Developing Scripts and Case Studies for cisLunarFreighter/STC

This page is a temporary memory dump of some possible STC rules and regulations...

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DRAFT -

Starship Traffic Control - Regulations for avoidance of Collisions in Space and for the protection of space-faring vessels.

Scope of the regulations

• (a) These rules shall apply to all civilian vessels and in general to vehicles operating in civilian airspace.
• (b) Nothing in these rules shall prevent additional measures, authorized by the control authority, required for the regulation of traffic at but not limited to, star ports, static platforms, military facilities or in respect of controlled airspace.
• (c) These rules do not usurp standing regulations in respect of military facilities.
• (d) Traffic separation schemes may be authorized for the purposes of these rules
• (e) The STC shall have the power to make exemptions under the rules, by issuing exemption notices, in limited circumstances.

Responsibility

(a) No clause in these rules shall exempt any traffic, vessel, crew member or controller from neglect of any precaution deemed necessary or reasonable with respect to these rules, good practice or circumstances relevant to any incident or matter arising.

(b) In interpreting these rules, consideration shall be given to the circumstances and intentions of the craft and crew involved in any incident.

Definitions.

control authority

Space Traffic Control

central register

Sol Central Registry

abnormal

• Out of ordinary operational parameters or expected procedure.
• (NOTE: Not in or under Standard Operating Conditions where Standard Operating Procedures(SOP) apply)

blasting activity

• Any and all activity, involving the planned, controlled detonation of an explosive

device or of explosives comprising same.

Debris

Small items not comprising an entire vessel, natural material (susch as meteors), ice, gas clouds posing a hazard to shipping

Derelict

An abandoned vessel seperate from other ships or facility, no longer under the control of it's previous owner or serving its previous owner's purpose.

• (NOTE: Derelict - An abandoned piece of property or debris posing potential hazard to shipping.)
• (NOTE: Derelicts are always eligible for salvage due to risk to other shipping and property. Derelicts are like flotsam big enough to be dangerous.)
• (NOTE: If no means of identification can be found or owners have abandoned it then a ship is derelict, small stuff is debris and not subject to salvage law. )

EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity)

Any and all activity external to a vessels outer hull undertaken by crew or automatic systems.

(NOTE: EVA is essentially docked or rendezvous'ed ships if count spacesuit as ship or external drones (mobile automatic machinery that can fall off) as a ship or equivalent)

Emergency Channel

A standard emergency channel or a channel commandeered for emergency operations.

Fixed Planetary Object

An astronomical object of large enough mass that the influence of nearby man made objects is usually negligible.

In-Flight

Vessel underway, separated from any docking at superior ship or facility

In-Flight volume

A spherical volume encompassing a vessel in flight, including any deployed anntanea or panels.

Military

Shall refer to the Star Corps organization.

NOTES: Space Traffic Controllers use the term military to refer to Star Corp assets including but not limited to vessels, personnel, and command structures

Police

The term police shall refer to a law enforcement body established by the control authority to keep order and to exercise functions necessary to maintain the rule of law

Standard Channel

A communications channel in use for its typical operational purpose.

Wake

A momentum influence zone resulting from micro impacts against propulsion exhaust

and outgassing of mass from ships, comets, and other bodies.

Types of Airspace

• Restricted Airspace

A volume defined by authorities as a no-enter without prior approval by the control authority.

• Controlled Airspace

A volume defined by the control authority within which that authority has the power to the regulate traffic and vessels

• Military Airspace

Airspace under the control of Star Corps. This is restricted airspace for civilian vessels

• Prohibited Airspace

Restricted Airspace which no vessel may enter.

Types of Orbitals

• Orbital

The anticipated path an unpowered spacecraft or object will take in the future.

• Planned Orbital

Shall mean an orbital filed with the control authority which a vessel plans to follow.

(NOTE: No orbital which impacts Earth in the event of power failure shall be approved upon filing.)

Filed Orbital A formally filed plan detailing an orbital or course a vessel intends to use or follow.

Types of Vessels

Any space-faring craft capable of transportation of cargo or passengers, excluding artificial satellites or statically anchored platforms

• Powered Vessel

Any vessel operating under own propulsion for the purposes of course and attitude adjustment or compliance with control authority instruction

• Unpowered Vessel

Any vessel incapable of adjusting course or attitude, under own propulsion or by onboard action. (NOTES: This includes vessels designed without such propulsion)

• Piloted Vessel

:Any vessel which can change course course of attitude by independent sentient 
onboard action of crew or systems.

• Drone

Automatic machinery with a built in telemetry capacity for remote override or reset.

• Invader Vessel

Vessel unknown or unidentifed to the control authority

• Rogue Vessel

Vessel acting in defiance of repeated control authority instructions

Vessel Orientation

Attitude or pitch is one axis of orientation measured in angle between line between nose and tail and the line of motion of vessel this needs checking with pilot

yaw is measured around the vertical axis 90 degrees from line of motion. this needs checking with a pilot

roll

The regulations

General Principles

(a) The pilot, captain or 'master' (hereafter pilot) of a vessel shall retain sole responsibility for the safety of their passengers, crew, vessel or cargo (hereafter vessel) under their control.

(NOTE : Pilot need not be a physical crew member)
(NOTE : The earlier terms captain and master are from maritime practice) 

(b) The control authority shall have the power to issue instructions necessary for the safety of vessels to be maintained.

(c) The pilot shall comply with all instructions issued in respect of their vessel, (d) Nothing in the preceding clause shall prevent the pilot of a vessel taking additional action (beyond control authority instructions) to ensure the safety of their vessel.

(e) Control authority instructions shall take precedence, unless an abnormal or emergency condition exists.

(f) The pilot of a vessel must accurately inform the control authority of their intentions, and of any and all changes in those intentions.

Identification of vessels and other objects

Lights and 'markers'

(a) Vessels shall carry appropriate lights or markers. (b) The 'visibility' of these markers shall be:

(c) In flight vehicles shall carry markers as follows : (d) A vehicle consisting of multiple part of towing shall have markers as follows:

 i)  The lead vehicle
ii)  The tail vehicle shall display markers as follows:
iii) Intermediate portions.

(e) Vehicles with restricted manoeuvrability. (f) Vehicles engaged in trawling operations. (g) Vehicles engaged in recovery operations (h) vehicles not in-flight

i. 'derelicts'

Flight Plans and Orbitals

(a) Ideally all civilian activity shall occur with respect to a plan agreed with the control authority.

(b) A formal flight-plan may be filed prior to the commencement of any activity.

Vessels in close proximity

• (a) Vessels passing each other shall pass port to port (as far as their attitude allows)
• (b) Vessels overtaking shall maintain safe distance from others with respect to both their flight volume and wake exclusion zone.
• (c) When two vessels approach head on, the vehicle with enhanced manoeuvrability shall yield
• (d) The yielding vessel, shall inform the control of authority of their intentions and take early and substantial action.
• (e) Nothing in these rules shall prevent either vessel from taking additional action to avoid collision
• (f) The general priority table for manoeuvrability is : ...

General visibility

(a) The following shall apply in respect of any visibility (b) All vessels shall maintain proper measures to allow themselves to

   to identify collision risks.

(c) All vessels shall maintain proper identification (d) Vessels shall maintain an appropriate course,position and attitude based on the conditions apparent and intentions of other vessels (e) Vessels shall if required be able to stop within appropriate distances. (f) Vessels and the control authority shall maintain means to determine if collision risk exists. These shall include early warning systems

(g) A collision risk shall deem to exist if:

(h) Vessels and the control authority shall be expected to take positive, obvious and timely actions to avoid collision.

(i) Vessels with enhanced ability to manoeuvre shall not impede other vessels restricted in their ability to manoeuvre or to comply with instructions issued by the control authority

'j'. Vessels crossing 'flight lanes' shall maintain attitude such that their course is perpendicular to the flight lane concerned at the point of crossing.

Restricted visibility

(a) Restricted visibility shall exist in any circumstance where :

(b) Under conditions of restricted visibility :

 i)  Vessels shall reduce speed or alter attitude respectively
 ii) Shall inform the control authority as to the restricted visibility
     of their vessel, or visibility of other vessels to same.

 ...

Extra Vehicular Activity

(The meanings of certain phrases shall have the meanings assigned in the definitions section of this document.)

(a) A vessel in-flight shall only carry out extra vehicular activity with the authorisation with the permission of the control authority.

(b) A vessel must obtain such permission before commencement of the extra vehicular activity

(c) Vessels around which extra vehicular activity is taking place, shall broadcast this fact on an appropriate emergency channel every 15 minutes.

(d) No vessel shall approach closer than fifteen minutes(?) to a vessel in EVA status without prior permission from the EVA status ship's captain and the control authority.

(e) A vessel MUST immediately inform the control authority and nearby vessels when the extra vehicular activity has ceased

'Blasting' Operations and carriage of explosives

(see also Extra Vehicular Activity) (a) No blasting activity shall take place in controlled airspace without explicit permission of the control authority.

Distress and Emergency

(a) The 'signal' of a vessel in 'distress' shall be

i) SOS sent in morse by whatever means
ii) A warbling tone (between) on a known distress frequency
iii) Six long tones, flares or tones followed by a pause and
iv) The spoken sequence 'Mayday, Mayday, Mayday'
v) Slow and repeated raising and lowering of out-stretched arms when in
   sighted visual range of another craft.

(b) Use of Space Distress signals for other than purposes of genuine distress is strictly prohibited.

(c) A vessel shall also be deemed in 'distress' if

 i) A 'critical emergency' is declared.
ii) abnormal smoke, flames, or the seperation of large-scale unexpected debris from the vessel

iii) The vehicle is non-responsive to communication attempts on emergency frequencies.

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