Our future presence in space

Based on the title of this article, "The New Space Economy is Getting Real,”  I would say that it is highlighting the reality of space travel. Not too long ago, the idea of space travel for the public or paying civilians was not even heard of, but with the rapid advancements in technology it is now possible.

            Twenty five years from now I think it will be quite common, but still at the cost of a pretty penny. NASA will continue it’s missions, the ending of the space shuttle program will have little effect on the scientific exploration, research and development conducted by NASA. As stated on the NASA website under “future,”  http://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/what_does_nasa_do.html, NASA states they will continue to study the solar system and universe, work towards landing humans on mars, keeping the International Space Station staffed, research and development on safer, quieter, and more efficient aircraft, such as the X-43 scramjet technology for commercial air travel as well, and working with the government on NextGen. It also states that commercial companies are well on their way to the capability of providing cargo and crew flights to the space station, which seems will be the role of theses private companies in space travel in the coming years. Without the assistance and the space shuttle program gone, operation of the space station would not be possible without this assistance. Therefore, private companies will have a very important role in space in the near future. These companies such as Virgin Galactic, I assume will finance their operations from high paying customers, but also engage in government contracts as well as stated on their website, http://www.virgingalactic.com/news/item/virgin-galactic-signs-deal-with-nasa-for-research-missions-on-spaceshiptwo/. With the condition of the economy and the governments budget, there are many opportunities for these private companies to take off if they can fund their own operations.

            The current purpose of space travel in reference to NASA is research and development, as far as private companies, again Virgin Galactic for example, which serves a model and most established organization to date. They will also aid in research and development, but also transport paying customers into space. We can be pretty sure that we will see more companies like this devlop around the world in the coming decades. The purpose of space travel now has not really changed over the years. We will still travel into space to learn about our surroundings and make every attempt to exceed previous limits and missions. The only real difference is that anyone will have the option to experience it and we realized there are some filthy rich people out there that will pay to do so, which is a very good way to fund this type of research.

            Sure, there is a cost to all of us for this research but with a shift to the private sector, it seems that government funding for NASA and space exploration could be reduced and picked up by these companies. Either way I believe that is a huge benefit for all mankind to continue space exploration and the study of the solar system and universe as well as the study, and research and development for aviation inside of our atmosphere.

             Thinking about career implication for the future of these programs is exciting. Obviously you will need a significant amount of experience and most likely time in space to be considered, but eventually it could be as common as applying for an airline job. If the business takes off, there will be more jobs available and not just for pilots. I assume the FAA will be responsible for regulation of flight in space, but can’t be sure, something else to consider because that is a whole different category of airspace.

ETS Need for Modification

The Europeans Union’s Emission Trading Scheme, or ETS, is an EU strategy to combat climate change, by reducing industrial greenhouse gas emissions as explained by the European Commission for Climate Action (link posted below). Launched in 2005, utilizing the cap and trade principle, the ETS set a limit for emissions and required companies to purchase emission allowances to be used if this limit is exceeded. The allowances are allocated based on National allocation plans which require member states to decide how many allowances in total they will need and how many each installation will receive. In the future the allocation of allowances will be determined at the EU level. The ETS now operates in 30 countries, including the 27 EU member states as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. The program covers emissions from installations such as power stations, combustion plants, oil refineries and iron and steel works, as well as factories making cement, glass, lime, bricks, ceramics, pulp, paper and board. In 2008 the decision was made to apply these emission limits to the aviation industry, and a start date of 2012 was proposed.

            The move to apply these emission regulations to aviation means that all countries around the world flying into and out of involved European countries, are forced to participate, and this in turn has brought up some issues the United States. The EU is stating that an airline conducting operations into and out of these countries, will have to pay the EU for emissions from the duration of these flights, including portions of the flight outside of the EU countries. Of course other non-EU countries will have an issue with this, just from hearing this proposition form the EU; it sounds as if they want money that our domestic carriers could put towards their emissions in country, to pay for theirs that are of no cause to us. The US as well as many other countries support the argument that these requirements would be illegal and conflicts with each countries authority over its own airspace.

            If US carriers are in fact forced to participate in this program with the requirements as is, there will be a significant amount of extra funding needed to cover theses emissions costs.  Each airline would most likely need to add another account dedicated solely to covering these emission allowance expenses that they would be required to purchase. Profits would decrease, due to this being an additional cost of operating internationally, therefore, if everything stays the same, prices would have to increase for air travel….again, in order for carriers to cover their costs. In either case, if and when US carriers are required to participate, I do not see the EU’s current strategy holding up. If adjustments are not made before these rules apply to all carriers, there will be continuing friction between the EU and other international countries.

            If the US is implemented into this program, I believe allowance should be added into each carriers operations planning. They will need to decide on the amount of allowances they will need and most likely purchase extras. As far as allocation at a federal level, the US should allow a fixed maximum amount for different categories of air carriers, i.e. Delta being a category I, and base these categories on the amount of international operations they conduct. Therefore, they have the option to purchase a certain amount of allowances, but do not necessarily have to if their planning does not forecast a need for that amount.   

I see this program as a step in the right direction, but as currently laid out, I also see it as a potential to cause major conflict between certain countries. It does not seem fair for one, and if adjustments are not made, other countries will just implement their own systems and require Europe to pay for their allowances as well, which is only fair. I like the idea of all countries including the US to be participants in this system however; it does need to be modified to satisfy all of the effected countries. It seems as if making it a global strategy with a committee made up of multiple foreign countries could be a better idea than just an EU focused/run operation.

http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/ets/allocation/index_en.htm

TSA Blog

After searching for an aviation blog, I found a list of, “The 10 aviation blogs you should be reading.” On that list was the TSA Blog, sponsored by the TSA and containing information on the innovations, security, technology, and the checkpoint screening process. The blog contains articles and write ups describing these processes, instances of travelers as well as celebrities going through the checkpoints, and future methods that may be used before too long. There are multiple posts about current procedures and many issues that have risen recently in the airport security process. I have included the link below.

http://blog.tsa.gov/

The Dreamliner

The Boeing 787 “Dreamliner” was designed due to a need that became apparent in the late 1990’s, to replace Boeing’s 767 and 747 aircraft. Production for the 787 did not begin until 2004, and the program has faced multiple issues and delays. An announcement of assembly was made in late 2003, but the aircraft did not experience its first flight until December of 2009.

            The Dreamliner is designed to be more efficient in terms of fuel and operations as opposed to current aircraft being used in the industry. As discussed in the aircrafts description and specifications on the Boeing website, link posted below. The 787 will be capable of carrying 210-250 passengers on routes of approximately 7650-8200 miles. Other variations of the aircraft, such as the 787-9 will be able to carry 250-290 passengers from 8000-8500 miles. It will use 20 percent less fuel than its counterparts operating today due to more efficient engines, its increased composite percentage, and decrease in aluminum materials.

            The first orders for this aircraft were placed in 2004, and since 821 aircraft from 56 countries have placed orders for the Dreamliner, totaling a value of about $145 billion. The first and only 787s thus far were delivered to Al Nippon Airways, Japan in September of this year.  But multiple other countries airlines as well as Continental, Delta, and United Airlines have placed orders that are anticipated to be delivered between 2012 and 2020.

            I believe this new aircraft will have a significant impact on many aspects of the aviation enterprise. These planes will make long distance routes reachable by mid sized aircraft and will travel with the same speed as the faster larger aircraft in use today. The more efficient the design the more I believe the manufacturer will move to producing one model of aircraft for each specific purpose. Use southwest for example and their all 737 fleet. This standardizes operations, training, and maintenance and they are a prime example of how effective that has been. I believe the competing manufacturer; in this case Airbus will do the same. If these aircraft are proven in the coming years to be as efficient as stated these companies will continue to receive orders and increase efforts on the production of theses aircraft. As far as the industry itself, I believe it would benefit from more standardization in models of aircraft in use. With the implementation of NextGen in the coming years, it would make sense to start equipping these new models with the necessary equipment, giving potential customers more interest in purchasing them. Although it would take years for companies to acquire a large number of these new expensive aircraft, in the long term I see the amount of aircraft models in use decreasing and a shift towards certain models becoming apparent.  

           

 http://www.boeing.com/commercial/787family/background.html