Jim Inhofe: “I want to introduce two bills today. One of them is about a program nobody seems to know about. That is the space launch…”

“I want to introduce two bills today. One of them is about a program nobody seems to know about. That is the space launch program. I don't know whether it is in the State of Texas or where they are doing this. But in Oklahoma, in Burns Flat, we have been very active in trying to get the Commercial Space Launch Program going. This is an opportunity for people to go into suborbital launch vehicles using a hybrid technology of a combination rocket injection engine. We are doing this. There have been several of them so far. I have been a commercial pilot now for almost 50 years--47 years, I guess. I have a natural interest in this. I have had occasion to fly an airplane around the world. I have watched it from all levels. I see the excitement in people's faces saying, I can fly in space. We have this program which nobody knows about. It is a program that will allow people to get into things such as a Learjet that has a rocket on that will actually launch them, take them up and give them the experience of travel in space. There have been some problems with this, however. There are some problems with people being able to do this with the company putting these programs together incurring responsibilities and liabilities. It is very similar to the program we have been concerned with in the oil industry to try to expand it and keep people from being able to have frivolous lawsuits. That is what we are up against here.”