I could say I was always interested in space law, but honestly, I didn’t think about it too much until my Dad decided to do his law school thesis on the laws relating to geosynchronous satellites. It made me appreciate how complex space law can be. However, much like Burkina Faso‘s strident claims to the geostationary space above it, many of the issues seemed the epitome of academic. When would there be the possibility of any case?
So it was entertaining to read Maggie Koerth-Baker’s piece in FiveThirtyEight about the coming need to sort out laws that will govern the exploration and colonization of Mars. All of a sudden, these abstract thought exercises don’t seem so abstract. We’re going to need to figure these legal knots out in relative short order. This, of course, assumes we should try to go to Mars.
What are the odds these topics will be covered at a future Escape Velocity? Very, very high (if I or Burkina Faso have anything to say about it).