Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
billionaire Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson who went to the edge of space became a matter of question whether they were counted as astronaut or not.
This question was then answered by the United States Aviation Federation (FAA) by issuing a rule that stipulates that the designation astronaut cannot be used by space tourists.
The regulator recently tightened the rule that the term astronaut is only used by certain people. So, not everyone who goes to space can be called an astronaut.
Terms of mention of astronauts
The bodies entitled to grant the title of astronaut in the US are limited to NASA, the US military, and the FAA.
NASA and the US military give their employees the title of astronaut who go into space. While space pilots from private companies must go through FAA approval.
For private pilots, to be called an astronaut they must fly at an altitude of more than 80 kilometers, pass FAA certification.
In addition, the title of astronaut is given to employees of companies that provide aviation services. Thus, tourists who buy tickets to outer space do not count.
In addition, these astronauts must “demonstrate activities that are important to public safety, or contribute to the safety of spaceflight during flight,” the new rules say.
Furthermore, the description of “contributions to spaceflight safety” is not clearly defined as this is at the discretion of FAA officials.
The new rules come as the US public wonders whether Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson’s trip to space will earn them the title of astronaut.
For the past decade, the FAA has only assigned the astronaut designation to spacecraft pilots. However, there is one exception to Beth Moses, a Virgin Galactic executive. He was previously mentioned as an astronaut who flew on the SpaceShipTwo plane in 2019.
So, currently the FAA emphasizes that one of the main criteria for the designation of astronauts besides being a member of the flight crew, they must also perform several tasks during flight, not just passengers.
However, the agency was allowed to grant honorary wings to “individuals who demonstrated outstanding contributions or beneficial service to the commercial human spaceflight industry” but who did not meet other eligibility requirements, it was quoted as saying. New Scientist.
However, the agency did not provide a direct statement whether Bezos and Branson were included in the category of people who could not get the title of astronaut or not.
Branson is indeed called Virgin Galactic is a crew member who participated in the company’s spacecraft testing mission. However, it is not clear whether the billionaire’s contribution to passenger safety is meaningful or just as a passenger.
Likewise with Bezos, he and three others flew into space in a spaceship that was completely controlled from Earth.
NASA’s Astronaut Recruitment Strict Requirements
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