AV 3120 Chapter 18 Aviation Law

Identify the internationally recognized vertical boundary of a nation's airspace (the line of demarcation between airspace and space) and describe the rationale behind selection of that specific altitude.

100 kilometers, the atmosphere thins as the distance from the earth increases, forcing a craft to increase velocity to remain airborne. This equates with the line becoming the distance from the planet at which a craft must meet or exceed orbital velocity in order to prevent a loss of altitude.

What treaty first specifically addressed international law applicable to property and mineral rights on Earth's law?

1967 Outer Space Treaty

What law created that office?

National Environmental Policy Act

For U.S. commercial spaceport, space launch, and spaceflight operations, what federal agency and office regulates and licenses these activities?

Office of Commercial Space Transportation

Identify the treaty that is the basis for international law in space and describe the key principles and provisions agreed to in that treaty.

Outer Space Treaty • the exploration and use of outer space should be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries and should be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries and should be the province of all mankind • Outer space should be free for exploration and use by all States • Outer space should not be subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means • States should not place nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in orbit or on celestial bodies or station them in outer space in any other manner • The moon and other celestial bodies should be used exclusively for peaceful purposes • Astronauts should be regarded as the envoys of mankind • States should be responsible for national space activities whether carried out by governmental or non-governmental entities • States should be liable for damage caused by their space objects • States should be liable for damage caused by their space objects • States should avoid the harmful contamination of space and celestial bodies

What licenses and permits does that office currently issue?

Permits allow reusable rockets to fly/operate in specific areas. A license that is not for and by the government encompasses all other commercial rockets and is subject to the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations

Who won the Ansari X-Prize, when, where, and how?

Scaled Composites with their aircraft Spaceship One on October 4, 2004. It launched from White Knight and utilized a shuttle-cock mechanism on its tail section to allow deceleration to happen at a higher altitude, reducing stress and heat on the vehicle, allowing it to be reused. It also had a unique fuel combination of nitrous oxide and hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene. The tail folded in on itself to increase drag to slow the aircraft down as it fell through the second half of its parabolic flight.

Is the U.S. a party to that treaty?

Yes

What were Congress' purposes in creating that office?

as the FAA's only space-related line of business. AST was established to: • Regulate the U.S. commercial space transportation industry, to ensure compliance with international obligations of the United States, and to protect the public health and safety, safety of property, and national security and foreign policy interests of the United States; • Encourage, facilitate, and promote commercial space launches and reentries by the private sector; • Recommend appropriate changes in Federal statutes, treaties, regulations, policies, plans, and procedures; and • Facilitate the strengthening and expansion of the United States space transportation infrastructure.

Identify the primary components and subcomponents of the commercial spaceflight industry.

commercial space tourism • Space tourists docked to the International Space Station • Space habitats • Non-federal spaceports in the U.S. Commercial launch services Mining minerals from near-earth asteroids

What principles are set forth in that treaty?

it bars states party to the treaty from placing weapons of mass destruction in orbit of Earth, installing them on the Moon or any other celestial body, or otherwise stationing them in outer space. It exclusively limits the use of the Moon and other celestial bodies to peaceful purposes and expressly prohibits their use for testing weapons of any kind, conducting military maneuvers, or establishing military bases, installations, and fortifications. However, the Treaty does not prohibit the placement of conventional weapons in orbit and thus some highly destructive attack strategies such as Kinetic bombardment are still potentially allowable. The treaty also states that the exploration of outer space shall be done to benefit all countries and shall be free for exploration and use by all the States. The treaty explicitly forbids any government from claiming a celestial resource such as the Moon or a planet. - Wikipedia

Describe the purpose and requirements of the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act (CSLAA) of 2004.

it was enacted to promote the development of the emerging commercial human space flight industry, it defines a suborbital space vehicle, solidifies the process for licensing such vehicles, and allows paying passengers to fly into space at their own risk

What 1996 event is credited with setting into motion events leading to the birth of the commercial space tourism industry?

the X-Prize competition