Free Talk Live

The FAA has partnered with eight universities to figure out how space tourism fits into the airspace and, in some ways, into society itself. FAA's Hank Price says the agency wants to try and keep everyone safe without unduly impeding development of the industry. "We try to be as flexible as we can, to be as safe as possible but also allow testing of (private spaceships and rockets)," Price said.

Price said there are a host of areas that need to be fleshed out, from certification of private astronauts to design and operational standards for spaceports.