Space

[Annie]

Competitors join forces:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6936543/

What's ahead for the rocket industry?
The spaceflight legislation passed last year calls on the Federal Aviation Administration to draft regulations for piloted suborbital spaceflights over the next 12 months, including provisions that would allow paying passengers to fly at their own risk.

The federation's work should dovetail nicely with other industrywide efforts, said Andrew Case, acting director of the Washington-based SubOrbital Institute. "It certainly sounds like an excellent idea," he told MSNBC.com. "The industry needs to move toward a self-policing model."

Case said the federation could function as the outer-space equivalent of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety — a nongovernmental group that is funded by insurers to promote automobile safety standards.

"Something similar would be good to have for the suborbital industry," Case said.

Wider agenda
Case said his group had a wider agenda, because its members are involved in unmanned as well as manned suborbital spaceflight. This week, the SubOrbital Institute and its supporters are on Capitol Hill to lobby lawmakers and their staffs for a loosening of technology export restrictions.

Case argued that the State Department restrictions — known as International Traffic in Arms Regulation, or ITAR — were holding back the space industry.

"Anything that involves a rocket engine falls under ITAR," he said. "So say a company wanted to hire an aerospace engineer from Australia. They wouldn't be able to discuss some basic elements of engine design because of ITAR."

The restrictions also limit U.S. aerospace companies' ability to learn about technologies from other countries, or secure launch insurance from foreign-based insurers, he said. "They hurt U.S. industries, give competitive advantage to non-U.S. industries and provide no national security advantage," Case said.

However, Case acknowledged that it's not easy to get those arguments across to Congress in a post-9/11 world.

"Nobody's going to leap to tackle the issue, because nobody wants to appear weak on national security," he said. "We're not proposing to export rocket engines to North Korea, but it would be nice to be able to hire Japanese engineers."

Thus, this week's lobbying represents more of a consciousness-raising effort than an attempt to further any specific legislation this session. Case said another opportunity for consciousness-raising comes Wednesday, when the House Aviation Subcommittee conducts a hearing on commercial space transportation, subtitled "Beyond the X Prize..."

 

[onedomino]

"Nobody's going to leap to tackle the issue, because nobody wants to appear weak on national security," he said. "We're not proposing to export rocket engines to North Korea, but it would be nice to be able to hire Japanese engineers."

Loosen some ITAR regs to permit hiring engineers from Japan and Australia. Rocket engine exports could possibly go to those countries. Beyond Australia and Japan, I cannot think of any other countries to whom it would be appropriate to export new technology rocket engines; maybe Singapore. Due to proposed EU weapons sales to China, it is past time for America to limit or stop military technology transfers to Europe; including the UK. However, this will not happen. For example, the UK is scheduled to purchase the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the world's most advance multi-role jet, from Lockheed in 2008. Other participants in the F-35 program are: Australia, Japan, Singapore, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands and Turkey. It is interesting to note that all of these countries, except Canada and Turkey, were\are participants in the Iraq Coalition.

 

[itfitzme]

"Nobody's going to leap to tackle the issue, because nobody wants to appear weak on national security," he said. "We're not proposing to export rocket engines to North Korea, but it would be nice to be able to hire Japanese engineers."

Loosen some ITAR regs to permit hiring engineers from Japan and Australia. Rocket engine exports could possibly go to those countries. Beyond Australia and Japan, I cannot think of any other countries to whom it would be appropriate to export new technology rocket engines; maybe Singapore. Due to proposed EU weapons sales to China, it is past time for America to limit or stop military technology transfers to Europe; including the UK. However, this will not happen. For example, the UK is scheduled to purchase the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the world's most advance multi-role jet, from Lockheed in 2008. Other participants in the F-35 program are: Australia, Japan, Singapore, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands and Turkey. It is interesting to note that all of these countries, except Canada and Turkey, were\are participants in the Iraq Coalition.

Why?

 

[ReinyDays]

Do you honestly expect a reply from a post from 15 years ago? ...

 

[progressive hunter]

"Nobody's going to leap to tackle the issue, because nobody wants to appear weak on national security," he said. "We're not proposing to export rocket engines to North Korea, but it would be nice to be able to hire Japanese engineers."

Loosen some ITAR regs to permit hiring engineers from Japan and Australia. Rocket engine exports could possibly go to those countries. Beyond Australia and Japan, I cannot think of any other countries to whom it would be appropriate to export new technology rocket engines; maybe Singapore. Due to proposed EU weapons sales to China, it is past time for America to limit or stop military technology transfers to Europe; including the UK. However, this will not happen. For example, the UK is scheduled to purchase the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the world's most advance multi-role jet, from Lockheed in 2008. Other participants in the F-35 program are: Australia, Japan, Singapore, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands and Turkey. It is interesting to note that all of these countries, except Canada and Turkey, were\are participants in the Iraq Coalition.

Why?

because anything else doesnt make sense,,

 

[ReinyDays]

Wow ... someone did respond ... that reminds me, I need to buy a new calendar ...