Space Access Update #106 11/19/04
Copyright 2004 by Space Access Society
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URGENT! Call your Congressman TONIGHT, Friday 11/19, and ask them to
support HR 5382, The Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act, when it
comes up for a vote by the full House - probably late tonight. If you
don't know who your Congressman is, or if you don't have the phone
number of their DC office handy, log on to http://www.vote-smart.org and
enter your nine-digit zip code in the Find Your Representatives box.
Then phone their Washington DC office (the area code 202 number)
IMMEDIATELY - minutes may count - and tell whoever answers that you're
from , and you're calling to ask Representative to vote for HR 5382. If they ask you for
more info, do your best to provide it (take a quick look at the info
below - the short version is "because it's important for the success of
the new commercial space flight industry") then thank them for their
time and ring off.
EVERBODY reading this who votes in the US needs to do this - every vote
counts, as the way to get the Senate to also pass HR 5382 in the very
short time remaining in this Congress is for the House to pass it by an
overwhelming margin. As soon as we've sent this out, we're going to go
look up the number and make the call - you do it too!
Background
HR 3752, which provided important regulatory support for a new
commercial space flight industry, has widely been reported dead in the
last day or two, and it almost was. It has been reintroduced in the
House of Representatives as HR 5382, it was debated today, and it should
be up for a vote by the full House sometime in tonight's extended
session - possibly as early as 8 pm EST, possibly well into the small
hours of tomorrow morning.
For more info on the history and content of HR 3752, see
http://www.space-access.org/updates/sau105.htm. HR 5382 is the latest
hard-fought compromise version of HR 3752 that everyone interested had
finally agreed on. The current problem is largely a matter of a few who
hadn't been following the issue closely not understanding why certain
features of the bill are necessary for the healthy birth of the new
industry. A letter from the head of the House Science Committee
summarizing the issues follows:
Dear Colleague:
A few minutes ago you received a letter from congressman Oberstar
about H.R. 5382 which will be before the house shortly. Mr. Oberstar’s
objection to the bill is well intentioned but reflects fundamental
misunderstandings about the bill. Here are some facts:
The house passed earlier this year by a vote of 402 to 1 and earlier
version of this bill (HR 3752) that gave the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) less regulatory authority over commercial human
space flights than does the bill before us today.
The Science Committee which has primary jurisdiction over this bill
which was given the sole initial referral had several hearings on the
bill and has talked about it frequently with the press, engendering more
public discussion.
This bill concerns the commercial space flight industry, an industry
that is now of interest only to entrepreneurs and daredevils and should
not be regulated as if it were a commercial airline acting as common
carrier, which is basically what Mr. Oberstar is advocating.
The bill does give FAA unlimited authority to regulate these new
rockets to ensure that they do not harm anyone on the ground and to
ensure that the industry is learning from any failures. The bill also
gives FAA additional authority after 8 years by which time the industry
should be less experimental.
The Oberstar approach would be the equivalent of not letting the
Wright Brothers test their ideas without first convincing federal
officials that nothing could go wrong.
Without this Bill the FAA will continue to license private space
flights without adequate authority to protect either the safety of the
public or the finances of the government.
Please support HR 5382, just as you voted for the initial version in
March. Today’s bill is an equivalent of a conference report as it
reflects bipartisan negotiations with the Senate.
Sincerely,
SHERWOOD BOEHLERT
So - again, we ask you ALL to call, tonight, and ask your Congressman to
vote for HR 5382. This is important. Thanks!
Addendum, Saturday Afternoon, 11/20/04
HR 5382 Passes House - Thanks!
Things ran a bit slower than expected and the House recessed Friday
night without voting on HR 5382. They're back in session and voting on
"A Motion To Suspend The Rules And Pass" 5382 right now - this looks
like passing by a healthy but far from unanimous margin; the current
tally is 269 for, 117 against, 47 not yet voted.
OK, the motion got the required 2/3rds majority; the House has passed HR
5382.
Our thanks to everybody who called and helped out - we'll be writing
about what comes next (presumably Senate action) as soon as we have
details.
PS - our website seems to be down for the moment, but we expect to have
it back up soon, with details of next April's Space Access '05
conference as soon as we nail them down.
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in the cost of reaching space. You may redistribute this Update in
any medium you choose, as long as you do it unedited in its entirety.
You may reproduce sections of this Update beyond obvious "fair use"
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Space Access Society
http://www.space-access.org
space.access@space-access.org
"Reach low orbit and you're halfway to anywhere in the Solar System"
- Robert A. Heinlein