by Simon Coates
Legal Spaceworthy Test
All spaceships for public use have to go through a yearly test to allow them to be used on the public highway in space. Items checked are:
Seals on body cladding against solar radiation, and a working heatshield to allow the ship to enter Earth’s atmosphere;
Exhaust (turbine) heat and sound level from engine;
Autopilot system, every ship must have a system that can effectively fly itself. The autopilot usually takes control in difficult flying situations, such as in heavy traffic or landing;
General noise levels;
Escape pod, for use in the event of an emergency, such as complete failure of the engine or other critical system, occupants need to rely on the escape pod for safety. Some ships that are designed for more than one or two people may have multiple pods.
Artificial gravity system. By default, the gravity system is set to give a gravity feel as on Earth, so this system would be checked to ensure it is within tolerance of this setting;
Valid insurance and tax.