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The concept of the artist of a possible colony on the moon [19659003] Credit: NASA
Michael D. Shaw is a biochemist and freelance writer. A graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles and a protégé of the late Willard Libby, Nobel Prize winner in chemistry in 1960, Shaw also completed postgraduate studies at MIT. Based in Virginia, it covers among other things technology, healthcare and entrepreneurship.
If private companies start to explore and colonize the last frontier – build human outposts on the moon and march, launch tourists into space The world will need clearer laws to govern the future 39 commercial use of space and more specialized lawyers to understand and interpret these laws.
The world already has several treaties that govern what government entities can and can not do in space. such as the United Nations Treaty on Outer Space. However, private companies do not have to follow the same rules.
We need law schools to prepare students for this infinite domain of property rights regarding physical property, such as the construction and use of spaceships and even attempts to colonize the moon and March. This preparation also extends to the vast universe of intellectual property. Law students also need to learn the mechanics of the laws governing aviation and space travel, as well as personal liability and insurance. And existing lawyers need to expand their knowledge on these topics, lest the commercial search for space has nowhere to go because too many questions remain unanswered. [Now Boarding: The Top 10 Private Spaceships]
So, for any researcher who seeks answers about the mysteries of the universe, there should be clear answers about laws involving what we can do in space. If confusion persists, lawsuits could increase and the cost of space exploration could become too costly for NASA.
According to Wayne R. Cohen, a professor at the George Washington University School of Law in Washington, DC, and a partner at Cohen & Cohen, PC, the race for space can induce a need more office space. "Legal specialization may coincide with an increase in the number of professionals specializing in certain aspects of the space program," Cohen said during a telephone interview. "In turn, there is – or there will be – a demand for lawyers about everything from workplace safety to workers' rights in general."
The challenge for lawyers is to determine what laws already apply to private spaceflight. For example, there are international treaties on what the signatories promise their respective nations will not do in space, but there is little or no common law about what private companies can do in the world. ;space. The United Nations Office for Space Affairs has a detailed code on space law and covers all issues, from liability for damage to space objects to the use of space technologies .
Before entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos did what no one had the wealth or willingness to do alone – launching the first rockets in space – paving the way for private companies for eventually build and launch their own rockets. Advances in technology and access to space require similar achievements within the legal profession.
Lawyers must better educate the public about the right of space. They need to promote a discussion of this discipline, at home and abroad. The most aware people on this subject, the most attentive legislators, the media and private companies will be too
The lawyer who understands this impulse – and offers judicious advice without judgment, responding to needs of his clients
He is a full-time honorary astronaut
Follow us @Spacedotcom Facebook and Google+ Original article on Space.com .
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