:

So what standards will the FAA adopt?

Yours.


Randall Clague
Government Liaison
XCOR Aerospace