From: hrubin@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin)
Newsgroups: sci.space,talk.politics.space
Subject: Getting the job done
Date: 10 Oct 92 15:40:08 GMT
Organization: Purdue University Statistics Department

In article <pbwz44-@rpi.edu> kentm@aix.rpi.edu (Michael V. Kent) writes:
>In article <Bvv7q6.KL9@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> hrubin@pop.stat.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin) writes:

>>You seem to have missed my other postings on this topic.  I, and many others,
>>have been advocating that the government allow private space expenditures AS
>>THOSE WISHING TO SPEND THE MONEY WANT TO.  

******************************************************************************
At this time, it is illegal for an American to launch anything
anywhere in the world without US government approval. 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
******************************************************************************

>This isn't that unusual if you think about.  I can't drive a car without the
>government's permission (driver's liscence),

At this time, you can drive a car on your property without any government
permission whatever.

>my car can't be driven off my property w/o govt's permission (lisence plates).  
This is for revenue purposes, not safety purposes.

>fishing or hunting (or flying!!) either.  I can't do much of anything that
>might endanger society or some subgroup thereof.

Fishing and hunting licenses are also revenue.  For flying, there are
qualifications involved.  But imagine what would have happened to the
early history of aviation if the present government types were around
during the early days of aviation.  And the requirements for experimental
aircraft are far weaker than the standard stuff, anyhow.

>The difficulty of obtaining the proper lisence is proportional to the damage
>that could be done if something went wrong.  Marriage and fishing lisences
>are easy to get, driver's lisences a bit harder, and pilot's lisences harder
>still.  It shouldn't surprise anyone a lisence to launch several tons of
>high explosives over people's heads is even harder.

>Those who prove they can launch rockets safely can get a lisence.  Both 
>General Dynamics and McDonnell Douglas have one, and they can launch payloads
>without much further trouble.  Sounds reasonable to me.  It certainly has
>ample precedent.

1.  They can get licenses to launch payloads on American rockets with more
trouble than you think.  It would be a lot of trouble for them to launch on
Ariane, the European rocket.  And it would be almost impossible for the
Planetary Society to get permission to launch something of their own design,
built with no government funds.

2.  Notice what I have underlined.  For me to fly or carry explosives in
Zanzibar, I might need a Tanzanian license, but no American one.  For a
Tanzanian company to launch from Zanzibar, they would need Tanzanian
approval, but not US approval.  For an American, either an individual
or an organization, to launch from Zanzibar, however, requires US approval,
as well as Tanzanian approval.

3.  I believe that those who believe in space activities are sufficiently
numerous and sufficiently wealthy to be willing to raise the many billions
needed.  But who is willing to invest if government bureaucrats can, at the
time of launching of a space station, for example, can step in and say that
it is not in the national interest?  This has nothing to do with safety; 
every bureaucrat is personally threatened by this.  The people interested
in space are not going to be too reckless; Challenger-type incidents can
be lived with, but will hurt their activities, and worse things even will
hurt more so.

4.  There are also those, becoming more powerful daily, who even wish to 
restrict private research and development.  It would not surprise me that
even a fair number of Congresspeople would make an effort to stop major
private space ventures as a "waste of American resources."  
-- 
Herman Rubin, Dept. of Statistics, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN47907-1399
Phone: (317)494-6054
hrubin@snap.stat.purdue.edu (Internet, bitnet)  
{purdue,pur-ee}!snap.stat!hrubin(UUCP)