COMSTAC RLV Working Group Meeting Report

1. COMSTAC RLV Working Group Meeting Report Presentation to the COMSTAC Michael S. Kelly Chairman 20 May 2004

2. Action Items From Last Meeting • RLVWG to provide comments on Guidelines for Crew Safety • Status: Complete • RLVWG to provide R&D topics to FAA/AST • Status: Complete

3. Congratulations • To FAA/AST for issuance of the world’s first RLV license to Scaled Composites, and the second RLV license to XCOR • Historic events • Monumental accomplishments, given the startup pains associated with the activity • To Scaled Composites, for: • Having obtained the first RLV license • Having flown a manned spacecraft to within a few hundred feet per second of the energy state required to reach space, on (small) private investment • To XCOR for having obtained an RLV license ahead of having hardware

4. AST Presentation:Alternative Methods for Meeting Ec Criterion • Assessment based on Paul Birkeland’s (Kistler Aerospace) approach • Opens the door to alternative means of establishing safety equivalent of Ec = 30 x 10-6 • RLV WG voted unanimously to form subgroup to work with AST on alternative methods • Leader not chosen • Open action to work with RMWG to find confluence

5. AST PresentationSuborbital Launch Market Analysis • Focused on near-term suborbital launch market • AST wants input from industry • How many vehicles, what types of launches • Similar to Commerce Department report • Updated frequently

6. AST Presentation:RLV O&M Guidelines • Update on work in progress to define RLV O&M guidelines for industry • Draft guidelines from May 2003 now on AST website • Existing Draft Guidelines cover propulsion, flight safety system, communications, and thermal protection systms • Ongoing work has examined these and other safety-critical systems such as electrical, structural, and System Engineering approaches • Senior management to be briefed on results of ongoing work • RLVWG comments to be turned within 1 month of draft guidelines receipt

7. AIAA Presentation:AIAA RLV Working Group on Safety Critical Items • Tasked by FAA/AST-300 to form RLV industry working group • The working group was formed to: • define criteria for identifying potentially safety-critical systems for RLVs • develop a list of potentially safety-critical RLV items • X-15 analysis performed based on MIL-STD-882 • Consensus reached on core set of “guidelines” for identifying potentially safety-critical systems • Agreement made to focus on only hardware items for this iteration • Initiated development of a list of potentially safety-critical items • Good industry participation and support • Standards a work in progress

8. CAMI Presentation:FAA/CAMI Guidelines for ECLSS • Significant study presented by Dr. Arnold Angelici of CAMI on Environmental Control and Life Support Systems for Manned Commercial RLVs for Suborbital Spaceflight • Study is a work in progress, but already has yielded a significant amount of data for use by RLV developers

9. AST Presentation:Environmental Review Process • FAA study to support a Categorical Exclusion for RLV R&D flights • Scope expanded to cover Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement • Creates “grandfather” status • Work in progress, with significant progress made already

10. Open Discussion of HR-3752 • Reauthorization of AST, and Commercial Space Act update • (Very) open discussion • Majority of industry in favor of getting bill through ASAP, as written

11. Last Plea to Change the Lexicon • “I told you so” presentation by the Chairman on the consequences of speaking “launch” in the world of spaceships • Childbirth-like pain of licensing • Admission by the Chairman that prior plea was premature • Request that we now, in the wake of experience, aggressively reorient our conceptual framework and thinking

12. Action Items • Form Subgroup to work Ec alternatives with FAA/AST • Turn O&M Guidelines comments in 1 month from receipt • Unofficial action by Chairman to provide forum for change of lexicon