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FAA Commercial Space Transportation Initiative To Include HF/E

     The Federal Aviation Administration's newly established Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation, announced by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on August 18, will focus in part on human factors/ergonomics aspects of this growing area.

     The center brings together academic institutions, companies in the space industry, and NASA research centers to create a world-class consortium to address current and future challenges for commercial space transportation. Led by New Mexico State University on the academic side, the center includes Florida Institute of Technology, whose College of Aeronautics will contribute to research associated with air traffic management concerns and human space flight issues such as the mitigation of g forces to avoid the need for extensive training and exposure and thereby expand the potential customer base, protocols to address the medical/physical requirements of space flight, and the development of special personal equipment for passengers.

     HFES Member John E. Deaton, director of research for the College of Aeronautics, stated, "The Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation provides opportunities for both HF/E researchers and practitioners to provide novel approaches to the challenges of future commercial space transportation. In some cases, this will involve more than the application of past or current technologies. Innovative approaches will no doubt be required to ensure the safe operation of a new generation of aircraft and a specialized customer base."

     The center's partners will focus on four research areas: space launch operations and traffic management; launch vehicle systems, payloads, technologies, and operations; commercial human space flight; and space commerce (including space law, space insurance, space policy, and space regulation).

     According to the FAA press release, the agency "will enter into 50-50 cost-sharing cooperative agreements to establish the partnerships, with plans to invest at least $1 million per year for the initial five years of the center's operations."

     Also part of the consortium are Stanford University, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, the Florida Center for Advanced Aero-Propulsion at Florida State University, the University of Colorado at Boulder, the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Space Florida, Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, Qinetiq North America/Analex, Florida Turbine Technologies, International Space University, Starfighters, and NASA's Kennedy Space Center and Glenn Research Center.

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