Space Tourism: Are You Ready?

Two more tourists are scheduled to make trips to the International Space Station this year. According to the story on Space-Travel.com the Russians are miles ahead of us when it comes to putting average people in Space (average except for their bank accounts.):


Anatoly Perminov, head of Roskosmos, the Russian space agency, told the ITAR-TASS news agency Roskosmos is developing projects to send two tourists - one from Japan and the other from a second country - into orbit separately next year and the year after.
He said the countries partnering in the ISS - Brazil, Canada, Japan, Russia, the United States and 11 countries of the European Union - must consent to the visits, however. Nevertheless, Roskosmos "fully supports space tourism," Perminov stressed.

It frightens me to think they are requesting USA approval of the visits however. We have already heard several people in the commercial Space industry testify before the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, that current regulations inhibit not only the commercialization of the Space but also the research that needs to be done to make it happen.

It makes me sick to think the same people who can't balance our budget, provide affordable health care or create an energy bill that offers anything except coal, natural gas, petroleum and nuclear power alternatives, are now going to decide what degree of safety is acceptable for civilian Space travel.
Of course, I'm probably beating a dead horse, aren't I?