US Export Rules Block Space Plan

[zavvy]

<b>US Export Rules Block Space Plan</b><br /><br />LINK<br /><br />Sir Richard Branson's plans to offer a commercial sub-orbital spaceflight service have run into some difficulty. <br /><br />His Virgin Galactic company wants to license the technology in the record-breaking SpaceShipOne vehicle created by US designer Burt Rutan. <br /><br />But the process is being obstructed by US export control rules, particularly those that address technology with potential military applications. <br /><br />The issue is likely to delay the service debut of Virgin's space liners. <br /><br />Strained relations <br /><br />Although the UK has long enjoyed favoured relations with its American friends, the partnership between the British entrepreneur's spaceflight subsidiary and Mr Rutan's US design team is churning waters on both sides of the Atlantic. <br /><br />The export rules affect trade as well as the exchange of technical information between US firms and foreign entities - even those that share a mother tongue. <br /><br />"I thought Britain was a relatively friendly nation," Mr Rutan quipped during a recent US Congressional hearing about commercial space flight. <br /><br />"We have wrestled with this problem in terms of technology transfer to Virgin Atlantic for about five months now, and it has been difficult," he said. <br /><br />Passenger ship <br /><br />Joining Mr Rutan before a House of Representatives' space oversight committee was Will Whitehorn, president of Virgin Galactic, which is pursuing a licence to use technology Mr Rutan's firm, Scaled Composites, developed for SpaceShipOne, the world's first privately operated passenger spaceship. <br /><br />The experimental vessel made three sub-orbital flights last year, winning a $10m prize and buoying hopes that ordinary, albeit wealthy, people would be able to experience spaceflight first-hand within a few years. <br /><br />Virgin Galactic initially announced plan

 

[spacefire]

just how gay is that?<br /><br />after selling F14s to Iran <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>http://asteroid-invasion.blogspot.com</p><p>http://www.solvengineer.com/asteroid-invasion.html </p><p> </p> </div>

 

[wvbraun]

Are you kidding? You're probably referring to the F-16 deal with Pakistan...

 

[scottb50]

Maybe a little pressure on our Congressmen and Senators, if they are not too busy policing our morals and picking our pockets. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[jurgens]

dude, that's old, like last week old. http://www.house.gov/science/webcast/index.htm<br /><br />Watch the April 20th Webcast on commercializing space. Burt Rutan, a spokesperson for Virgin Galactic, and Elon Musk are all there. Congress is working on this issue right, so get your facts straight.