UK and US lack regulation to protect space tourists from cosmic ray dangers
- Reference: 1710159711
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/03/11/uk_and_us_lack_regulation/
- Source link:
Over the last decade, entrepreneurial billionaires such as [1]Jeff Bezos and [2]Richard Branson have launched commercial space flights targeting tourists that are prepared to part with huge sums of money for a few minutes of low orbit travel.
However, scientists point to the the dangers of sudden changes in space weather — the radiation present in space, such as solar wind of heavy ions and atomic nuclei. These changes include ground level enhancement (GLE), when the charged particles from the Sun have enough energy measurable at the Earth's surface. They also include solar particle events (SPEs) when particles emitted by Sun — mostly protons — are accelerated by the Sun's atmosphere or space by a coronal mass ejection shock.
[3]
Either can have “significant health implications for crew and passengers,” the research published by journal Space Policy says.
[4]
[5]
“Exposure to elevated levels of ionising radiation, such as those possible during GLE or SPE events, has been noted by the UK Health Protection Agency, to potentially ‘cause damage to DNA, lead to mutations, uncontrolled cell division and lead to malignancy’,” the [6]paper from the University of Surrey says.
“The space tourism industry is currently not fully aware of the radiation risks and is instead relying on incomplete ‘informed’ consent basis for non-crew space flight participants. Further, the current regulation for the industry places the risk burden firmly on the space tourist,” adds the research paper led by Chris Rees, postgraduate research student.
[7]
The study reckons that existing regulation applies to space flight crews rather than paying passengers. “For the potential space tourist, regulation is still catching up with this new industry. Further input into potential future regulation will be required going forward, noting that current fit-for-purpose legislation for radiation protection and associated risk assessment for space tourism does not exist,” the paper says.
On both sides of the Atlantic a patchwork of laws fails to provide protection for space tourists, the researchers argue.
For example, UK Air Navigation Order (ANO) rules for cosmic radiation impose limits on air crew exposure over a year. “The ANO forms the basis of regulation in the UK for very high altitude flights and could potentially be applied to future space tourism,” the paper points out.
[8]
However, the ANO does not set out requirements for real-time radiation monitoring on commercial aircraft or spacecraft.
[9]Branson's wallet snaps shut for Virgin Galactic
[10]Virgin Galactic sends oldest-ever Brit and first mother-daughter duo into space-ish
[11]Virgin Galactic finally gets its first paying customers to edge of space
[12]Virgin Galactic flies final test before opening for business
Space tourism is expected to take off. [13]Research found the market worth $848 million in 2023 and could grow to $27.9 billion by 2032.
Virgin Galactic took its first paying passengers [14]in June last year , taking off from Spaceport America in New Mexico.
In May 2021, Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin space tourism venture set its price for just such an experience at $1.4m (£1m) or best offer. It made its [15]first flight in July that year. ®
Get our [16]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2021/10/26/blue_origin_orbital_reef/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/29/virgin_galactic_launch/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Ze84rV7pPAZMXQUlFYXH2wAAAcs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Ze84rV7pPAZMXQUlFYXH2wAAAcs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Ze84rV7pPAZMXQUlFYXH2wAAAcs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0265964624000043
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Ze84rV7pPAZMXQUlFYXH2wAAAcs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Ze84rV7pPAZMXQUlFYXH2wAAAcs&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2023/12/05/branson_virgin_galactic_funding/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/11/virgin_galactic_02/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/29/virgin_galactic_launch/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/26/virgin_galactic_pulls_off_last/
[13] https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/space-tourism-market#:~:text=Space%20tourism%20market%20size%20was,47.4%25%20during%20the%20forecast%20period
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/29/virgin_galactic_launch/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/16/inspiration4_launch_success/
[16] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Who gives a sh**
Seems a little harsh, although I'm indifferent to their fate. And so far a few minutes of space tourism seems less risky than other billionaire pursuits like visiting the Titanic, or getting on the wrong side of Putin. And if those don't appeal, they can always try the old staple of billionaire population control, helicopter crashing. Very popular that last one.
Re: Who gives a sh**
It's their cash. You just sound like you envy them.
As to the utility of bureaucrats creating rules to protect people against dangers, I'm not convinced that anything useful will come of that.
Re: Who gives a sh**
"As to the utility of bureaucrats creating rules to protect people against dangers, I'm not convinced that anything useful will come of that."
In this instance, or more generally?
Re: Who gives a sh**
If it encourages more investment in space then I'm all for it. As a species we need to be investing more. So many resources out there just waiting for us and yet we continue to fight over the scraps of resources down here.
A lead-lined coffin capsule should be able to offer enough protection.
FFFS
For fucks fucking sake.
Look...
Anybody that can afford to go into space can afford a tin foil hat. Or to talk to medical professionals with actual experience of people that have been into space.
There don't need to be "regulations" to appease some rich blokes that want to dick around in a different playground.
"significant health implications for crew and passengers"
I'd have thought the idea of sitting atop an enormous controlled (sometimes) explosion might have been a greater concern.
Re: Look...
"I'd have thought the idea of sitting atop an enormous controlled (sometimes) explosion might have been a greater concern."
Or one where there is NO interlock on the re-entry system such that it could be deployed in any phase of flight.
One would have hoped that in their code might be if(booster == on) return false;
Or at ABSOLUTE minimum a 2 stage lock on the handle so you've got to be really sure you want to pull it.
A slightly less catastrophic incident of yanking the wrong handle involved an F14 where the back seater accidentally grabbed the ejection handle when the aircraft rolled inverted.
The billionaires have the cash to lobby against such regulations, but maybe they don't want them...
Soon it will be de rigueur for the libertarian billionaire class to flaunt their mutations, to show that they've been to space, unlike the lesser fry. They will be desperate to get to the next cocktail party, in order to show off the new ear that's growing out of their chin.
Just put some sun visors in. They're had them in cars for years.
I don't think this is much to worry about till us pleb are going up besides if you have a rocket scientist building rockets who doesn't understand space radiation then space radiation is the least of your worries.
Earthly dangers
> Damage to DNA, mutations, uncontrolled cell division and malignancy. Is space tourism worth the risk?
All of which can be got from lying in the sun for too long. Yet governments don't feel the need to ban / regulate ot limit that.
Re: Earthly dangers
YET!!
Re: Earthly dangers
Given the popularity of sunbathing. I suspect it would be more a case of taxing it than banning it.
Though in the UK, it wouldn't bring in much.
Evolution in action
(body)
So neither the space tourist companies nor the billionaire passengers have a lawyer?
Not sure why the government needs to be involved for this at all.
Surely anyone getting in an experimental rocketship has signed a contract before handing over hundreds of thousands of dollars for the privilege. Just as surely that contract outlines that the passenger is assuming all risk for the trip, even if that contract was written by a 1st year law student.
I'm not sure what they thing is going to happen.
Its not like their organisation is going to pony up the cost of a single flight on either Blue Origin or SpaceX rockets, to say nothing of paying for enough flights to generate enough non-astronaut data for it to make a difference. Besides, many, if not most of worlds astronauts are pilots, so how are they going to control for flight time?
Who gives a sh**
The types spending wasting inordinate amounts of cash to go into space for fun can all rot in Hell-IMHO.