4 ms·
In other words, the United States and the Soviet Union along with a few insignificant states to lend a plurality got together and granted a monopoly on space ex
by gnu8 10y ago
In other words, the United States and the Soviet Union along with a few insignificant states to lend a plurality got together and granted a monopoly on space exploration to nation-states.
- JumpCrisscross 10y ago> the United States and the Soviet Union along with a few insignificant states to lend a plurality got together and granted a monopoly on space exploration to nation-states. International conventions require ships in international waters be flagged. This comes in handy when e.g. a ship needs help or causes trouble. I don't see the extension of this principle to spaceflight as being unreasonable. If Bezos's bird comes down on my house, I'd prefer there exist a venue in which to sue him.
- shirro 10y agoIt would be amusing if a Liberian flagged space ship was the first to land people on Mars.
- function_seven 10y agoDoubly-so, if they used feet, inches, °F, and pounds to do so! It would prove the superiority of our great measurement units :)
- cromulent 10y agoI don't think they are "yours", but more so an anachronism from your colonial days ;)
- function_seven 10y agoWell shit, nobody else seems to want 'em, so they're "ours" now.
- pcrh 10y agoThere's an honest-to-goodness Congolese space program. https://www.vice.com/read/hows-the-congolese-space-program-doing-0000261-v21n3 https://www.vice.com/read/hows-the-congolese-space-program-d...
- jessaustin 10y agoIf Bezos's bird comes down on my house, I'd prefer there exist a venue in which to sue him. This doesn't seem to have much to do with outer space treaties, unless perhaps your house is on the moon. Assuming that isn't the case, your house is protected by the laws of the nation in which it is located, and perhaps those of other nations as well.
- schrodinger 10y agoPresumably to get to space you still have to take off from somewhere on the planet, no?
- Bluestrike2 10y agoExisting legal frameworks would suffice for pretty much anything in-atmosphere. The fact that the rocket is heading into space is largely irrelevant.
- nameless912 10y agoTo add onto this: I know the movie "Gravity" was just a bit of an exaggeration, but a situation whereby two different satellites are competing for the same spot in the sky and collide or otherwise negatively interact with each other is totally possible. If nothing else, there should probably be some international governance when it comes to orbits, positioning, and mission planning to make sure no one interferes with each other.
- kirrent 10y agoThere's no requirement for state parties to sign up to the treaty. In effect there's no difference between each signatory implementing national laws independently from the treaty or implementing them because they're required to under the treaty. It's voluntary to join up. If the holy see, which hasn't ratified the treaty, wants to launch nuclear weapons from the Vatican then they're entirely welcome to do so. I'm sure there'll be objections from other avenues but this treaty is not one of them.
- deciplex 10y agoI mean, they also granted a monopoly on ICBMs to nation-states as well. What's your point? Some countries passed some laws?