Commercial Space 

Transportation

FY-2006

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

OCTOBER 2006
Photo credits for front cover: 

Center left image: courtesy of Armadillo Aerospace, Mesquite, Texas

Lower left corner image: courtesy of Rocketplane Kistler, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Upper and lower center image: Cascading Dunes on Mars, courtesy of NASA

Upper right corner image: courtesy of Space Exploration Technologies, El Segundo, California

NOTICE

Use of trade names, services, or images associated with

corporate entities in this document does not constitute official

endorsement of such products, services, or corporate 

entities, either expressed or implied, by 

the Federal Aviation Administration.

Available from

Federal Aviation Administration

Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation

800 Independence Avenue, S.W., Rm. 331

Washington, D.C. 20591
FY 2006 R&D Accomplishments 1

COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION

Mission

To ensure protection of the

public, property, and national

security and foreign policy

interests of the United States

during a commercial launch

or reentry activity and to

encourage, facilitate, and

promote U.S. commercial

space transportation.
Introduction

Four Research and Development (R&D) projects were undertaken

by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Office of Commercial

Space Transportation, during fiscal year 2006. Two new research

projects were selected. Work also continued on two projects, one

initiated in FY 2004 and the other in FY 2005. In addition to a

description of each project, a summary of accomplishments to date

is provided here. 

Safety research supports the development of the policy, standards,

and guidance material needed to meet FAA goals and objectives.

Such research is also essential in developing the knowledge

necessary to maintain and improve Agency materials. Knowledge

and materials gained from these efforts are used to verify that the

products and procedures of launch and reentry vehicle and site

operator licensees and applicants adequately comply with applicable

safety standards. 

To that end, the Office formulated and instituted an R&D activity to

support FAA’s strategic goal of safety. The Commercial Space

Transportation Research and Development Plan provides a process

for effectively applying resources based on clearly identified safety

priorities each fiscal year. This plan was used to solicit candidate

research projects from internal sources. External sources, such as

the Reusable Launch Vehicle and Launch Operations Support

Working Groups of the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory

Committee, were also solicited. 

The process for selecting a research project to pursue is rather

straightforward. First, the R&D Advisory Board evaluates candidate

research projects for relevance to our mission, relative importance,

and cost. Second, the R&D Advisory Board ranks the candidate

research projects to arrive at a prioritized list and presents that list to

the R&D Senior Steering Committee for review. Third, the R&D

Senior Steering Committee selects the projects to undertake.

2 FY 2006 R&D Accomplishments

COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION
Selected projects must show the maximum potential to fulfill mission

and meet budgeted requirements. Lastly, the R&D Advisory Board

and Senior Steering Committee hold periodic project status reviews

throughout the fiscal year.

FY 2006 R&D Accomplishments 3

COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION

tt Supports FAA Strategic Goal: SAFETY uu
Columbia Debris Study

The Office of Commercial Space Transportation, in a partnership

with NASA, conducted a study to weigh, measure, photograph, and

record characteristics of the debris recovered from the 2003 Space

Shuttle Columbia accident. Over 84,000 pieces of debris were

recovered. During the recovery effort, GPS latitude and longitude

coordinates were recorded for the majority of these pieces. Impact

coordinates, along with physical measurements and aerodynamic

features, such as shape and ballistic coefficient, can help

researchers and analysts develop and refine debris dispersion

models used for establishing safety requirements and evaluating

public risk associated with space operations.

In 2006, a processing area for this study was established in the

Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, where

the debris is securely stored. Scales, cameras, and other equipment

were setup with computers for recording the information into a

database. The main objective of this year’s effort was to develop

and optimize the procedures for processing this large quantity of the

debris, which is a labor-intensive task. Based on the results of this

procedure development phase, the process throughput and

associated costs will be considered and a decision on whether to

continue funding the study in FY 2007 will be made. 

4 FY 2006 R&D Accomplishments

COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION

tt Supports FAA Strategic Goal: SAFETY uu
Human Space Flight

Biomedical Data

The Office of Commercial Space Transportation completed a

research project to study commercial human space flight biomedical

data. Recent development of piloted commercial reusable launch

vehicles created a need for the Office to better understand the

physiological challenges space flight places on the human body. The

Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004 requires that

space flight participants be informed of the risks associated with

commercial space flight operations. However, medical risks of short

duration microgravity exposure are not well understood. 

The U.S. Government has a compendium of knowledge for young,

healthy individuals for long duration space flight. However, this

profile does not fit the typical space tourist on a suborbital flight. The

Office has the unique opportunity to fill gaps in the knowledge and

understanding of how short duration exposure to microgravity affects

the human body by collecting medical data on a voluntary basis from

commercial space flight participants.

This research project successfully met its objective to define the

biomedical parameters recommended for pre-, in-, and post-flight

monitoring to form a more complete understanding of the effects of

suborbital flight on human physiology. In addition, the project

identified and recommended specific equipment and a database

format that would be compatible with existing long duration space

flight medical databases. Successful completion of this research

project has enabled the Office to fulfill regulatory requirements in

support of safe space transportation activities. Results of this study

allow the Office to recommend the type and method of biomedical

data that would be effective to analyze the physiological effects of

short duration space flight.

FY 2006 R&D Accomplishments 5

COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION

tt Supports FAA Strategic Goal: SAFETY uu
Debris Risk Analysis

As part of the commercial launch licensing process, the Office of

Commercial Space Transportation uses computer-based models to

develop casualty expectations associated with launch accidents

affecting the uninvolved public. Such models are also used to

establish insurance requirements and liability limits.

To validate the computer models used to project commercial launch

hazards, the Office examined how well current computer models

predict hazards to humans inside buildings that were subjected to

external explosive forces. Testing consisted of comparisons

between model predictions and historic, real-world incidents. In

these comparisons, model predictions and results of explosive

debris and blast forces on uninhabited test articles were evaluated.

Research results indicated that current computer models show a

reasonable correlation between predicted and actual results. The

computer models tested, therefore, provide a credible basis for

developing insurance requirements and liability limits for commercial

launch and reentry activities. 

6 FY 2006 R&D Accomplishments

COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION

tt Supports FAA Strategic Goal: SAFETY uu
Initial Requirement for

Developing Separation

Standards for Commercial

Space Transportation

Operations in the 

National Airspace System

FAA, Office of Commercial Space Transportation performed a

research study to identify initial requirements for developing

separation standards for aircraft and commercial space

transportation launch and reentry operations in the National Airspace

System (NAS). Ensuring public safety requires sustained efforts to

improve processes and approaches as the commercial space

transportation industry evolves. With a focus on the rapid evolution

and complexity of new launch and reentry vehicles, the Office leads

agency efforts to establish new processes to evaluate and approve

safety critical launch vehicle components and systems. To that end,

the FAA conducted safety-related research on identifying the initial

requirements for the development of separation standards for

aircraft and spacecraft. 

Figure 1 shows the separation standards development methodology.

Vehicle operators define the vehicle and space mission

characteristics. General risk analyses then determine initial

separation requirements based on space vehicle and launch site

characteristics. Then, fast-time simulations test the combination of

mission and separation requirements within a high-fidelity model of

the actual air traffic environment. 

FY 2006 R&D Accomplishments 7

COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION
FIGURE 1. Separation Standards Development Methodology

If the initial separation criteria and mission requirements result in

unacceptable traffic impacts, then alternate vehicle characteristics,

mission characteristics, and other risk analysis parameters are

proposed that will mitigate those impacts. The results of this process

will support development of the operational information needed in

the field to conduct the mission. Such information will include

operational procedures, agreements, and airspace design. 

8 FY 2006 R&D Accomplishments

COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION

Vehicle Operator

Mission Definition

Commercial Space Transportation

General Risk Analysis

Mathematical Modeling

Vehicle Characteristics

Launch/Reentry Site

Potential Modifications

Trajectory

Operating Windows

Vehicle Design Standard

Traffic Density

Instantaneous Impact

Point

Commercial Space Transportation –

Air Traffic Organization Collaboration

Fast-Time Traffic Simulation

Traffic Impacts Based On

Airspace Size

Traffic Windows

Air Traffic Organization

Operational Planning

Airspace & Restriction Definition

Operational Procedures

Letters of Agreement

Traffic Management Initiative Developement

Unacceptable

Traffic Performance

Information

Support

Containment

Area

Launch/Reentry

Windows

Separation

Standard

tt Supports FAA Strategic Goal: SAFETY uu
Commercial Space Transportation

Destination FAA

HQ-026505.qxd