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We welcomed Dr. Angie Bukley back to the program and for the first time Dr. Josef Koller to discuss The Aerospace Corporation Center for Space Policy and Strategy. Please note the related links on our blog for more information related to the Space Safety Institute. Check it out at https://aerospace.org/ssi (SSI). Please follow us with the material on the SSI website. As with earlier Space Show programs, I suggest you take note of the Tags for this program as they represent a good and concise summary of the multiple topics covered in this space safety focused interview program over our 63-minute discussion. For your convenience the Tags have been repeated directly below this paragraph.
Tags: Dr. Angie Bukley, Dr. Josef Koller, The Center for Space Policy & Strategy @The Aerospace Corporation, Space Safety Institute, safety framework applicable to human spaceflight, commercial spaceflight regulatory issues, space safety experience, compounding issues for multiple players, very little safety standards, best practices, establishing a safety culture, data needed, people on the ground supporting safety, collaborative approach with players needed, effective regulations, commercial and entrepreneurial perspectives, safety tech issues, space tourism, space balloon flights 2004 Commercial Space Act, extending commercial space regulatory holiday come Oct. 1, 2023, data and information sharing, benefit sharing, inspiration, common sense, alcohol in space, parabolic flight preparation including food, lessons learned from the mini-sub Titan accident, rescue obligations, taxpayer obligations, private sector and individual responsibility for rescue, Coast Guard and rescue, SpaceX and possible rescue functions, rescue costs and impact, Aerospace safety priorities, in space rescue awareness, space company safety awareness, space traffic management, space situational awareness.
Several of our topics caught my attention. I found it interesting to hear about the outreach and results by our guests and others regarding space safety at conferences and other meetings. I thought it was good to know that commercial space companies, entrepreneurs, business leaders and others associated with space commerce are pursuing and developing a space safety culture. The same goes for the public sector response. I found what our guests said to be encouraging. While not all of the NewSpace types of commercial industry were referenced, it was clear that there was an increasing awareness for space safety across all aspects of the space industry.
Another topic that interested me was what our guests had to say about the Oct. 1 expiration of the hands off regulating the emerging commercial and space tourism sectors. As you will hear, there is lots of discussion about the expiration of the no regulation policy which dates back to the Commercial Space Act of 2004. We have discussed this possible expiration on many Space Show programs so for me it was very interesting to get additional perspectives. Don't miss this part of our conversation.
I thought the commentary about lessons learned from the mini-sub Titan that recently imploded going down to see the Titanic shipwreck was both interesting and important. What evolved from our Titan discussion, comparing it in a way to human spaceflight on the tourism side, was how our discussion evolved into a lengthy one about the rescue of people in trouble in doing adventure like things including human spaceflight/space tourism. We discussed who has the responsibility to undertake the rescue and certainly we questioned who should pay for it. Should the taxpayers pick up the bill? As you will hear, the U.S. Coast Guard will generally try to rescue Americans and probably others anywhere it can get to on the planet. Should these be taxpayer funded rescues? We did not come to any resolution on this issue other than the parties involved need to have a lot more responsibility and accountability for their rescues, especially if something on their side caused the accident or need for rescue. What do you think about rescue, especially for private parties? And who should foot the bill for the rescue?
Learning that data and information sharing was crucial for space safety was new to me. This brought up the possible reluctance of private companies to share given the possibility of IP proprietary data. Should they be compelled to share that type of company or business sensitive material and who would they be sharing it with? Could security for the shared data/information be assured? These are all big questions needing to be worked out. As I understand it these are just some of what the Aerospace Corporation is working on with the SSI.
Toward the end of the program, I asked our guests for the priorities for the SSI. Our guests said they had a holistic approach to safety and many issues, sectors, and activities were involved in space safety. Listen to how they explain their approach. Please comment on it using our blog for this show. Our final 11th hour question came in from Linda in Phoenix. She wanted to know about public SSI reports, a newsletter, or something from the organization for interested consumers to follow the SSI progress. Our guests provided some website instructions to enable interested parties to stay connected and informed with the SSI.
Please post your comments/questions on our blog for our guests for this show. You can reach both our guests through me here at The Space Show or through our blog. Our guests are also available through The Aerospace Corporation sites.
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