The list of comments on the space passenger NPRM continues to grow:

first of all, there should be NO commercial space flights since the pollution from commercial space flights negatively impacts every single u.s. citizen. one flight alone can kill thousands of people. i think this should be solely a govt. endeavor.

secondly, it is clear that the most rigorous standard must be used for any person who is permitted to do this by our govt. it is clear this should not just be a jaunt in the sky for a celebrity or rich man, as seems to be going on these days.

the pollution from these flights is substantial. it is time to put a damper on the endless pollution being allowed by those who profit from it, with no regard for those negatively impacted by the pollution from it (their health, their breathing dirty air, etc.

what does the rest of the american public gain from these kinds of extravaganzas? nothing.

Broken shift key. Broken brain.

If you want to read the rest (there are some serious comments up now, from XCOR, Rocketplane and Orbital Commerce), click here, and type in Docket Number 23449. Some of them are very large (multi-megabyte) PDFs. Interestingly, there's nothing up there yet from Scaled Composites, Virgin Galactic or The Spaceship Company. Is Burt just holding his fire? Or still looking for a regulatory end around?

I'll let others comment on "the pollution from these flights is substantial" remark...the observation she made earlier in the post...is the one that got me.

"one flight alone can kill thousands of people. i think this should be solely a govt. endeavor."

Thinking back on it, she may have a point...killing thousands of people SHOULD be solely a govt. endeavor.

At least her heart is in the right place, even if her facts are not.

Mark

(sigh) With those mentalities in charge, would we have ever had aircraft, ships (except maybe sailing ships...maybe)or been free to use electricity (or even fire) in any form without a license...?

But I suppose Luddites have to grab on to something, when it's no longer a matter of their tax money being spent.

She's right! They kill too many!

We need to build Orion Ships that are only estimates to kill ten or so people worldwide per launch.

> killing thousands of people SHOULD be solely a govt. endeavor.

Iraqis should be doing that.

Most companies and professional folks wait until the last second to file their comments, so that further comments can't rebut them. I know this is what my office does when it files comments with the FCC.

My guess is that the good guys hired good lawyers to write their comments, and they'll be in just before the comment period is over.

B

David Deutsch: "A passenger on an EVA operation can easily decide to throw something at earth that might pose public risk."

Gotta hand it to commenters like this -- they make reading EIS's and other otherwise-dry public policy documents entertaining.

OTOH, this is the safe way to launch plutonium to space since, hey, thousands of people are going to die anyway.

David Deutsch: "A passenger on an EVA operation can easily decide to throw something at earth that might pose public risk."

Wow. I'll bet a penny dropped from way up there would really hurt if it landed on your head.

[/dolt]

So...when we lost Columbia, instead of being concerned about where massive, temprature-resistant objects like the SSMEs might end up, the real threat was the crews' pocket change...?

That wasn't the 'many worlds' physicist David Deutsch, was it? I gave him more credit. If only 'simply demonstrate a cold o-ring' Feynmann were still here...

All is lost, and has been, since the first Earth Day in the 70s. Perhaps some new Curtis LeMay type person in our armed forces can round the greenies up and put their body mass to good use.

You know, the comment Rand quoted demonstrates a mindset so lacking on logic as to be staggering. If I seriously believed "one flight alone can kill thousands of people" I'd want to stop ALL spaceflight. Yet she seems to think such dangerous activity is okay as long as government does it!

Such mindless trust in government would be funny if it were not so scary. Fortunately, it is fairly rare nowdays, even among Lefty moonbats. Well, maybe not -- the government most of them blindly trust is UN.

McGehee --

I read David Deutsch's comment, and I think it is poorly phrased but entirely reasonable. He suggests "fines and penalties for leaving uncontrolled satellites near earth's orbit". I agree. Space junk is a very real problem.

Bob Hawkins wrote:

"My guess is that the good guys hired good lawyers to write their comments, and they'll be in just before the comment period is over."

No, just Jeff and me. We usually post our comments on the last possible day, just because we're so busy and have so many other things competing for our time.

Brian wrote:

'David Deutsch: "A passenger on an EVA operation can easily decide to throw something at earth that might pose public risk."'

This did prompt me to go through the NPRM to make sure it didn't prohibit spacediving.

Brian also wrote:

"Gotta hand it to commenters like this -- they make reading EIS's and other otherwise-dry public policy documents entertaining."

I read, "I spit on your proposal," and told Jeff I would never again accept an accusation that I am undiplomatic. I love those guys; they make me look like the voice of sweet reason even when I'm telling FAA how badly they messed up.

(On this one, they messed up only slightly, and probably accidentally. They didn't just listen to us; they _heard_ us. Anyone who has worked either in or with government knows how rare that is.)

-R