Back off, Jon Stewart: Space-travel bill is no joke

• A bill to limit liability for space tourists shows Arizona's lawmakers can do serious work on a seemingly silly issue.
• A southern Arizona company needs this waiver to launch ambitious extreme experience venture.
• Champagne tours 20 miles up represent 21st century enterpreneurship%2C even if they aren't your cup of tea.

A bill about liability for space travel looks like an invitation to ridicule the Legislature.

Back off, Jon Stewart. This is for real — and it represents a welcome burst of bipartisanship on behalf of entrepreneurship and economic development. Really.

Republican Rep. Ethan Orr's bill to allow people to waive the right to sue during space flight is not whimsy. It's necessary to enable an ambitious plan by Tucson's 20-year-old Paragon Space Development Corp. to carry passengers on champagne tours 20 miles above the earth.

It involves a super-duper balloon carrying a sophisticated capsule where passengers can enjoy good food, the aforementioned beverage and wow-worthy views. All for the price of a $65,000 ticket.

Yes, that's a chunk of change. Your local church or charity might come up with a long list of better things to do with that kind of money. But some like extreme entertainment, and this is a bargain compared to Virgin Galactic's plan to jet people up 60 miles for $250,000.

So if you crave a trip above the clouds, Paragon's plan could be a bargain. But it can't happen without some down-to-earth precautions, like insurance. You can't get insurance for this kind of unique trip unless Arizona law is amended to allow space travelers to waive their right to sue.

Enter HB 2163, which passed the House without a single "no" vote, and received similar support on the Senate floor Monday.

It might not get us all the way to the Emerald City, but that kind of bipartisanship sure could make a dent in some of Arizona's larger problems.