Space law scholar Glenn Reynolds (AKA Instapundit) has an interesting USA Today column on the potential development of property rights on the Moon: On Saturday, a Chinese lunar probe made the first soft landing anyone’s made on the moon since 1976…. Though the landing was a big deal in China, most of the rest of […]
Archive | Space Law
White House Says We Won’t Build the Death Star
By Kenneth Anderson on January 12, 2013 7:41 am in Popular Culture, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Space Law
The Obama White House knew, of course, that creating a web-based system for ordinary citizens to call on the government to do something, and promising a response if 25,000 people or more sign an online petition within 30 days, would inevitably produce some silliness. There’s a reason we’re not a direct democracy, no matter how […]
Neil Armstrong on Private Spaceflight
It appears that earlier reports that Neil Armstrong opposes private manned spaceflight are incorrect. The first man to walk on the Moon actually welcomes private “newcomers” in the field. It’s worth mentioning that Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, is a longtime advocate of private spaceflight and private property rights in […]
What Law Will Govern Space Tourism?
Over at Opinio Juris, a scholarly exchange on the question of space tourism and the law that would underlie it. Steven Freeland, commenting on his own article in the Melbourne Journal of International Law, Frans G. von der Dunk responding, and Freeland’s final comments. Meanwhile, I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving; we had family […]
Understanding Inception
Inception is a great movie. Perhaps one of the greatest of all time. You should see it without reading reviews, or learning anything about the film beforehand. For those of you who have seen it, some thoughts about various meanings are below the fold.
Spirit: A Sad Robot Story from XKCD
XKCD adds: “On January 26, 2010, 2274 Mars days into the mission, NASA declared ‘Spirit’ a ‘stationary research station” expected to stay operational for several more months until the dust buildup on its solar panels forces a final shutdown.” Spirit = A Robot Laika. Ave Atque Vale.
Space Law and the UN, Retro Edition
The UN Secretary General … circa 2050, Earth, talking with Kip who, along with Peewee, has just saved the Earth from invading aliens who were using the Moon as a forward base: “Russell, I heard on your tape that you plan to study engineering – with a view to space.” “Yes, sir. I mean, ‘Yes, […]
Borgen on Bilder on Mining He-3 on the Moon
My Opinio Juris colleague Chris Borgen has a post up commenting on a new paper by Richard Bilder on SSRN on legal issues involved in mining for Helium 3 on the Moon. The paper, which I’ve just read while on a plane, is fascinating, and Chris provides an excellent introduction to it (go there if […]