05. Will the US government have any role? *(Norman Mineta) (A K2S Question)

From The Space Library

According to The Honorable Norman Y. Mineta, Secretary of Transportation, on February 9, 2006 at the Commercial Space Conference in Washington, D.C.: "Indeed, there is incredible momentum building in the private sector. The Department, too, has an important role to play in ensuring the safety of commercial spaceflights, especially flights for passengers. But we also have an obligation to encourage innovation and support new developments. So we will move quickly to green-light flights that we know are safe. In fact, next year, I expect to issue permits to allow for the testing of new spacecraft designed to take paying passengers into space. Once those tests are successful, then I will be ready to approve the first-ever commercial spaceflights for passengers, which I expect in 2008. The point is, when the industry is set for lift off, the Department of Transportation will be ready to launch. This timeline is not based on science fiction. It is a timeline based on the reality of where commercial space is today – and where we expect the state of commercial space to be within two short years. You won't need a rank, or a special diploma, or a unique resumé to go up into space; you'll just need a ticket. It won't be cheap for awhile, but it will be possible someday – probably sooner than we think. One entrepreneur is already planning a space hotel circling the Earth. Talk about a room with a view!"

---

Answer provided by Sir Richard Branson & Norman Mineta

Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer

Buy This Book Click here