Future commercial space passengers will need more than a ticket to board a flight, according to the FAA. They also will need a signed consent form, releasing the government and all others from liability, and a doctor’s OK. Don’t want to sit in the cabin? Future space pilots will need specialized training, a license and, of course, a medical.
These requirements are spelled out in proposed guidelines issued earlier this month by the FAA. The agency has three years to come up with final rules for space tourist travel. Officials expect the first commercial space flights to blast off in 2007, provided, of course, that the regs are ready.