First, nothing in CSLAA, had it been in effect for the X Prize flights, would have forced AST to do anything. It would have allowed AST to do something, if AST determined that the 20+ rolls were “an unplanned event or series of events during a licensed or permitted commercial human space flight that posed a high risk of causing a serious or fatal injury to crew or space flight participants.” The rolls were unplanned, yes. But given that Mike zeroed out the rates long before reentry, it’s pretty hard to call them a high risk event.

The second point is what the unplanned event, had AST judged it high risk, would have allowed AST to do, if CSLAA had then been in effect. What it would allowed them to do is restrict or prohibit the risky operating practice – for passenger flights *only*. Nothing in CSLAA allows AST to restrict or prohibit design features or operating practices for flights not carrying paying passengers.

So under CSLAA, AST could – if they determined those rolls were high risk, which would be a difficult determination to defend given the demonstrated safe outcome – issue regulations directing an operator of SpaceShipTwo to avoid, while carrying paying passengers, aerodynamic conditions that lead to lots of rolls as he exits the atmosphere. AST could also, if they determined the rolls were high risk, issue regulations requiring Burt to modify the design for SpaceShipTwo so it doesn’t do that. So what? He’s going to do that anyway. “SpaceShipTwo has got to have better high-Mach directional stability by a bunch,” –Burt at the SFF banquet in Long Beach

Nothing in CSLAA is bad. Some of the particulars are in law earlier than we expected them, but we knew we’d see them eventually. It’s a pretty good bill. CSLAA may be fairly thought of as the Air Commerce Act for space. The Air Commerce Act was basically the enabling legislation for the nascent commercial human flight industry. (_Bonfires to Beacons_ {Smithsonian History of Aviation Series} is a marvelous history of the times and events leading to the Air Commerce Act; highly recommended.)

It’s good to hear from you again. I hope things are going well in your life.

— Donald

As a Republican, I couldn’t agree with you more. Sen. Reid deserves HUGE credit for having resolved several Democratic Senator holds, all of which were instigated by House Transportation Ranking Member James Oberstar, who had tried to block passage of HR5382 in the House.

This was a bipartisan victory for a non-partisan goal: opening the space frontier to the American people.

– Jim

Let us remember that our dream is not exclusively a Republican dream. There are Democrats who support our goals, and, if we want them to succeed, it behooves us to reach out to them. As I have argued before, we need as broad a coalition as possible.

— Donald

Robert