With the flights of Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos with their spacecraft into space, tourism or space tourism has peaked. But it must be said that not everyone who goes into space is an astronaut. The US Federal Aviation Administration has revised its rules to deny the "astronaut wing" badge to any passenger on commercial flights, making it harder to recognize astronauts on a commercial flight.
What is the "Aviation Wing" badge of the Federal Aviation Administration?
There are only three organizations in the United States that nominate astronauts: the US Army, NASA, and the Federal Aviation Administration. The first two organizations award their employees badges, so you must receive a badge from the Federal Aviation Administration in order to be officially recognized as an astronaut after a commercial flight. This sign has no special privilege other than instilling pride and self-esteem.
What are the current rules for becoming an astronaut on a commercial flight?
To receive the Wing Badge from the Aviation Authority, you must be an official employee of the company that operates the commercial flight. Therefore, passengers who buy a flight ticket are excluded. They must also take training courses under the supervision of the Federal Aviation Administration and fly over an altitude of 80 km. In addition, under the new rules, astronauts must perform in-flight activities that are essential to flight safety or have contributed to flight safety.

NASA Astronaut Wing Badge
Who can help with safety?
It is the responsibility of the Federal Aviation Administration to determine the implementation or contribution to the space safety of a commercial passenger. For the past decade, the agency has only awarded flight badges to flight pilots. There was only one exception, in which the pilot of the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipeTwo spacecraft did not receive an address in 2019. The main criterion for being an astronaut is that a person performs duties as a member of the flight crew and is not just a passenger.
Are the crew members of the recent Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin flights astronauts?
Determining such a thing is a bit complicated. Virgin Galaxy crew members were on a test flight, but it is not yet clear whether they cooperated in flight safety. Everything is clear for Blue Origin flight: the company's spacecraft was completely controlled from the ground and none of the crew members had a role in controlling it, and all they did was enjoy the flight. Therefore, according to the new rules of the Federal Aviation Administration, members of the Blue Origin crew are not considered astronauts.
Is there an exception?
The Federal Aviation Administration is authorized to award honorary astronaut wings to individuals who have contributed or further assisted in safety and flight control. So Governor Funk, who spent his astronaut course in the 1960s but could not go into space at the time, is likely to receive the Wing Medal.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Your comment and facebook share will be appreciated