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Author
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Topic: Suborbital spacecraft crew/passenger designations
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spaceman
Member Posts: 1104
From: Walsall, West Midlands, UK
Registered: Dec 2002
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posted 10-31-2013 05:57 PM
   
Do we have a term yet for a person that will fly on a sub-orbital flight such as Virgin Galactic as a tourist/passenger? What about the professional crew on such flights? |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3120
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 11-04-2013 03:38 PM
Rich. |
Jim Behling
Member Posts: 1463
From: Cape Canaveral, FL
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 11-04-2013 07:00 PM
Astronaut |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 11-04-2013 07:28 PM
I don't see why one can't use "spaceflight participant" considering that's the catchall term for those who have paid or whose government has paid for a flight and who is not a career astronaut. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 11-04-2013 09:37 PM
With regards to the professional crew of a private spacecraft, the Federal Aviation Administration defines them as a commercial astronaut. A commercial astronaut is a person trained to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a privately funded spacecraft. To date, the FAA has awarded commercial astronaut wings to Mike Melvill and Brian Binnie for piloting SpaceShipOne.For those paying to ride on commercial spacecraft, the FAA has informally used "spaceflight passenger." |
gliderpilotuk
Member Posts: 3398
From: London, UK
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 11-05-2013 03:35 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Blackarrow:
Rich.
You mean "plutonaut" (as in plutocrat)  or maybe "cashtronaut" (copyright).I thank you. |
Tykeanaut
Member Posts: 2212
From: Worcestershire, England, UK.
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 11-05-2013 10:40 AM
Prosaic I know, but how about Sub-orbital passenger? |
spaceman
Member Posts: 1104
From: Walsall, West Midlands, UK
Registered: Dec 2002
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posted 11-06-2013 03:50 PM
I thought I had read somewhere that the astronaut tag would only apply to those achieving orbit... but thanks for the input. I like the term commercial astronaut commercial space crew member) and spaceflight passenger too. If you liken it to air travel we initially had the pioneers, pilots/crew and passengers.
When the mass of us fly now we don't actually participate. If the FAA's predictions of 15,000 spaceflight passengers a year becomes a reality, and I'm sure it will, the names of only the early spaceflight pioneers will be remembered with the rest soon forgotten. |
Jay Chladek
Member Posts: 2272
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 11-06-2013 07:47 PM
Payload. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 11-06-2013 07:53 PM
quote:
Originally posted by spaceman:
I thought I had read somewhere that the astronaut tag would only apply to those achieving orbit...
The military, civilian and commercial licensing agencies award astronaut wings for all flights above 62 miles (100 kilometers), regardless if orbital or suborbital (the U.S. Air Force lowers the threshold to 50 miles, but that is somewhat irrelevant to this discussion). |
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