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On the 45th Anniversary of Star Trek... September 8, 2011

As early as 1961, Gene Roddenberry, (born August 19, 1921, in El Paso, Texas), drafted a proposal for the science fiction series that would become Star Trek. Although he publicly marketed it as a Western in outer space?a so-called "Wagon Train to the Stars" (like the popular Western TV series)?he privately told friends that he was modeling it on Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, intending each episode to act on two levels: as a suspenseful adventure story and as a morality tale.

Star Trek stories usually depict the adventures of humans and aliens who serve in Starfleet, the space borne humanitarian and peacekeeping armada of the United Federation of Planets. The protagonists are essentially altruists whose ideals are sometimes imperfectly applied to the dilemmas presented in the series. The conflicts and political dimensions of Star Trek sometimes represent allegories for contemporary cultural realities: Star Trek: The Original Series addressed issues of the 1960s, just as later spin-offs have reflected issues of their respective decades. Issues depicted in the various series include war and peace, the value of personal loyalty, authoritarianism, imperialism, class warfare, economics, racism, religion, human rights, sexism and feminism, and the role of technology. Roddenberry stated: "[By creating] a new world with new rules, I could make statements about sex, religion, Vietnam, politics, and intercontinental missiles. Indeed, we did make them on Star Trek: we were sending messages and fortunately they all got by the network."

Roddenberry intended the show to have a highly progressive political agenda reflective of the emerging counter-culture of the youth movement, though he was not fully forthcoming to the networks about this. He wanted Star Trek to show humanity what it might develop into, if only it would learn from the lessons of the past, most specifically by ending violence. An extreme example is the Vulcans, who had a very violent past but learned to control their emotions. Roddenberry also wanted to imply an anti-war message and to depict the United Federation of Planets as an ideal, optimistic version of the United Nations. His efforts were thwarted by the network's concerns over marketability, e.g., they were opposed to Roddenberry's insistence on a racially diverse crew of the Enterprise.

The opening line, "to boldly go where no man has gone before", was taken almost verbatim from a US White House booklet on space produced after the Sputnik flight in 1957. The central original trio of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy was modeled on classical mythological storytelling.

Star Trek and its spin-offs have proven highly popular in syndication and are currently shown on TV stations worldwide. The show?s cultural impact goes far beyond its longevity and profitability. Star Trek conventions have become popular among its fans, who call themselves "trekkies" or "trekkers". An entire subculture has grown up around the show which was documented in the film Trekkies. Star Trek was the highest-ranked cult show by TV Guide.

The Star Trek franchise inspired many modern technologies, including the tablet personal computer, the personal digital assistant, mobile phones, and the MRI (similar to Dr. McCoy's diagnostic table). It has even cited that part of the inspiration for the iPod was derived from an episode of "The Next Generation", where in which Data utilizes his internal processors to "shuffle" through music databases. It has also brought teleportation to popular attention with its depiction of "matter-energy transport." Phrases such as "Beam me up, Scotty" have entered the public vernacular. In 1976, following a letter-writing campaign, NASA named its prototype space shuttle Enterprise, after the fictional starship. Later, the introductory sequence to Star Trek: Enterprise would include footage of the shuttle, along with images of a naval vessel also called the Enterprise, depicting the advancement of human transportation technology.

Beyond Star Trek's technological innovations, one of its greatest and most significant contributions to TV history is its creation of a cast of different races and cultures in the sets. This became common in television shows in the 1980s such as L.A. Law but was controversial and daring in the 1960s. On the bridge of the Enterprise were a Japanese helmsman, a Russian navigator, a black female communications officer, and a Vulcan-Earthling first officer - among other members. Also, controversial at its time (in the episode Plato's Stepchildren), was Captain Kirk's kiss with Lt. Uhura which became a defining moment in television history as it was American TV's first scripted interracial kiss; there had already been footage of 'real-life' interracial kisses, such as on news footage and in documentaries.

-Source: Wikipedia

Under international law, the nationality of the launch operator and the location of the launch determines which country is responsible for any damage that occurs. Due to this, the United States requires that rocket manufacturers and launchers adhere to specific regulations to indemnify and protect the safety of people and property that may be affected by a flight. The Office of Commercial Space Transportation was created by the Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984 to meet this need. The office also regulates launch sites, publishes quarterly launch forecasts, and holds annual conferences with the space launch industry. The office is headed by the Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation (FAA/AST), who is currently Dr. George C. Nield. They are located in Washington, DC, and ultimately operate under the Department of Transportation.

The Office of Commercial Space Transportation (generally referred to as FAA/AST or simply AST) is the branch of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that approves any commercial rocket launch operations?that is, any launches that are not classified as model, amateur, or "by and for the government."

AST is responsible for licensing private space vehicles and spaceports within the US. This is in contrast with NASA which is a research and development agency of the U.S. Federal Government, and as such neither operates nor regulates the commercial space transportation industry. The regulatory responsibility for the industry has been assigned to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is a regulatory agency. NASA does, however, often use launch satellites and spacecraft on vehicles developed by private companies.

According to its legal mandate (49 USC, Subtitle IX, Chapter 701, Commercial Space Launch activities) AST has the responsibility to:

regulate the commercial space transportation industry, only to the extent necessary to ensure compliance with international obligations of the United States and to protect the public health and safety, safety of property, and national security and foreign policy interest of the United States;
encourage, facilitate, and promote commercial space launches by the private sector;
recommend appropriate changes in Federal statutes, treaties, regulations, policies, plans, and procedures; and facilitate the strengthening and expansion of the United States space transportation infrastructure. [1]

Recently, the media has brought the exciting work of privately owned space exploration companies to public attention. The $10 million Anasari X prize for space travel was awarded to the piloted SpaceShipOne on October 4, 2004, alerting the public that the age of private space exploration has arrived. The technology that created SpaceShipOne promises to take everyday civilians (provided they have the necessary funds) into space, offering an experience that was once only available to astronauts. There is also demand in the private sector for more advanced unmanned craft and for satellite development.

In response to Texas legislation aimed at putting Texas at the forefront of private space exploration, the Texas Governor's Office of Space and Aviation awarded grants to three Texas counties to launch spaceport programs. At the Center for Transportation Research (CTR), researcher Michael Bomba contracted with the Governor's Office to administer these grants, providing oversight and guidance to the selected counties.

Willacy, Brazoria, and Pecos counties have begun work to attract companies and organizations to their sites. Dr. Bomba's job is to advise the counties in the best use of their funds to establish competitive sites and to attract private sector research and exploration. To date, the three counties have made encouraging strides toward the operation and development of fully functional, competitive spaceports.

Of the three, Pecos County has had the most success thus far. This site has hosted a number of suborbital rocket launches and has many new launch events planned for 2005. Brazoria County is not far behind.

Suborbital rockets and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or UAVS, can travel to the upper limits of the atmosphere, between airplanes and satellites, and capture critical data that can be reported back to technicians on the ground. Not only can these craft reach altitudes up to 65,000 feet, they can hover there for some time, collecting data. If used for military purposes, these craft would be too high for enemies to intercept.

Some entrepreneurs have plans that are loftier yet. Imagine a company that could develop reusable crafts and rockets to travel beyond the atmosphere into space, performing such work as launching satellites into orbit. The company that could achieve this would find the work lucrative, as would the spaceport supporting such activity. According to Dr. Bomba, this work can only be done by the private sector. NASA and government programs in other countries, simply can not take the risks, financial and human, that private companies are willing to take.

It is easy to see how being one of the first states to support the development of spaceport programs could bring significant technological and economic development, as well as talented scientists and engineers, to rural regions of Texas. Dr. Bomba believes that Texas should remain at the forefront of this technology for the good of the science, as well as Texas. [3]

You probably think that all astronauts are basically the same - as long as you go through all that training, you're good to go. Well, real life astronauts are a little more specialized than the ones in the movies.

Future astronauts should be prepared to be in school for a long time cuz you'll need to get a bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or math, and then get a graduate's degree. You also need to be in excellent shape - to be accepted to astronaut training, you must pass a tough physical exam, which includes swimming three lengths of an Olympic-size swimming pool in a flight suit and sneakers!

The Commander: The Commander maneuvers the space shuttle, along with the Pilot, and is responsible for the shuttle, crew, mission success and safety of the flight. In order to become the Commander of a space mission, you must have a degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics. You must also have previous flying experience (1,000 or more hours on a jet aircraft) and pass a NASA Class I space physical.

The Pilot: The Pilot assists the Commander in controlling and operating the vehicle on a space mission. A Pilot must have the same education and pass all the same tests as the Commander, but isn't in charge of the mission itself. A Pilot will also assist with any other duties that need to be attended to during a mission, like the release and recovery of satellites or other experiments. [2]

With the advent of private commercial space flight ventures in the U.S., the FAA has been faced with the task of developing a certification process for the pilots of commercial spacecraft. The Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984 established the FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation and required companies to obtain a launch license for vehicles, but at the time manned commercial flight - and the licensing of crewmembers - was not considered. The Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act has led to the issuance of draft guidelines by the FAA in February 2005 for the administration of vehicle and crew certifications. Currently, the FAA has not issued formal regulatory guidance for the issuance of a Commercial Astronaut Certificate, but as an interim measure, has established the practice of awarding "Commercial Astronaut Wings" to commercial pilots who have demonstrated the requisite proficiency. [1]

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