The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released proposed rules on Thursday to regulate the future of space tourism, covering aspects ranging from crew qualifications and preflight training to passenger medical standards.

According to the more than 120 pages of regulations, companies should inform the passenger of space travel risks, while the passenger should provide a written consent before boarding. The passenger should also get preflight training on emergency responses and on a safe escape from the vehicle.

On the crew part, the FAA-proposed rules require pilots to have an FAA pilot certificate and the ability to operate the space vehicle. Each crew member must have a medical certificate issued within a year of the flight, and their physical and mental state must "be sufficient to perform safety-related roles."

The FAA was tasked with drawing up the rules by a law signed a year ago by President George W. Bush. The FAA was required to adopt a "phased approach" to regulating the commercial human space flight.

The first set of the proposed rules, on crew qualifications, training and informed consent for passengers, are expected to take effect next June. Under the law, the FAA should wait for eight years or an incident involving serious injuries or a fatality to occur to issue safety-related rules.

In 2001, California businessman Dennis Tito became the world's first space tourist. He paid 20 million U.S. dollars for the trip to the international space station. There have been so far three paying space tourists in the world.

Source: Xinhua