tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94498682024-03-12T16:29:41.164-07:00Space Law ProbeNot for lawyers and space tourists onlyJesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comBlogger665125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-89919673714635407552008-01-14T11:15:00.000-08:002008-12-10T18:54:31.900-08:00George Nield, acting AST chief<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieR4-Uwmyrxnza2dHC9cPDPYtLzcrSN-3kB3yLzhoxCkemjYHg_pv5La7x4cZBJyRe80ENwLKdYF4PtRbAwPIYxJrxUihiiWvXyUYfLevtVn916FZI4t8meRSmDxg61x5LO-MpsA/s1600-h/nield.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155385199753555938" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieR4-Uwmyrxnza2dHC9cPDPYtLzcrSN-3kB3yLzhoxCkemjYHg_pv5La7x4cZBJyRe80ENwLKdYF4PtRbAwPIYxJrxUihiiWvXyUYfLevtVn916FZI4t8meRSmDxg61x5LO-MpsA/s320/nield.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I see no announcement or notice on </span><a href="http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">FAA/AST's</span></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> website but Patti Smith confirms via e-mail that, no surprise, deputy associate administrator </span><a href="http://www.faa.gov/about/key_officials/nield/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Dr. George C. Nield</span></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> will step in as AST acting associate administrator, as of Feb. 1, 2008. <br /><br />And yes, George will be officiating at next month's big AST event, the </span><a href="http://www.faa.gov/news/conferences_events/commercial_space/11/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">11th FAA Annual Commercial Space Transportation Conference: Roadmap to 2015,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> Feb. 5-6, 2008, Crystal City, Virginia. Here's the </span><a href="http://www.faa.gov/news/conferences_events/commercial_space/11/agenda/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">agenda</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">. Look forward to seeing George there!<br /><br />(And if you can't wait to hear George talk, here is a great </span><a href="http://archive.thespaceshow.com/shows/785-BWB-2007-07-08.mp3"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">podcast</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> of his most recent appearance on <em>The Space Show,</em> last July.)<br /></span>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-6934987690268044012008-01-10T18:22:00.000-08:002008-12-10T18:54:32.051-08:00Patti Grace Smith Rockets On<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSp2OVbN7QNDTE8cyl2chbII70a-Idg7NBcoeT4IjAoQNl1i8O6LYIDdzJjQllD4fOmNGwkrhItLfxqGK8ZhuoZTFOXZUQ1ztyRSZnopTQcx6UUuVSJC8InwUqfzf4XK-EcBc2gw/s1600-h/pattismith.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5148694123547145618" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSp2OVbN7QNDTE8cyl2chbII70a-Idg7NBcoeT4IjAoQNl1i8O6LYIDdzJjQllD4fOmNGwkrhItLfxqGK8ZhuoZTFOXZUQ1ztyRSZnopTQcx6UUuVSJC8InwUqfzf4XK-EcBc2gw/s320/pattismith.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">"<em>Volatus per inane homo privatus</em>." Stamp it on your rocket.<br /><br />And find the translation in the text of FAA Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation Patti Grace Smith's talk, </span><a href="http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/about/media/SPACEMEANSBUSINESS.pdf"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Space Means Business,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> which she delivered at the Washington Space Business Roundtable last month (Dec. 6, 2007).<br /><br />Patti's resignation from FAA/AST (which Clark Lindsey </span><a href="http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=5175"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">first reported</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> on HobbySpace on Monday) is official, and here, also via Clark, is the </span><a href="http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=5192"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">announcement,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> including a statement by Patti.<br /><br />As we all know, </span><a href="http://www.faa.gov/about/key_officials/smith/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Patti</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> has worked in the commercial space arena at the Department of Transportation since 1994. (Ah, remember the ol' OCST?) Under her leadership at FAA/AST, the office's ground breaking work served both the public and nascent space transportation industry and launched private space regulation into the new century. We imagine Patti in the room the first time a federal government official uttered the phrase "commercial space" without smirking (in fact, she may have been the government official who uttered it). Today, her office and work serve as a model for private spaceflight regulators worldwide.<br /><br />Here are some thoughts Patti shared in her talk last month at WSBR:<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><blockquote><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">When I spoke at the Space Business Roundtable in 1999, Space Adventures Ltd was only a year old.<br /><br />In 1999 Bigelow Aerospace was founded. So was XCOR. At that time, there was no Armadillo, no Blue Origin, no SpaceX or Virgin Galactic.<br /><br />The X Prize had not been won.<br /><br />The Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004 obviously had not been written. The FAA was not yet the agency in charge of private human spaceflight.<br /><br />There were no regulations for experimental permits governing the testing of suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicles. There were no regulations governing crew and passengers on suborbital flights. Between 1999 and today there have been nearly 200 expendable launch vehicle launch attempts.<br /><br />As the result of a steady and durable momentum … matched to a growing awareness of opportunities in space … all those things are now realities.<br /><br />Spaceflight is changing. The wide circle of activity is expanding. Future vehicles will <em>not</em> all have “Property of the U.S. Government” stamped on them … whether they fly from the States … or from states overseas.<br /><br />The fact is there is a private industry out there building the next epoch of transportation.<br /><br />There are no parallels. Nothing compares. The new civilian spaceflight business is altogether different from predecessor carriers.<br /><br />The genus might be familiar, perhaps the species, too. But this is the first time they’ve appeared together. In Latin … <em>Volatus per inane homo privatus</em>. “Spaceflight. Human. Private.”<br /></span><p></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Whatever space has been up until today, it is an emerging business now....<br /></span></p></blockquote><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Indeed.<br /><br />In an e-mail today, Patti told me, "My plan is to stay connected to space in some new capacity. I am very excited about exploring that and seeing where it takes me. I am fully committed to this industry and have much still to contribute."<br /><br />Splendid. For now, we say best of luck to Patti! We look forward to news of her next, no doubt bold, steps. Meanwhile, we thank her for years of support and leadership in launching the new era of commercial space. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Now more than ever -- as Patti says -- space means business. </span>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-89047150077135120052008-01-07T16:57:00.000-08:002008-12-10T18:54:32.390-08:00Space law attractions '08<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIObcpYDz-PrcXKsPeWeLvxGT5-d_JGcCkNI1zUl6Z26ChNRBfHRArbVmr1RKaGUBZ1hdjnS1y-DnGeSPD0KsF0OzJNSVIsqahsNwo-bi-0nZu3L8TLFSJE0TVnbdRC48RFgqzg/s1600-h/central_stage.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151328031911833538" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIObcpYDz-PrcXKsPeWeLvxGT5-d_JGcCkNI1zUl6Z26ChNRBfHRArbVmr1RKaGUBZ1hdjnS1y-DnGeSPD0KsF0OzJNSVIsqahsNwo-bi-0nZu3L8TLFSJE0TVnbdRC48RFgqzg/s320/central_stage.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Space-time flies and the action never stops for space lawyers and friends. Here's a quick scan of selected happenings of interest to the space law and business community in the new year. Much more to follow. Meanwhile, add these to your illustrious 2008 space law calendar and get ready to rocket from Vienna to Virginia, Paris to Phoenix, Mississippi to Nebraska, and over to Toronto, Montreal, Strasbourg, Singapore, Arcachon, Beijing, Cairo, Colorado, Nashville, New York, Rome, Geneva, Glasgow, Washington and beyond.<br /><br />The global space law adventure continues....<br /><br />-----------------------------------------<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.ilwr.de/cocosl/index.php?pageid=351"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Cologne Commentary on Space Law (CoCoSL) First Authors’ Workshop</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - Jan. 10-11, 2008, at the premises of the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) in Vienna, Austria.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.uncosa.unvienna.org/uncosa/iamos/index.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">28th Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - hosted by the UN Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT), Jan. 1-18, 2008, Geneva, Switzerland.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.spacelaw.olemiss.edu/activitiesandevents/2008/RSL2%20Program.pdf"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">2nd International Conference on the State of Remote Sensing Law</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - Jan. 17-18, 2008, Mississippi School of Law, Oxford, Mississippi (register </span><a href="http://www.spacelaw.olemiss.edu/Second_RS_Law_Event_2008_Registration.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">here</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">).<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.gwu.edu/~spi/THE_STATE_OF_SPACE_SECURITY.dec21.doc"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">The State of Space Security</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - Jan. 24, 2008, George Washington University, Washington, DC.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://spacecommerce.ca/conference2008/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Accelerating Space Conference</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - Canadian Space Commerce Association, Jan. 26, 2008, Toronto, Canada.<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">ABA Forum on Air and Space Law </span><a href="http://www.abanet.org/forums/airspace/documents/aba_as_wash08_4.pdf"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">2008 Washington Update Conference,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - Jan. 31, 2008, Washington, DC. And if you miss this Forum event, check out the gathering in Montreal in September.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.faa.gov/news/conferences_events/commercial_space/10/media/agenda.pdf"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">11th FAA Annual Commercial Space Transportation Conference: Roadmap to 2015</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - hosted by Patti Smith and her crew at AST, Feb. 5-6, 2008, Crystal City, Virginia (register </span><a href="https://secure.dynamicmediasolutions.net/cmp-faa-ast/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">here</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">).<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.spaceexplorationalliance.org/blitz/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Space Exploration Alliance 2008 Legislative Blitz</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - Feb. 10-12, 2008, Washington, DC.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.gstc-singapore.com/main.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Global Space and Technology Convention '08</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (GSTC) - organized by the Singapore Space & Technology Association, Feb. 19-14, 2008, Singapore.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.isunet.edu/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=458&Itemid=26"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">12th Annual International Symposium: Space Solutions to Earth's Global Challenges,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - presented by the International Space University and co-sponsors, Feb. 20-22, 2008, Strasbourg, France.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.satellite2008.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Satellite 2008</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">: The Sixth Decade - Feb. 25-28, 2008, Washington, DC.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://aiaa.org/content.cfm?pageid=230&lumeetingid=1989"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">3rd Space Exploration Conference & Exhibit</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> "50 Years of Space Exploration: Taking the Next Giant Leap" - the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in collaboration with NASA, Feb. 26-28, 2008, Denver, Colorado.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.wsbr.org/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Washington Space Business Roundtable</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - Flagship lunch and silent auction - Feb. 26, 2008, guest speaker, ITU director general Hamadoun Toure.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.californiaspaceauthority.org/spaceweekdc2008/index.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">California Space Week Washington DC</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - March 3-7, 2008, Washington, DC (although we'd prefer California).<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.astronautical.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=70&Itemid=129"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">46th Robert H. Goddard Memorial Symposium</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - Exploration to Commercialization: Going to Work in Space - March 4-6, 2008, Greenbelt, Maryland.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.prospace.org/?q=node/10"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">ProSpace March Storm 2008</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - March 9-12, 2008, Washington, DC. The citizens' space lobby meets lawmakers.<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">EURISY Workshop - </span><a href="http://www.eurisy.org/doceurisy/20080310_Romania/20071123_First_Announcement_Romania.pdf"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Local and Regional Risk Management: Integrated Use of Satellite Information and Services</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> March 10-11, 2008, Sinaia, Romania.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://meetings.abanet.org/aba_timssnet/Meetings/tnt_meetings.cfm?action=long&primary_id=CEJ8OSL&webtextid=32650&Subsystem=MTG&related_prod_flag=0"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Outer Space Law Blasts Off</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - ABA CLE teleconference - Mar 19, 2008 12:00 PM<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.space-access.org/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Space Access '08</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - March 27-29, 2008, Phoenix, Arizona.<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">47th Session of the </span><a href="http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/COPUOS/Legal/2008/index.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Legal Subcommittee</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> of the </span><a href="http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/COPUOS/copuos.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - March 31 - April 11, 2008, Vienna, Austria.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.nationalspacesymposium.org/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">24th National Space Symposium</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> "Our Expanding Universe...50 Years of Space Exploration" - April 7-10, 2008, Colorado Springs, Colorado.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.yurisnight.net/2008/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Yuri's Night '08</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - worldwide, April 12, 2008. Space lawyers party too.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.congrex.nl/08c04/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">ESA Investment Forum</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - organized by European Space Agency’s Technology Transfer Programme Office April 14-15, 2008, Noordwijk, The Netherlands.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.toulousespaceshow.eu/toulouse_space_show.htm"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Toulouse Space Show</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - sponsored by CNES, April 22-25, 2008, Toulouse, France.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.espi.or.at/images/stories/dokumente/press/global%20space%20development%20summit.pdf"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Global Space Development Summit</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - "The Next Space Race: Competition or Cooperation?" - April 23-25, 2008, CSIS/CSA, Beijing, China.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://law.unl.edu/spacelaw/conference"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Space and Telecom Law Conference</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - "Formalism, Informalism, and Innovation in Space and International Telecommunications Law" - University of Nebraska College of Law, Lincoln, Nebraska, May 1-3, 2008.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.responsivespace.com/index.asp"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">AIAA 6th Responsive Space Conference</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - April 28 - May 2, 2008, Los Angeles, California.<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">IAA-RACT </span><a href="http://iaaweb.org/iaa/Scientific%20Activity/callkorolev.pdf"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Space for Humanity</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - May 21-23, 2008, Korolev City, Russia.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.womeninaerospace.org/events/golf#register"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">2008 Women in Aerospace Golf Tournament</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - May 16, 2008, Waldorf, Maryland. (Couldn't resist throwing it in... You go girls!)<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://iaaweb.org/iaa/Scientific%20Activity/Study%20Groups/SG%20Commission%203/sg39/callarcachon.pdf"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">IAA Symposium on Private Manned Access to Space</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - May 28-30, 2008, Arcachon, France.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://isdc.nss.org/2008/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">ISDC 2008</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> "The New Pace of Space" - May 29 - June 1, 2008, Washington, DC.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.itu.int/AFRICA2008/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">ITU Telecom Africa 2008</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - May 12-15, 2008, Cairo, Egypt.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.isce.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">ISCe 2008</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - June 10-12, 2008, San Diego, California. This combines the 7th Annual International Satellite & Communications exchange Conference and Expo (ISCe) and the 26th AIAA International Communications Satellite Systems Conference (ICSSC).<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/COPUOS/index.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">51st Session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - June 11-20, 2008, Vienna, Austria.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.space-frontier.org/Events/NewSpace2008/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">NewSpace 2008</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - July 17-19, 2008, Crystal City, Virginia.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.itu.int/ASIA2008/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">ITU Telecom Asia 2008</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - Sept. 2-5, 2008, Bangkok, Thailand.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.satellite-business.com/news.php?id=30"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Euroconsult's World Satellite Business Week</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - Sept. 8-11, 2008, Paris, France.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.abanet.org/forums/airspace/home.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">ABA Forum on Air and Space Law</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> Annual Conference - Sept. 17-20, 2008, Montreal, Canada (agenda to come).<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.iac2008.co.uk/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">59th International Astronautical Congress</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - Sept. 29 - Oct. 3, 2008, Glasgow, Scotland.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.satconexpo.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">SATCON</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> Satellite and Content Delivery Conference & Expo, Oct. 15-16, 2008, New York, New York. (Stop by and visit me when you're in town.)<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.congrex.nl/08a11/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">3rd IAASS Conference: Building a Safer Space Together</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - that's the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety, Oct. 21-23, 2008, Rome, Italy.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.geoint2008.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">GEOINT 2008</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - presented by the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) Oct. 27-30, 2008, Nashville, Tennessee.<br /><br /><br />* * *<br /><br />Other dates to come include, of course, the 2008 X-Prize Cup and all the hot events associated therewith; the European Centre for Space Law's (ECSL) summer course on space law and policy (this year's will be the 17th, if I recall correctly), and other events not yet scheduled as of this post (or, events to which I have yet to receive my gilded, engraved e-mail invite... no worries, SLP's inbox never closes... ;), much more.<br /><br />For now, here is the Manfred Lachs space law moot court competition </span><a href="http://www.spacemoot.org/calendar.htm"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">2008 calendar</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (<em>Concordia and Landia v. Usurpia</em>). Good luck all moot counsel.<br /><br />And in between all this action, keep up with the lineup of spaceflights scheduled for </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_in_spaceflight"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">launch in 2008</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (Helmit tip: HobbySpace, Spaceports.)<br /><br />Every nanosecond counts.<br /><br />Happy 2008!</span></li>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-53813390857647175042007-12-28T16:45:00.000-08:002008-12-10T18:54:32.792-08:00Last Flybys of '07<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRXHAFWDu6v0Pg-7bXDxB7JfbVH1zaNXXlM5txxs9WNF1l1pnkayzSPusyBd7MWh5v9eLFqA1SqrvrfFJmBXILXkIHIw2Yab4DHOblTsAcerNG-3VzCMMryEW04IUTxQ7mJwsEQ/s1600-h/universepic.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147943616666875250" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRXHAFWDu6v0Pg-7bXDxB7JfbVH1zaNXXlM5txxs9WNF1l1pnkayzSPusyBd7MWh5v9eLFqA1SqrvrfFJmBXILXkIHIw2Yab4DHOblTsAcerNG-3VzCMMryEW04IUTxQ7mJwsEQ/s320/universepic.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Ah, the end of yet another year. Which serves to remind us: Time is nature's way of keeping everything from happening all at once.<br /><br />(It's not working.)<br /><br />Before we ring in '08, a few late December <em>flybys</em>. (Also catch the </span><a href="http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/12/21/530247.aspx"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">2007 year in space</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> roundup on Cosmic Log -- and all the other annual overviews, lists, etc. linked on HobbySpace so of course I don't have to relink here).<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">COTS or Not? (I could do a whole COTS <em>Flybys</em>...): For now, the </span><a href="http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=5126"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">latest</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> appears to be via a Brian Berger </span><a href="http://www.space.com/spacenews/spacepolicy/Frenchweb122407.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">report in Space News</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (sub. req'd) that RpK will await the GAO's decision in February and hold off bringing suit against NASA over termination of the company's space act agreement. Meanwhile, I'm sure Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) has heard an earful about COTS funding cuts in the omnibus appropriations bill for fiscal year 2008 (which the president has </span><a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/12/20071226-1.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">signed.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">) Alas, we will see what the new year brings, COTS-wise.<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Mojave matters: I did not see the "amendments" to Mojave Air and Space Port's license issued by FAA as </span><a href="http://www.avpress.com/n/22/1222_s4.hts"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">reported in the Antelope Valley Press</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> last weekend (and picked up at the </span><a href="http://rocketdungeon.blogspot.com/2007/12/mojave-got-amendment-to-their-license.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Rocket Dungeon)</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> but hopefully the situation, whatever it was, is resolved. (But wouldn't it be great if FAA/AST chief Patti Smith had her own blog so that we may quickly clear up spaceport rumors and other questions without Instapundit having to step in?)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Speaking of government blogs: I do want to congratulate Shana Dale, the lawyer who is second in command at NASA, on her blog's public coming out. </span><a href="http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/Shana"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Shana's Blog</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> is now open on NASA's shiny new webship. (I had complained that Shana's blogging was available to NASA employees while the rest of us had to wait for SpaceRef to pick up her posts.)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Speaking of the relaunched NASA.gov: Ahem. If you are not of the uber-cool </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/03/technology/03nasa.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">demographic NASA aims to attract</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> -- yes, the universally coveted, coddled and wooed 18-24 year old MySpacers again -- with the newly revamped web destination, widgets, blogs and all, count yourself at least implicitly uninvited from commenting on the space agency's refurbished and upgraded corner of webspace. Even though <em>you</em> paid for </span><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">NASA.gov.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (And really, who among us oldsters is entirely convinced that all this is just about youth appeal? Some may suspect the space agency is in competition with other </span><a href="http://spacelawprobe.blogspot.com/2006/05/world-of-space-agencies.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">world space agencies</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> to have the coolest government agency website on the planet. Let's see what the response will be from </span><a href="http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/n615709/cindex.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">CNSA.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> Yes, the government space web race is on!) So how much did all this </span><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2007/dec/HQ_07263_Web_design.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">new customization, interactivity and other digital fun</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> cost us aging taxpayers? Never mind. Will it solve the agency's fiscal problems, stop tiles from falling off the shuttle, keep the </span><a href="http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/071227-sts122-sensor-update.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">fuel sensors functioning,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> or help US win the 21st century space race? Nah. But dude, check out these cool podcasts and videos. <em>Awesome</em>.<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Saving Shuttle: here is the text of Rep. Dave Weldon's </span><a href="http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=26439"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">H.R. 4837,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> the bill to authorize flying the Space Shuttle from 2010 through 2015 that may have </span><a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-ed19107dec19,0,5454307.story"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">"a daisy's chance on the moon."</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (Orlando Sentinel; hat tip Space Politics). And Keith notes the </span><a href="http://www.nasawatch.com/archives/2007/12/extending_the_s.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">gratuitous Russia-bashing</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> in the bill. (Not to mention the swipe at ol' Hugo Chavez.)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">NASA FY2008 budget: </span><a href="http://www.spacepolitics.com/2007/12/27/nasa-fy2008-budget-review-summary/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Jeff Foust summarizes</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> space agency funding in the final appropriations bill.<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Japanese space law: Don't miss dispatches from Hiroshi Kiyohara (who is admitted in New York and California <em>and</em> Japan -- great combo), guest blogging at Res Communis on the latest developments, </span><a href="http://rescommunis.wordpress.com/2007/12/02/guest-blogger-hiroshi-kiyohara-japans-new-space-law-being-hamstrung-by-political-turmoil/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">here</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> and </span><a href="http://rescommunis.wordpress.com/2007/12/10/guest-blogger-hiroshi-kiyoharajapans-proposed-law-would-lift-the-peace-purposes-only-limitation-on/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">here.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.lloyds.com/News_Centre/Features_from_Lloyds/Lloyds_insurers_look_to_the_challenge_of_aviations_final_frontier_27122007.htm"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Lloyd's on space insurance</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">: (And the obligatory Pat Bahn quote: "<em>Amateurs talk propellants, professionals talk insurance.</em>" (</span><a href="http://www.personalspaceflight.info/2007/12/28/lloyds-looks-at-commercial-spaceflight-insurance/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Jeff</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> can't resist it either. ;)<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.thespaceshow.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">The Space <em>Law</em> Show</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - As I never hesistate to note, David Livingston loves lawyers. Two lawyers appear on The Space Show before the new year bells ring, according to the </span><a href="http://216.0.74.13/newsletterfinal.htm"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">schedule</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">: Today, Dec 28th, Dr. George Robinson, discussing his recent paper, "Public Space law, the Practitioner, and the Private Entrepreneur"; and on Monday, Dec. 31, Prof. Joanne Gabrynowicz will have a space law review and summary of 2007 developments. A treat for all. As always, the Show offers MP3's of all programs for download. I will certainly grab both for my iPod. (Am I the only one who listens to The Space Show at the gym?)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">NASA adspace (meant to post this earlier, but just for the record): Buy it or not, the </span><a href="http://www.comspacewatch.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=26280"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">NASA Innovation Fund and Sponsorship Act, H.R. 4308,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> introduced by Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) and Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH).<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.spacepolitics.com/2007/12/21/export-control-relief-on-the-horizon/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">ITAR relief?</a> Believe it when we see it.<br /><br /><li>First big space law event of the new year: <a href="http://www.spacelaw.olemiss.edu/activitiesandevents/2008/RSL2%20Program.pdf">The Second International Conference on the State of Remote Sensing Law</a> - Jan. 17-18, 2008, presented, of course, by the University of Mississippi's National Center for Remote Sensing, Air, and Space Law in lovely Oxford, Mississippi. Register <a href="http://www.spacelaw.olemiss.edu/Second_RS_Law_Event_2008_Registration.html">here.</a> (And many more noteworthy events to follow. I'll try to post a roundup of hot dates next week.)<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=24213"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Radio Astronomy deal:</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in the United States and the Max-Planck Institute for Radioastronomy (MPIfR) in Germany concluded a Memorandum of Understanding outlining planned collaborative efforts to enhance the capabilities of each other's telescopes and to expand their cooperation in scientific research. Good to hear.<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Speaking of cooperation... Outer planet missions: </span><a href="http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2007/12/25/nasa-outer-planet-mission-studies-international-collaboration/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">NASA international cooperation with ESA and JAXA.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (Leonard David's blog)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Looking ahead: </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_in_spaceflight"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">2008 launches.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> And Rob Coppinger says '08 is the year </span><a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/12/21/220491/2008-forecast-the-year-progress-must-be-made-in-space.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">progress must be made</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> in space. (Flight International via </span><a href="http://spaceports.blogspot.com/2007/12/over-90-spaceflights-planned-in-2008.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Spaceports.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Texas space: In light of news about possible launches from Corpus Christi by Space Access, P.J. Blount looks at </span><a href="http://rescommunis.wordpress.com/2007/12/14/space-law-in-the-lone-star-state/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">space law in the Lone Star State.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (Meanwhile, down in Florida, if you are participating in one of those exciting and educational </span><a href="http://www.spaceaccess.com/package.php?packagenum=85"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Space Access getaways</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> in January, bring your swimsuit... not your spacesuit. Yet. And why not invite your favorite space lawyer? Welcome back Space Access!)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">If you were waiting for Santa to bring us a decision on the proposed XM-Sirius satellite radio merger, no luck. Definitely before next Christmas. Well we hope. Meanwhile, FCC was busy </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/18/business/18cnd-fcc.html?ref=business"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">easing the 32-year-old ban</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> on a company owning both a newspaper and a TV or radio station in the same city. And, you know, other stuff. (And yes, </span><a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2007/12/17/xm-gets-the-boot.aspx"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">XM got booted</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> off the Nasdaq-100. Ouch. At least Sirius hangs in there.)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Speaking of mergers, you may not have heard it here first but the </span><a href="http://www.satellitetoday.com/st/headlines/21700.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">era of large satellite mergers is over.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I want my </span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/AerospaceandDefense07/idUSN0344600420071204"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">SpaceX IPO.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Not a space property dispute, but: That little controversy over a bit of Earth land ended last week when </span><a href="http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200712272075.htm"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">ISRO agreed</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> to accept 70 acres allotted to it by the Kerala government to set up the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology.<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Rocket club law: Dick Stafford has an update on </span><a href="http://rocketdungeon.blogspot.com/2007/12/update-on-club-based-permits.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">club-based permits.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> Flying 'em should be the tricky part.<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Carnival fever: I'm catching up with space carnys </span><a href="http://robot_guy.blogspot.com/2007/12/carnival-of-space-32.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">#32,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> </span><a href="http://www.universetoday.com/2007/12/13/carnival-of-space-33/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">#33,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> and </span><a href="http://spacelaunch.gerhards.net/2007/12/carnival-of-space-34.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">#34</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">... (As Robot Guy reported in #32, A Babe in the Universe was in NYC at the planetarium right in my 'hood, and took pictures. Just as well she did not visit me -- aka A Space Law Babe in the Universe -- because although I finally understand the </span><a href="http://www.duhaime.org/LegalResources/RealEstateTenancy/tabid/347/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/65/Rule-Against-Perpetuities.aspx"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">rule against perpetuities,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> I'm still working on her famous </span><a href="http://riofriospacetime.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">GM=tc^3</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> equation. One day....)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Betting on the Google Lunar X Prize: This blog is not Space Wager Probe but I will note that yes you can </span><a href="http://www.intrade.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">speculate on Intrade</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> whether the Google Moon contest will be won by 2012. (It's the only space-related item currently posted; find it under "Current Events" in the Prediction Markets menu.) (That is, if the presidential election is not interesting enough.) Let the Google Moon prize games begin..<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Maybe it <em>is</em> only human to </span><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/20/AR2007122002662.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">fall in love with robots.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (As long as they're not </span><a href="http://spacelawprobe.blogspot.com/2007/03/i-robot-lawyer.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">space lawyer robots?</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">No vehicle without a driver may exceed 60 miles per hour: And other </span><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/wayoflife/12/26/unusual.laws/index.html?iref=mpstoryview"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">strange state traffic laws...</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> Right. We're sticking to space law.<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">By the way, the </span><a href="http://www.boston.com/news/globe/obituaries/articles/2007/10/23/reuben_landau_103_called_states_oldest_practicing_lawyer/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">world's oldest practicing lawyer</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> who finally died this year at 103 was not a space lawyer. (Of course, there's no saying whether practicing space law might have extended his life even more. However, he might have had more fun.)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Speaking of which, the lawyer who died this month allegedly from </span><a href="http://www.abajournal.com/news/obit_blames_lawyers_death_on_stress_of_law_firm_job/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">work-related stress</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> was also not a space lawyer.<br /><br />Let the countdown to 2008 begin. ;)<br /><br />Cheers!<br /><br />* * *<br />IMAGE: NASA - cluster of stars known as NGC 2264, the "Snowflake cluster" in the cone Nebula. Beautiful.<br /></span></li>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-58226364065660471592007-12-24T23:44:00.000-08:002008-12-10T18:54:33.524-08:00Space seasons greeting<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kBt-j_-BA_Px14IyqPMh5WRdGlBYqtzpVY8WPiaLe59FoUmLKbZtzEBLbapwizJxbUC_-xvxPArjr8qg-QklNysqBtdC9eZqw3Fa-8_0fZR99Sb9ADpdglvx5J7pVvXnCYgc-Q/s1600-h/christmas-ornament.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147957940382807426" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kBt-j_-BA_Px14IyqPMh5WRdGlBYqtzpVY8WPiaLe59FoUmLKbZtzEBLbapwizJxbUC_-xvxPArjr8qg-QklNysqBtdC9eZqw3Fa-8_0fZR99Sb9ADpdglvx5J7pVvXnCYgc-Q/s200/christmas-ornament.jpg" border="0" /></span></a></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">(To think there were no blogs back then on which to post this...:)<br /><br />As we recall every year, in response to the Christmas </span><a href="http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/history/apollo-8/GENESIS.mp3"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">message from Apollo 8</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (MP3) beamed to the planet by astronauts Frank Borman, James A. Lovell, Jr., and William A. Anders, as they orbited the moon in 1968 (reading from Genesis), Houston sent this reply:<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Twas the night before Christmas and way out in space,<br />the Apollo 8 crew had just won the moon race.<br />The headsets were hung by the consoles with care,<br />in hopes that Chris Kraft soon would be there.<br /><br />Frank Borman was nestled all snug in his bed,<br />while visions of REFSMMAT's danced in his head;<br />and Jim Lovell, in his couch, and Anders, in the bay,<br />were racking their brains over a computer display.<br /><br />When out of the DSKY, there arose such a clatter,<br />Frank sprang from his bed to see what was the matter.<br />Away to the sextant he flew like a flash,<br />to make sure they weren't going to crash.<br /><br />The light on the breast of the moon's jagged crust<br />gave a luster of green cheeses to the gray lunar dust.<br />When what to his wondering eyes should appear,<br />but a Burma Shave sign saying 'Kilroy was here.'<br /><br />(Laughter)<br /><br />But Frank was no fool. He knew pretty quick<br />that they had been first; this must be a trick.<br />More rapid than rockets, his curses they came.<br />He turned to his crewmen and called them by name.<br /><br />Now Lovell, now Anders, now don't think I'd fall<br />for an old joke you've written up the wall.<br />They spoke not a word, but grinning like elves,<br />and laughed at their joke in spite of themselves.<br /><br />Frank sprang to his couch, to the ship gave a thrust,<br />and away they all flew past the gray lunar dust.<br />But we heard them explain ere they flew around the moon:<br />'Merry Christmas to earth; we will be back there real soon.'</em><br /><br />***<br />Joys of the season from Space Law Probe! ;)<br /><br />--------------<br />UPDATE: Just caught up with Clark's post from yesterday, </span></span><a href="http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=5118"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Remembering Apollo 8,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> in which he links to Rob Coppinger's post on the Christmas Eve broadcast, along with a lovely poem by Major Michael A. Titre via Chair Force Engineer ("...With crew aboard and countdown done, Her engines roar in unison, Man's greatest venture has begun....") Yes.<br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-31548387623025821462007-12-20T10:15:00.000-08:002008-12-10T18:54:34.126-08:00Black Holes and space law consulting<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPCd9IjUhT0-mz7AL0ZHQ8yURSZVeLGyq9dXsimiT1EY3Uxkl2HL9auE8QGRanOsci8omQsaP0VXmcBbA5fWfc-GbtIyj7OzAp2bkjD1G0KgLWlB8RrFE84UxGWSrpAOjKphYmA/s1600-h/FransandTony.jpg"><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145834169249248610" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPCd9IjUhT0-mz7AL0ZHQ8yURSZVeLGyq9dXsimiT1EY3Uxkl2HL9auE8QGRanOsci8omQsaP0VXmcBbA5fWfc-GbtIyj7OzAp2bkjD1G0KgLWlB8RrFE84UxGWSrpAOjKphYmA/s400/FransandTony.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Along with all the buzz about </span><a href="http://spacelawprobe.blogspot.com/2007/09/nebraska-wins-von-der-dunk.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Professor Frans <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">von</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">der</span> Dunk</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> joining the faculty of the University of Nebraska's new space law program, we've also been hearing talk about the private space law consultancy company with the cool name Frans recently launched. So I sent a note to the professor asking if he would tell us a bit about, that's right, Black Holes.<br /><br />To which Frans graciously e-mailed (and I've added links, musical and other): </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">"Of course. I established </span><a href="http://www.black-holes.eu/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Black Holes B.V., </span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">my consultancy company in 2007 in order to accommodate the growing need for professional advise on international legal, policy and political aspects of outer space activities and their applications here down on Earth in the broadest sense of the word. It just sort of coincided with my recent move from the Leiden, Netherlands, based </span><a href="http://www.law.leiden.edu/organisation/publiclaw/iiasl/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">International Institute of Air and Space Law</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> to the position of Professor of Space Law at the </span><a href="http://law.unl.edu/spacelaw"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">University of Nebraska-Lincoln</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> for the purpose of the Space and telecoms programme which will be offered as per the academic year 2008-2009.<br /><br />As for the consultancy company, I experienced that far too often in the context of major technologically-, operationally-, financially- or politically-driven space or space application programmes and projects far too little attention - or even none at all - was paid at the outset to outlining and analyzing the applicable legal, regulatory, institutional, policy and political framework. Such original omissions then turn out to work like black holes, sucking up unnecessary hours, efforts and resources, and I made it the mission of Black Holes precisely to provide timely professional advise and tailor-made tutorials, connecting the legal parameters and ramifications in a no-nonsense manner to the broader policy, political, economic, commercial, operational and technical aspects of any space activity or application, thereby allowing clients to avoid such black holes."<br /><br />Great concept. We all know that familiar black holes feeling. As Frans said, "To be honest, the name of the company was also inspired by a lyric from the epic song </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shine_On_You_Crazy_Diamond"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Shine On You Crazy Diamond</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> of the rock band Pink Floyd, "Now there's a look in your eyes / Like black holes in the sky", courtesy Roger Waters, stemming from the the seminal 1975 album "Wish You Were Here". Pink Floyd have often been labeled the </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmyjry2aJ2A"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">space rock band</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> par excellence, their career being replete with references to outer space, the sun, the moon and other celestial bodies, including the Earth itself as a planet, in their sound, song titles, album titles and lyrics alike."<br /><br />That is music to our ears. ;)<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.black-holes.eu/services.htm">services</a> Black Holes offers clients include:<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">researching, analysing and evaluating the legal, regulatory, policy and political framework applicable to any space activity or application, and presenting the results thereof by reports and presentations;<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">conducting legal reality checks of proposed space activities or applications, and commenting on their legal, regulatory, policy and political ramifications, by means of reports and presentations;<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">providing advise and recommendations on future actions required or desirable to enhance any space activity or application, by means of reports and presentations;<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">developing, offering and monitoring tailor-made tutorials for professionals on the legal, regulatory, policy and political framework applicable to any space activity or application;<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">developing, offering and monitoring self-study programmes for professionals on the legal, regulatory, policy and political framework applicable to any space activity or application;<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">organising meetings and workshops to address legal, regulatory, policy and political aspects of space activities and their applications for selected audiences; and<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">addressing audiences on legal, regulatory, policy and political aspects of space activities and their applications.</span></li><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Sounds like a comprehensive package for the space community. And it's about time. Given his wide <a href="http://www.black-holes.eu/areas_of_expertise.htm">expertise</a> in international space matters covering the gamut from satellites to space tourism, Frans would be remiss if he did not turn up the volume, as it were, and open a 21st century space law consultancy company.<br /><br />Good luck, Professor.<br /><br />Shine on!!<br /><br />Prospective clients and others, send inquiries, comments, requests, song lyrics, etc., to Frans at frans@black-holes.eu. And now if you'll excuse me, there's a CD I must go download to my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">iPod</span>....<br /><br /><br />* * *<br />IMAGE: I could not resist swiping this from the Black Holes website -- Prof. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">von</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">der</span> Dunk explaining space law to a delighted-looking Prime Minister Tony Blair. And come to think of it, we have a whole bunch of folks running for US president who could use Black Holes' advice too. </span></span>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-84416505375191725952007-12-19T11:10:00.000-08:002007-12-19T10:27:45.462-08:00Our kind of market insight<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Heh. UBS's moon market humor is making the rounds. (Now in </span><a href="http://blog.washingtonpost.com/offbeat/2007/12/ubs_ties_jump_in_lunar_land_va_1.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">WaPo</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> and elsewhere, yesterday reported on Simberg's </span><a href="http://www.transterrestrial.com/archives/010241.html#010241"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">TransMu.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">)<br /><br />Yes, intrepid Wall Street </span><a href="http://www.ubs.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">analysts</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> graphed an interesting metric: lunar land prices appear to be a "lead indicator of US house prices." (See the actual </span><a href="http://ftalphaville.ft.com/blog/2007/12/17/9690/subprime-warning-signs-were-made-of-cheese/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">chart</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> via <em>Financial Times.</em>)<br /><br />Never mind the sub-prime implosion, apparently lunar real estate prices began 2007 at $16 an acre and hit a high of $22.50. And this uptick for the moon land sector portends good news for beleaguered housing markets on the home planet in 2008.<br /><br />Naturally, here on SLP we are all bullish on lunar property. And while I can't necessarily explain mysterious Earth-moon market forces that may come into play (gravity and dark matter usually account for much), if you're thinking of selling your house and investing in a stack of moon paper, I <em>can</em> explain why there may still be time to make any number of </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=9449868&postID=8441650537519172595"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">2007 Idiot of the Year</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> lists. ;)<br /></span>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-15724970137629867282007-12-18T10:37:00.000-08:002008-12-10T18:54:34.487-08:00Weldon's mission to save the shuttle<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjamJOdqIKFr1uqhDIQLsudJTzQlcFCx7rC1eK1cuSlv68rDoY9moEidYaFwiVUPUvFl9_bPPgmMZNyarjQ7dIVGn85ObHiiHdK70Edr4n40LKemmcFFgkqSd-qcnNFD8vjGgeQZA/s1600-h/shuttleclipart.GIF"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145364617654646082" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjamJOdqIKFr1uqhDIQLsudJTzQlcFCx7rC1eK1cuSlv68rDoY9moEidYaFwiVUPUvFl9_bPPgmMZNyarjQ7dIVGn85ObHiiHdK70Edr4n40LKemmcFFgkqSd-qcnNFD8vjGgeQZA/s200/shuttleclipart.GIF" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Here is a </span><a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/os-wn-121707-daveweldonspace,0,6883622.worldnowvideo"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">video of Congressman Dave Weldon</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (R-FL) yesterday at Kennedy Space Center announcing his </span><a href="http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071218/NEWS01/712180346/1006"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">proposal to keep the space shuttle flying after 2010.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><br /><br />I have not seen the authorizing bill the representative from Florida’s Space Coast will introduce but he admits right off the pad he does not expect his measure to become law, but rather, says he wants it to spark a national debate over the issue. (But that may not happen either if by national debate he means the presidential candidates suddenly consider space a top campaign issue.)<br /><br />But politics is local, and so are jobs. Rep. Weldon's constituents of course include thousands of KSC workers who would naturally support the move (surprisingly there's no mention of the bill on the </span><a href="http://weldon.house.gov/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">congressman's website</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> as of this morning, where the "Paygo Farce" and Pelosi spending $16 thousand on flowers appear to be top stories; I'll check back).<br /><br />Hmm. Maybe Weldon should grab his bass guitar and bipartisan congressional rock band the Second Amendments, and go out on tour to ignite support for the shuttle? Here are the Second Amendments playing </span><a href="http://video.google.com/url?docid=522607644727447764&esrc=sr1&ev=v&len=513&q=%22second%2Bamendments%22&srcurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DB0Cs4kziENQ&vidurl=%2Fvideoplay%3Fdocid%3D522607644727447764%26q%3D%2522second%2Bamendments%2522%26total%3D5%26start%3D0%26num%3D10%26so%3D0%26type%3Dsearch%26plindex%3D0&usg=AL29H22Ih2hIfqbxitnS6eOReQnkUATu7A"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">20th Anniversary of Farm Aid,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> and here's the band at the </span><a href="http://video.google.com/url?docid=-7403532581014600436&esrc=sr2&ev=v&len=262&q=%22second%2Bamendments%22&srcurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DmUFeV9mYBQw&vidurl=%2Fvideoplay%3Fdocid%3D-7403532581014600436%26q%3D%2522second%2Bamendments%2522%26total%3D5%26start%3D0%26num%3D10%26so%3D0%26type%3Dsearch%26plindex%3D1&usg=AL29H21paC-gnS4TMSBzgRWrKt0AQeP06w"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">2007 National Ethanol Conference,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> and they also amped it up in Iraq to </span><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-12-22-second-amendments_x.htm"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">entertain our troops.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> Why not a Save the Shuttle tour?</span>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-38092150226875994792007-12-17T12:14:00.000-08:002008-12-10T18:54:35.197-08:00We'll always have spaceports<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA6rhQMjZP4a8Y_s_ZCJqSMV7uvYtBC1QXN5D85Gxc7bXGw3ckLMazdztss3M9nW3NBr0AbTDXSvz33DzvBRCjn-EGYDvZlm2tQQi4ySRnRecvP0-ajRjTCZ-9Ke3NM8MT5OT5Cw/s1600-h/Spaceportentrance.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145007065922221362" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA6rhQMjZP4a8Y_s_ZCJqSMV7uvYtBC1QXN5D85Gxc7bXGw3ckLMazdztss3M9nW3NBr0AbTDXSvz33DzvBRCjn-EGYDvZlm2tQQi4ySRnRecvP0-ajRjTCZ-9Ke3NM8MT5OT5Cw/s200/Spaceportentrance.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">As we've seen, challenges include issues involving taxation, regulation, licensing, legislation, politics and more; and include the catastrophe of a fatal test accident. But Jeff Foust overviews developments on the spaceport front, from Mojave and New Mexico to Cecil Field and Corpus Christi, including Kiruna, Sweden and beyond, and writes, "It’s clear that many people still see great potential in the emerging NewSpace industry, despite the difficulties some companies have experienced in the last few years. Indeed, like many of the vehicle companies, some spaceports have had to stretch out their timelines, but are making slow and steady progress—enough, it seems, to encourage others not to be left behind." </span><a href="http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1023/1"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Spaceports still taxiing towards takeoff,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> <em>The Space Review,</em> Dec. 17th.<br /><br />(And I still want one in <a href="http://spacelawprobe.blogspot.com/2006/06/why-i-do-not-want-spaceport-in-my.html">my backyard.</a>)<br /><br />* * *<br />IMAGE: Illustration for entrance to </span><a href="http://www.spaceportamerica.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Spaceport America.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> </span>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-3834855898611175842007-12-17T09:56:00.000-08:002008-12-10T18:54:35.469-08:00New SIA chair<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqtNN6AAzNhj2WwTZcIbYiXGlJhCx4InckmTV07V-l-o7ysQv4Q2MyzZmEzgi2lHaBJ6gcSjWEY8KJ0a3xELKEw2Pr5j0pbA42n0JUO27qEW9a28GS95GH8WA2YiyVLZN78NrAA/s1600-h/sia.gif"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143535587012005970" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqtNN6AAzNhj2WwTZcIbYiXGlJhCx4InckmTV07V-l-o7ysQv4Q2MyzZmEzgi2lHaBJ6gcSjWEY8KJ0a3xELKEw2Pr5j0pbA42n0JUO27qEW9a28GS95GH8WA2YiyVLZN78NrAA/s320/sia.gif" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Yes, it may be "old space" but lawyers and satellites go together. SLP congratulates Jennifer A. Manner, vice president of regulatory affairs for Mobile Satellite Ventures and adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center and American University’s Washington College of Law who was elected by the </span><a href="http://www.sia.org/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Satellite Industry Association (SIA)</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> to serve as its 2008 chairman.<br /><br />(The departing chair, Nancy Eskenazi, vice president and associate general counsel of SES Americom, is also a lawyer.)<br /></span>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-52371916722321922682007-12-13T14:19:00.000-08:002007-12-13T13:29:02.884-08:00No spaceport district, no tax<a href="http://www.personalspaceflight.info/2007/12/13/spaceport-tax-delay-in-new-mexico/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">No kidding.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> The spaceport sales tax the voters of Doña Ana County approved by referendum in April, to have commenced Jan. 1, 2008, must now go uncollected. As </span><a href="http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site557/2007/1212/20071212_105706_1212_AG_opinion.pdf"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">New Mexico Attorney General Gary King opined in a letter this week responding to a bit of understandable confusion,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> "the county regional spaceport gross receipts tax may not be imposed, collected or enforced absent the formation of a regional spaceport district to which the proceeds of the tax can be allocated."<br /><br />But no worries, spaceport tax supporters -- the AG wrote: "Because the County enacted the tax prematurely under the law, we conclude that the Taxation and Revenue Department may properly defer enactment of the tax until a district is created." That is, of course, under the Regional Spaceport District Act.<br /><br />What a country. Think of all the folks who would rather not pay new taxes but must. For some New Mexicans, it is ironic that the tax collector cannot take yes for an answer.</span>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-8327350927876071162007-12-12T15:19:00.000-08:002008-12-10T18:54:35.931-08:00Space project seeks Texas lawyer<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkqkbgCvrpm9hzFBdOH4ZsvH1yBeIxoLtydHHKAuJasHo7j9fMTeu_tNjgB1XnpmlBIJWKEAnslwO45f4XxS27yQ389ZoNjKQGcyDwWY_gOICdG38ZkTT6-aWwduFGD7f2eT-YQ/s1600-h/legalclipart2.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142864202019262514" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkqkbgCvrpm9hzFBdOH4ZsvH1yBeIxoLtydHHKAuJasHo7j9fMTeu_tNjgB1XnpmlBIJWKEAnslwO45f4XxS27yQ389ZoNjKQGcyDwWY_gOICdG38ZkTT6-aWwduFGD7f2eT-YQ/s320/legalclipart2.gif" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">An SLP reader sends the following for posting:<br />*****<br /><blockquote>My name is Christopher Carson, and I am the instigator of the <a href="http://www.lunarcc.org/">Luna Project</a>, an effort to send humans to live on the Moon, as soon as 2012.<br /><br />Study of the issues has convinced me that this goal can be achieved with existing technologies, through direct support from the space-minded public, and will greatly contribute to practically any future space activity or application.<br /><br />I hope to see this adopted as an activity by existing space advocacy groups, and carried into practice without adding too much additional redundancy to a scene cluttered with overlapping groups of small membership. Nevertheless, it appears that some dedicated organization is required, particularly at this early phase. <br /><br />Accordingly, I am looking for a lawyer in the North Texas area to advise me on related legal matters -- specifically concerning the uses of the different classes of non-profit corporation, and the mechanics of their formation and maintenance. With any luck, I will find a lawyer who is not only experienced in this area, but also in sympathy with my proposal (less because he or she might be inclined to make allowances as regards to fees, than for the sake of the more helpful quality of the advice I could expect).<br /><br />My sincere thanks.</blockquote><br />*****<br />Good luck, Christopher!<br /></span>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-52018223906792929232007-12-11T11:55:00.000-08:002008-12-10T18:54:36.321-08:00Old and new space law practice<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPiAbiA3aKdNKaujZl1epZiBqPJrWYXmekgMa3v77PsnQd1nktrqWXEHZtNHSwwZL2TBbGW6p6r9cSq3ERw-08nBUrwwcJ8kPDxfHnR1EOgvp_WFD_tDsTDppYC3UJpKywN9Olg/s1600-h/nesgos.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142750003133829154" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPiAbiA3aKdNKaujZl1epZiBqPJrWYXmekgMa3v77PsnQd1nktrqWXEHZtNHSwwZL2TBbGW6p6r9cSq3ERw-08nBUrwwcJ8kPDxfHnR1EOgvp_WFD_tDsTDppYC3UJpKywN9Olg/s320/nesgos.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivtMTpnWAp2VHS0t-JtfX-xTTrR0vqEr_zt6dssgXF7_kcM1AC2uBgmifRpwvMrVybczeXCVHhM-yxbQYC_VNmQHUaUOfjhAykp1X-fJuaY5-5biYm6CAnD9KJizihyCwXTu8Q9w/s1600-h/sattler.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142749869989842962" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivtMTpnWAp2VHS0t-JtfX-xTTrR0vqEr_zt6dssgXF7_kcM1AC2uBgmifRpwvMrVybczeXCVHhM-yxbQYC_VNmQHUaUOfjhAykp1X-fJuaY5-5biYm6CAnD9KJizihyCwXTu8Q9w/s320/sattler.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">While the <em>Wall Street Journal's</em> otherwise knowledgeable Law Blog still asks, </span><a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/10/25/law-blog-qa-space-law-expert-henry-hertzfeld/#comment-71793"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">What the heck is space law?</span></a>,<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> <em>The National Law Journal</em>, inspired by among other things, this year's series of space investment summits, weighs in this week with the news <em><a href="http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1196849072549">Space-related practices have lift-off</a></em> (sub. required; although there's also a </span><a href="http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/subscribe.jsp"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">30-day free trial</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> but no worries, I borrowed a copy of the article for our edification; links to law firms added).<br /><br />OK, satellite business at top law firms is not exactly <em>news</em>, as Milbank Tweed partner Peter Nesgos (or Del Smith at Jones Day, or other telecom and satellite law gurus) can attest. But legal representation of space start-ups and space tourism related ventures is new, and it's the emerging focus that will shape new space law practice, as Rosanna Sattler of Posternak who includes in her client list Orbital Outfitters, already knows. (Of course space tourism is noted at the end of the piece, but that's because I didn't write it).<br /><br />Here is the article; and thanks for the heads up from Bob Ambrogi (cohort of mine from the bad ol' days of American Lawyer Media in the 1990's... don't ask. And when you finish the story zip over to Bob's famous </span><a href="http://www.legaline.com/lawsites.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">LawSites.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">)<br /><br /></span>--------------------------------------------------------<br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>The National Law Journal</em><br />Dec. 10, 2007<br /><br />As investors and entrepreneurs convene this month for this year's third space investment summit, lawyers from a variety of firms say their space-related practices are taking off.<br /><br />Firms with lawyers or a group dedicated to space or satellite work say increased private-equity investment is a major factor fueling the sector.<br /><br />Other industry dynamics include the development of cellphones and other devices that can offer video and Internet connections, which require more satellite usage, and entrepreneurs pursuing space tourism ventures.<br /><br />Private equity's discovery of the satellite industry in the past four or five years had ramped up </span></span><a href="http://www.whitecase.com/"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:85%;">White & Case's</span></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:85%;"> transactional work, said Maury Mechanick, a counsel to the firm's Washington office. "It's been a darling of the private-equity industry," Mechanick said.<br /><br />About eight to 10 lawyers in the firm's telecommunications, media and technology practice group spend most of their time on space-related business. Most are transactional lawyers, but some have regulatory expertise, he said.<br /><br />Other firms with a foothold in the sector run the gamut from national firms such as </span><a href="http://www.paulhastings.com/"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:85%;">Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker</span></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:85%;"> and New York's </span><a href="http://www.milbank.com/en"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:85%;">Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy</span></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:85%;"> to regional firms </span><a href="http://www.dicksteinshapiro.com/"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:85%;">Dickstein Shapiro</span></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:85%;"> and </span><a href="http://www.lsl-law.com/"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:85%;">Leventhal Senter & Lerman</span></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:85%;"> of Washington, </span><a href="http://www.pbl.com/home.php"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:85%;">Posternak, Blankstein & Lund</span></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:85%;"> of Boston, and </span><a href="http://www.townsend.com/"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:85%;">Townsend and Townsend and Crew</span></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:85%;"> of San Francisco.<br /><br />Growth in orbit<br /><br />Lawyers are following the upward trajectory of the satellite sector. World satellite industry revenues grew by 65% between 2001 and 2006 to $106.1 billion. On the ground side of the business, operators of commercial teleport facilities and equipment — which send and receive satellite signals — are expected to collect about $15 billion in revenue this year, up 17% from 2004, according to an October report by New York-based World Teleport Association. Three investment summits sponsored by a variety of trade groups and nonprofits have been held around the country this year, including one in San Jose, Calif., this month.<br /><br />Private-equity investors' huge interest in the sector has also expanded Milbank Tweed's deal work during the past few years, said New York partner Peter Nesgos. Milbank recently represented financial institutions that funded Loral Space & Communications Inc.'s $3.25 billion acquisition of Telesat Canada, a deal that closed in late October.<br /><br />Canadian satellite company Infosat Communications Inc. has also been a client for years, "through quite a bit of financing and internal organization," Nesgos said.<br /><br />Once companies have financing in place or finish a mergers and acquisitions deal, Milbank assists with ongoing licensing and regulatory work, contract negotiation and insurance work. Bringing in other legal disciplines has boosted the firm's activity in the sector, Nesgos said.<br /><br />Six Milbank lawyers are dedicated to its space practice, with 20 other corporate, finance and litigation lawyers spending some time on work for the industry.<br /><br />"Where we've seen the growth is providing a broader range of legal services to our client base," Nesgos said. "That's been our success."<br /><br />Intellectual property firm Townsend is angling for more space-related business by providing legal advice and funding to new space trade group The Eighth Continent Project. Golden, Colo.-based Eighth Continent, which helps space-related startups find financing and business partners, launched in August, and Townsend announced its involvement last month.<br /><br />Townsend's current clients include satellite companies and inventors of products useful in space commerce, and it hopes to connect them with other companies for joint business opportunities through Eighth Continent, said Denver associate Gene Branch.<br /><br />"Townsend stands ready to assist all members of the Eighth Continent Project to protect intellectual property created for this rapidly expanding market." Branch said.<br /><br />Space tourism<br /><br />Posternak's Rosanna Sattler, who is also the chair of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Space Enterprise Council, said the nascent space tourism industry is boosting the firm's space-related business. Posternak's clients include Los Angeles- and Washington-based Orbital Outfitters Inc., a year-old company that makes civilian space suits.<br /><br />Posternak's space law team also includes a corporate lawyer and an international trade lawyer who specializes in helping space industry companies navigate international regulatory issues.<br /><br />"The hope is the demand for tourism will result in a number of different kinds of rockets that will be able to launch on demand," Sattler said.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:85%;">* * *<br />IMAGE: Peter Nesgos of Milbank; Rosanna Sattler of Posternak. </span>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-18713144227361081822007-12-10T09:20:00.000-08:002007-12-10T08:24:42.194-08:00Zero G, Zero Tax in Virginia<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Virginia is at it again, moving forward with proposed ground-breaking new space law designed to boost commercial space industry. And what better way to encourage business than new tax breaks and incentives. As my pal <a href="http://spaceports.blogspot.com/2007/12/virginia-technology-alliance-endorses.html">Jack Kennedy reports</a> over on Spaceports blog, Virginia's <em><a href="http://jcots.state.va.us/2007%20Content/Materials/5750D.pdf">Zero G, Zero Tax</a></em> proposal is on the agenda for endorsement today by the Virginia Joint Commission on Technology and Science (JCOTS).<br /><br />In a nutshell, the proposed bill, would "exempt state taxation on gross income earned from commercial spaceflight launches from the </span><a href="http://www.marsspaceport.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport </span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">and income gained from spaceflight training activities from a Virginia airport or spaceport."<br /><br />Here are the provisions (see </span><a href="http://jcots.state.va.us/2007%20Content/Materials/5750D.pdf"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">bluelining</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> on pages 7 and 22-23), (and yes some of the language initially appeared in an earlier draft of the historic </span><a href="http://spacelawprobe.blogspot.com/2007/04/virginia-makes-space-law-history.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Virginia Spaceflight Liability and Immunity Act </span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">which became law July 1 of this year):<br /><br /></span><blockquote><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">33. For taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2009, any gain recognized from the sale of launch services to space flight participants, as defined in 49 U.S.C. § 70102, or launch services intended to provide individuals the training or experience of a launch, without performing an actual launch. To qualify for a deduction under this subdivision, launch services must be performed in Virginia or originate from an airport or spaceport in Virginia.<br /><br />34. For taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2009, any gain recognized as a result of 169 resupply services contracts for delivering payload, as defined in 49 U.S.C. § 70102, entered into with the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services division of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or other space flight entity, as defined in § 8.01-227.8, and launched from an airport or spaceport in Virginia.<br /><br /><br />22. For taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2009, any gain recognized from the sale of launch services to space flight participants, as defined in 49 U.S.C. § 70102, or launch services intended to provide individuals the training or experience of a launch, without performing an actual launch. To qualify for a deduction under this subdivision, launch services must be performed in Virginia or originate from an airport or spaceport in Virginia.<br /><br /><br />23. For taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2009, any gain recognized as a result of resupply services contracts for delivering payload, as defined in 49 U.S.C. § 70102, entered into with the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services division of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or other space flight entity, as defined in § 8.01-227.8, and launched from an airport or spaceport in Virginia.<br /></span></blockquote><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Another first of its kind piece of state space legislation.<br /><br />Jack notes lawmakers who have agreed to back the proposal include House of Delegates democratic and republican caucus chairs, members of the House Finance Committee, as well as folks on the </span><a href="http://mid-atlanticregionalspaceport.blogspot.com/2007/11/governor-appoints-aerospace-advisory.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Virginia Aerospace Advisory Council</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">. Going forward he says the bill is expected to be refered to the House Finance Committee for a hearing and an initial vote in late January. Thanks, Jack. And we will certainly continue to keep an eye on far-sighted pro-space lawmaking over in the Commonwealth. </span>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-50175829323334339982007-12-07T14:50:00.000-08:002007-12-07T14:51:47.330-08:00Mojave report corrected<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Leave it to Professor Reynolds:<br />---------------------------<br /></span><a href="http://instapundit.com/archives2/012641.phphttp://instapundit.com/archives2/012641.php"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">MOJAVE SPACEPORT UPDATE:</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> Earlier I noted a </span><a href="http://www.avpress.com/n/06/1206_s4.hts" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">report</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> noted by Rand Simberg and several other space bloggers that the Mojave Space Port was in danger of closure by the FAA. I also emailed Patricia Smith, the FAA's Associate Adminstrator for Commercial Space Transportation. She responds: "The report is totally inaccurate."<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I'm very happy to hear that, and very grateful for the swift reply.<br />---------------------------<br />We are too. Thanks, Glenn. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">UPDATE: I agree with Rand, at this time "a more expansive, and clarifying response" is in order. He quite reasonably asks, "What, if anything, is going on?" Indeed. Patti? Stu? More info please.</span>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-43827132480461290122007-12-07T14:02:00.000-08:002008-12-10T18:54:36.979-08:00Civil space policy and the "Spunik moment"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-x69HGdr0emeHGY1GMd5SXideVLUjY2nStCH1HF5w-pBPi3XWI-XhlJwBMOl-TdV315FnX4giCwaUrl6Q_nLkYLYZBWgd_u3VkUPg2OdFO7Pyi2q1pSGLsXUYCE0_r8WipTOkA/s1600-h/sputnik1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141344668359741410" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-x69HGdr0emeHGY1GMd5SXideVLUjY2nStCH1HF5w-pBPi3XWI-XhlJwBMOl-TdV315FnX4giCwaUrl6Q_nLkYLYZBWgd_u3VkUPg2OdFO7Pyi2q1pSGLsXUYCE0_r8WipTOkA/s200/sputnik1.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Here is a nice little 30-pager of a stocking stuffer for that civil space policy lover on your holiday shopping list (and who doesn't fit that description?): </span><a href="http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34263_20071203.pdf"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">U.S. Civilian Space Policy Priorities: Reflections 50 Years After Sputnik</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (Dec. 3, 2007). From the festive folks at Congressional Research Service, who else?<br /><br />I am not sure how much of this is at all revelatory, especially after all the nonstop Sputnik 50th anniversary reflection this year, but basically, CRS overviews:<br /><br /></span><blockquote><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">No Sputnik moment, Cold War, or space race exists to help policymakers clarify the goals of the nation’s civilian space program. The Hubble telescope, Challenger and Columbia space shuttle disasters, and Mars exploration rovers frame the experience of current generations, in contrast to the Sputnik launch and the U.S. Moon landings that form the experience of older generations. As a result, some experts have called for new 21st century space policy objectives and priorities to replace those developed 50 years ago.</span></blockquote><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">A <em>Sputnik moment</em> of course, is "a rapid national response that quickly mobilizes major policy change as opposed to a response of inaction or incremental policy change. The term is also used to question inaction — as in whether or not the nation is prepared to respond to a challenge without an initiating Sputnik moment."<br /><br />Well? Bring it on.<br /><br />* * *<br />UPDATE: Here is a </span><a href="http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/space/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a04ce340e-4b63-4d23-9695-d49ab661f385Post%3a5024063a-bb67-480b-bf5a-02a3b584775d"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">quick summary</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> of the report, from <em>Aviation Week</em>. (Link via NASA Watch.) I am now ready for an eggnog moment. </span>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-84753938765997619402007-12-06T12:14:00.000-08:002008-12-10T18:54:37.168-08:00Mojave Spaceport Under FAA Scrutiny<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNtqk8ZlbpTkCnMnR34YKVuD7rFbxk0kKjLZBQMSlA3XB1fiQPErwVkOWkPsoTwtQWuY36L0qBJgNAcJFdB1SuHaWprQDikeBMeZmAluFdxayZWCvp2VbrElES-arhzqdyP3p7g/s1600-h/mojavelaunchlicensex.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140899939596185058" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNtqk8ZlbpTkCnMnR34YKVuD7rFbxk0kKjLZBQMSlA3XB1fiQPErwVkOWkPsoTwtQWuY36L0qBJgNAcJFdB1SuHaWprQDikeBMeZmAluFdxayZWCvp2VbrElES-arhzqdyP3p7g/s400/mojavelaunchlicensex.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Following the fatal accident at <a href="http://www.mojaveairport.com/">Mojave Air and Space Port</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> in July, a big question on the regulatory side was what if anything, would <a href="http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/">FAA/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">AST</span></a> do?<br /><br />Less than a week after the </span><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19983814/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">tragic explosion</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> during a test at Mojave that took the lives of three and seriously injured three other Scaled Composites workers, FAA/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">AST</span> chief Patti Smith told <em>Space News</em> her office would </span><a href="http://www.space.com/spacenews/070806_busmon_scaled_faa.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">defer to state authorities</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> including California Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigating the accident who, she said, "indicate this was an industrial accident, a fuel-flow test gone terribly wrong."<br /><br />Smith said: "It was not a launch accident. It was not a flight accident. It was not directly related to vehicle performance or passenger involvement."<br /><br />But now her office wants more information from the spaceport. And Mojave's </span><a href="http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/SS1_spaceport_040618.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">license,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> issued by FAA June 17, 2004, may be in jeopardy. Here is </span><a href="http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2007/12/05/mojave-spaceport-troubles/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Leonard David's blog report:</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><br /></span><div><blockquote><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Looks like a battle brewing over future use of the Mojave Spaceport, home site for development of the suborbital <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">SpaceShipTwo</span> and other private space ventures.<br /><br />According to Bill <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Deaver</span>, editor/publisher of the <em><a href="http://desertnews.com/">Mojave Desert News</a></em>, an above the fold story in his paper [full text not available online --<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">JL</span>] is reporting that Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) bureaucracy threatens the Mojave Air and Space Port.<br /><br />At the heart of the issue are requests for information apparently due to two explosions at the airport earlier this year. One of those involved propulsion/fueling equipment for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">SpaceShipTwo</span> program under development by Scaled Composites. That accident in July claimed the lives of workers on the project.<br /><br />The newspaper reports that Stuart Witt, General Manager of the Mojave Air and Space Port, has stated the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">AST</span>) has threatened to suspend or revoke their spaceport license.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">AST</span> officials want information on fuels to be used in space vehicles currently under development at the spaceport, along with information on how far away the materials must be stored from other airport activities.<br /><br />Another <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">AST</span> demand, the newspaper also reports, centered on how local space operations would comply with national fire code rules. However, according to Witt, the newspaper states, information on fuels is not available as rocket groups at the spaceport are not that far along on their current design and development process.<br /><br />“I think it’s time for us to make a trip to Washington to meet with members of Congress,” the newspaper quotes Witt as saying.<br /><br />Sure to be more coming in the days to come on this spaceport situation.</span></blockquote><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">It's not clear what Congress might be expected to do for the spaceport. Given <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">AST's</span> well-earned rep for being uncompromising on public safety while, in equal measure, fair and supportive with the young an growing industry it oversees, there should be some hope for a positive outcome. </span></div>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-53970056622097822682007-12-05T11:32:00.000-08:002008-12-10T18:54:37.315-08:00Euro space station law<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4G-PZCVQmbFg3lciGx3Cj1gWzJrw4uXdhzU1NtOlRhGhUfqJ6MTgRZySY2ADkoOKZF_Z0tXpGideDS64ORFjSIdKKiGE4Q5vVvC-aCWtfQWr36GW5JW7VCWcHB-R81MSHtuIuHg/s1600-h/columbus.gif"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140508191334149538" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4G-PZCVQmbFg3lciGx3Cj1gWzJrw4uXdhzU1NtOlRhGhUfqJ6MTgRZySY2ADkoOKZF_Z0tXpGideDS64ORFjSIdKKiGE4Q5vVvC-aCWtfQWr36GW5JW7VCWcHB-R81MSHtuIuHg/s200/columbus.gif" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">As NASA prepares for liftoff of </span><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts122/index.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">STS-122 </span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> scheduled for tomorrow, Dec 6th, the mission to deliver the European Space Agency's </span><a href="http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Columbus/index.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Columbus Laboratory</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> to the International Space Station, Jeremy Hsu has a good overview of law on the 4.5-metre diameter cylindrical lab now tucked into cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Atlantis that is to be Europe's "biggest single contribution" to the ISS: </span><a href="http://www.space.com/071204-columbus-spacelaw.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Europe Lays Down the Law for New Space Lab.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (Space.com)<br /><br />Take a quick read. After all, legal issues are bound to come up during 10-year projected lifespan of Columbus. Prof. Frans von der Dunk (who wrote the 2006 book, </span><a href="http://www.brill.nl/product_id25823.htm"><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">The International Space Station Commercial Utilisation from a European Legal Perspective</span></em></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">) and others explain the simple Columbus lab legal basics of criminal jurisdiction, civil liability and intellectual property.<br /><br />And review the general </span><a href="http://www.esa.int/esaHS/ESAH7O0VMOC_iss_0.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">legal framework for the International Space Station.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><br /><br />By the way, ESA has a new </span><a href="http://webservices.esa.int/page.php"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Columbus Blog,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> posting reports on delivery of Columbus lab and throughout the mission.<br /><br />And of course, NASA's hot new webstation has </span><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/topics/shuttle_station/index.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">all the latest on the mission.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> </span><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Godspeed Atlantis and Columbus.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> </p><br /><br /></span>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-31100268107910629242007-12-04T10:45:00.000-08:002008-12-10T18:54:37.711-08:00Just say no humans<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjyvU7ImnL6HUVa_JfxAoQG-qXH4d1AiWJ09oaIbo_A7oae0PViMtpx2PQkzTLaoENd3V7dq-MXiNP9_FZeaqVaeIXV67BMG3p07SxWHRt8Vo_t9-Smn6zrwSUyWu1BuUGUuVhZA/s1600-r/marspicnic.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139867491503582754" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfl95bFExI3QnAgNXCFCHfWTcV5ZzQq_2vmxcG-OG4bdfzQBKEeLMg5t_4yNKrqdaexmtzi56fTnLr9f-EtsJY2HsVK24yhYnDLAg8EwPTHma_kSOwTZ_hb_yclcTHZC3owBpAOg/s320/marspicnic.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Want to really ban humans from Mars? In response to the anti-human provision in NASA funding bill </span><a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:h.r.3093:"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">HR 3093</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> ("Provided, That none of the funds under this heading shall be used for any research, development, or demonstration activities related exclusively to the human exploration of Mars...."), Michael Huang, for one, has some advice: "If the anti-human-spaceflight community is serious about eliminating humans in space, it should write a better law. And no messing around this time:<br /><br /></span><blockquote><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Provided, That no funds shall be used for anything that has, does or will directly result in humans, human-derived beings or human-like objects existing at an altitude higher than 100 kilometers above sea level on planet Earth."</span></em></blockquote><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Short of that, Michael, thinking like a <em>pro</em>-human space lawyer, suggests some clever ways to </span><a href="http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1012/1"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">beat the ban of humans on Mars,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> should it become law (<em>The Space Review</em>).<br /><br />(And of course, human space explorers funded by, for example, China, or other nations, as well as non-NASA funded humans from the US and anywhere else, would remian free to go.)<br /><br />Meanwhile, I warn Michael, he's gonna get a lot of e-mail on this from some seriously irate robots.<br /><br />* * *<br />IMAGE: Courtesy Firstscience.com. </span>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-53748896880153246492007-12-04T09:56:00.000-08:002007-12-04T06:57:19.035-08:00Coming Storm<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">To our collection of holiday party dates and invitations, it's not too early too add, from ProSpace, the "citizens' space lobby dedicated to opening the space frontier," the </span><a href="http://www.prospace.org/?q=node/10"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">2008 March Storm Invitation.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Congress is expecting us.<br /><br />------------------<br />Quoting </span><a href="http://www.prospace.org/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">ProSpace</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> quoting Margaret Mead: <em>Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.</em><br /></span>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-45678230807199568292007-12-03T13:50:00.000-08:002008-12-10T18:54:38.060-08:00The V-Prize Vision<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuDZYJ9SzQTDJm4ay4J4dyLPAtHCzxuDZINZJw6Qp5iZiKKhUZmomiug1e_9eUROrVkgShd2aApmHy5CNE1fwWwzimzXqsRN18Jtr2xM4RulSbcaW8MFvZgd0wtykaVJIMKf1eA/s1600-r/vprize.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139816600436092434" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEpMdQKhaqDkG_6nYK0TClKoeX0DebqGQ-6Epsh0W55P6EiRsg97Kar7uTkux4OBvHDk6EhDNHr_q9W86y-z9WdGKuzO-UcPgh5FWgwUNW59gd3tQxqzB72P7rLaq8vuzpMQM4Fg/s320/vprize.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">"V" is for Virginia. And Virginia is for space. Tune in to the <em>Virginia Report,</em> hosted by member of the Virginia House of Delegates, Ken Plum (36th District), for the videocast, </span><a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2879076904056941123&q=Challenge+to+the+Commercial+Space+Community&pr=goog-sl"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Challenge to the Commercial Space Community,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (approx. 28 minutes) featuring Washington, D.C. space and tech lawyer </span><a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2879076904056941123&q=Challenge+to+the+Commercial+Space+Community&pr=goog-sl"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Jim Dunstan</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> of Garvey Schubert Barer, along with Virginia "Teacher in Space" </span><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/researchernews/rn_seals.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Megan Seals</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> discussing newspace and the </span><a href="http://www.v-prize.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">V-Prize.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> modeled after the Orteig Prize won by Charles Lindbergh and the Ansari X Prize won by Burt Rutan, this time the challenge is point-to-point suborbital spaceflight: "to create a vehicle capable of launching from Virginia and land in Europe in approximately a hour."<br /><br />Jim and Megan confirm the V-Prize rules will be released by late 2008. Jim notes that the long lead time item will be negotiations with foreign governments. "You can't announce the prize until you announce the destination." And Jim specifies the rules will be written as flexibly as possible "to let the genius that's out there flourish."<br /><br />Jim noted that unlike the X-Prize, for which the entrants were all start-ups, V-Prize has received interest not just from start-ups but established aerospace companies who are thinking in an entrepreneurial fashion.<br /><br />Customers of the technology are expected to include, for example, FedEx and the US military.<br /><br />What puts the state of Virginia ahead of the commercial space curve? For one thing, they've got Wallops Island. And Jim notes, of course, Virginia's groundbreaking </span><a href="http://spacelawprobe.blogspot.com/2007/04/virginia-makes-space-law-history.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Spaceflight Liability and Immunity Act</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> calling it part of the equation for turning Virgina into "a gateway for a spacefaring nation."<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Lots more to come from the space Commonwealth. Stay tuned for V-Prize updates and other developments via Virginia space lawyer Jack Kennedy's <a href="http://spaceports.blogspot.com/">Spaceports</a> blog; and for a bit more background, see </span><a href="http://www.thespacereview.com/article/940/1"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">The V-Prize: one hour to Europe</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> <em>The Space Review,</em> Aug. 27, 2007. </span>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-48943029369298302002007-11-30T16:21:00.000-08:002008-12-10T18:54:38.398-08:00Friday Flybys - 11.30.07<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOgf62cVVLqgSXiJ1B5JNwXkWr1b7W0RGo_d6fQdfdmByYHq4QDkzAxqy7g4BCtlYcAjA4WPc6GKbx49eMp7-ZYu6eVidMSEH7IgOXeSNj7Q3DHC6qKj6KT2oF-ipSEy4Lg9TnXw/s1600-r/falcominfrontofFAA.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138451719325530770" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZEdRElIxk3MIXg7PdfkbkuCiGPmPW-35dePB2Rupd9hX08a3G3iRU8LLtJk265LihyphenhyphenvOow4tmfODEfzMmAI9Asx5iqBTlSbgIUfN6EleTmLm_ea1xfbrhpPRRAdb9S5H68iH_eQ/s320/falcominfrontofFAA.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">First, SLP joins folks around the globe including everybody here in blogspace in congratulating CNSA and the people of China on the success of the lunar probe Chang'e I. And thanks for the lovely </span><a href="http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/n615709/n620682/n639462/132125.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Moon image.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><br /><br />祝贺 ;)<br /><br />Now, in typically random fashion, the <em>Flybys</em> (and on an actual <em>Friday</em>, yet ... what is <em>getting into</em> this blog?)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">GAO Space: Yes, for GAO report mavens (and who among us is not one?) here is the prosaically titled, </span><a href="http://democrats.science.house.gov/Media/File/Reports/Ares1_GAOrep_2007nov29.pdf"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">NASA Agency Has Taken Steps Toward Making Sound Investment Decisions for Ares I but Still Faces Challenging Knowledge Gaps,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> dig in. (GAO-08-51 Oct. 2007.) Or you can read </span><a href="http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=4974#c"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">this comment</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> on Hobbyspace. And here is House Science and Technology Committee chairman Bart Gordon's (D-TN) </span><a href="http://science.house.gov/press/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=2045"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">reaction</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> to the "mix of good news and not-so-good news." (Hat tip: NASA Watch)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">COMSTAC minutes: The </span></span><a href="http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/industry/advisory_committee/meeting_news/media/Oct%202007%20COMSTAC%20Minutes.pdf"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Oct 11th meeting,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> in which Deputy Secretary of Transportation Thomas J. Barrett said "commercial space transportation generates $100 billion of economic activity and supports half a million jobs." Wow. (Unfortunately he offered no estimate regarding what portion of all this may go to space lawyers.)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">This blog is not Space Medicine Probe: But an interesting item (among a bunch of other interesting stuff) from the above-mentioned meeting minutes -- George Nield noted AST will be signing a Memorandum of Cooperation with </span><a href="http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/avs/offices/aam/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> which has been helping AST with medical safety issues and training. An astro-apple a day...<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Google NASA: Two years after signing a memorandum of understanding, followed by a Space Act Agreement, <em>SF Gate</em> has an </span><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/15/BU85SK0QM.DTL"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">update on the collaboration</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> between Earth's biggest space agency and, you know, that nice little company we've all seen here and there on the Internet.<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Launch talk: If you missed Satellite TODAY's showcase of interviews with executives of a top launch service providers, catch up now with </span><a href="http://www.satellitetoday.com/webexclusives/19203.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Rob Peckham</span></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> of Sea Launch, </span><a href="http://www.satellitetoday.com/webexclusives/19202.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Jean-Yves Le Gall</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> of Arianespace, </span><a href="http://www.satellitetoday.com/webexclusives/19204.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Ken Heinly</span></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> of Boeing, </span><a href="http://www.satellitetoday.com/webexclusives/19201.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Frank McKenna</span></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> of ILS, </span><a href="http://www.satellitetoday.com/webexclusives/19206.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">G Madhavan Nair</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> of ISRO and </span><a href="http://www.satellitetoday.com/webexclusives/19205.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">David Markham</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> of Lockheed Martin -- talking about market issues and more.<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Fun with space station law: Don't worry if you missed the Slashdot rockin' discussion on </span><a href="http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/07/1644216"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">whose law applies on ISS</span></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> which did generate hundreds of comments, most but not all of which were along the lines of "Space truly is the final frontier [of litigation]" and "when the Borg attack I shall use lawyers as my shield." Really.<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Space radio deal follies: <em>Washington Post</em> slams NAB for submitting thousands of anti-merger e-mails to FCC that may have been </span><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/21/AR2007112102149_pf.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">generated by pop-up ads.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (Not exactly a new tactic: fake citizen lobbying of lawmakers.) There are better ways to contest a merger. Meanwhile, Bear Stearns, for one, is reporting that a DOJ decision on the deal could come by Monday. (Followed of course by FCC's ruling.) Antennas up.<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">More air than space: From the ABA Forum on Air & Space Law's gathering in Memphis, Tennessee last month, here are the </span><a href="http://www.dot.gov/affairs/shanesp100407.htm"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">remarks of Jeffrey N. Shane,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> Department of Transportation Under Secretary for Policy, who begins with some interesting comments about space. But then veers off into...air. (We get that a lot.)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Hot event reminder: </span><a href="http://www.spacelaw.olemiss.edu/activitiesandevents/2007/Galloway_Agenda.pdf"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">The 2nd Eilene M. Galloway Symposium on Critical Issues in Space Law - International Civil Space Cooperation: Obstacles and Opportunities </span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">, Dec. 6th, at the Cosmos Club, Washington D.C. (like </span><a href="http://www.spacelaw.olemiss.edu/activitiesandevents/2006/Galloway_Event_2006_large.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">last year</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">). It's not too late to </span><a href="http://www.spacelaw.olemiss.edu/Galloway_Event_2007_Registration.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">register.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (Or, if you show up at the last minute, bring a NY Mets t-shirt for Joanne and she may let you in ;). Another excellent offering from our friends in Mississippi.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=96553"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Spaceport at Cecil Field:</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> The Jacksonville Aviation Authority "is about six months away from filing its final piece of paperwork." (Hat tip: HobbySpace.) (And I want a spaceport in </span><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7530/685/1600/FuturamaNewYorkMunicipalSpaceport.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">my hometown</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> too.)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Owen's satellites: Telecom counsel Owen Kurtin of Dickstein Shapiro has a year-end overview of "</span><a href="http://www.satellitetoday.com/via/dollarsandsense/21600.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">satellite industry subsectors and where they are going.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (Hi, Owen.)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Shana blogs </span><a href="http://www.comspacewatch.com/news/viewsr.rss.html?pid=25942"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">NASA and Small Business.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Moon musings: Frans G. Von der Dunk's "The Moon Agreement and the Prospect of Commercial Exploitation of Lunar Resources" </span><a href="http://www.mcgill.ca/iasl/annals/contents/2007-01/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Annals of Air and Space Law</em> Vol. XXXII (2007)</span></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (subscription) (Hi, Frans!)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Elect space: Alas, so many lawyers but so few space lawyers running for president. Of course, Mike Huckabee is not the first guy running for high office to suggest putting a lawyer </span><a href="http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/11/29/huckabee-floats-idea-of-sending-hillary-clinton-to-space/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">on the first rocket to Mars.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> I leave it to other bloggers to analyse the space policy and spending plans (no to mention other positions) of the candidates. (I'll try restraint.) Meanwhile, Slate's Emily Bazelon reports on the </span><a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2177688/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">lawyers who are advising the lawyer-candidates.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> That's right, none of the legal advisers are space lawyers either. (Hat tip: Carolyn Elefant.)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Entrepreneurship 101: Rocky Persaud, Chair of the Canadian Space Commerce Association, says </span><a href="http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1007/1"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">space startups need a business accelerator.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (<em>The Space Review</em>, Nov 26, 2007.) And I would add, good legal advice, too.<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Speaking of entrepreneurship, SLP concurs -- no better role model than this guy: </span><a href="http://www.inc.com/magazine/20071201/entrepreneur-of-the-year-elon-musk.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Elon Musk is Entrepreneur of the Year.</span></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (And Auntie Jesse says, big congrats to the father of triplets!)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Biggest law firm in the US: Surprise, it's </span><a href="http://www.dlapiper.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">DLA Piper,</span></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> topping the </span><a href="http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1194516246671"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">2007 NLJ chart</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (sub. req'd.) with 3,623 attorneys, edging past Baker & McKenzie which was the number one biggest firm (that's in in number of lawyers, not necessarily revenues or profits) for almost 30 years. But do they do space law? </span><a href="http://www.dlapiper.com/aerospace/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Yup.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Congratulations to Tanja Masson-Zwaan on becoming president of the </span><a href="http://www.iafastro-iisl.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">International Institute of Space Law</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (as of Jan. 1, 2008)! Looking forward to lots more great things, as always, from IISL.<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">COTS second round: </span><a href="http://www.spacehab.com/news/2007/07_11_29.htm"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">SPACEHAB</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> and </span><a href="http://www.transformspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=news.view&newsid=8D34F05A-E7F7-11C1-74E37AB2DBDA99CC"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">t/space.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (Hat tips: Clark Lindsey.)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Speaking of COTS, this blog is not Space War Probe: But the third quarter issue of </span><a href="http://www.milsatmagazine.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">MilsatMagazine</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> focuses on COTS business.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.space.com/spacenews/071126-new-space-markets.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Newspace and the "Netscape moment":</span></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> Leonard David overviews things (<em>Space News</em>).<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">V-Prize visions: Zip over to lawyer and great guy Jack Kennedy's <a href="http://spaceports.blogspot.com/2007/11/v-prize-challenge-to-commercial-space.html">Spaceports,</a> for v-cool news on the </span><a href="http://www.vprize.org/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">V-Prize challenge.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> Much more on all this v-biz to come.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=24154"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">HSPD-12 litigation update:</span></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments Dec. 5th on the injunction "in the case of 28 Caltech employees at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory who filed suit to prevent unreasonable personal background checks." Briefs and responses </span><a href="http://www.hspd12jpl.org/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">here.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> Really, NASA. How about checking into the background of the universe instead.<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Galileo deal: </span><a href="http://www.spacepolitics.com/2007/11/27/galileo-deal-reached/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Jeff Foust has an update.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.spaceinvestmentsummit.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Space Investment Summit 3,</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> Dec. 5-6, 2007 in San Jose, CA. No bucks, no Buck Rogers.<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Big Mr. B: <em>Air & Space's</em> </span><a href="http://www.airspacemag.com/issues/2008/december-january/bigelow.php?page=1"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">profile of Robert Bigelow</span></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> includes some insights into the company's dealings with NASA in connection with the licensing of Transhab technology. Mike Gold, Bigelow’s corporate counsel in Washington said NASA had been "resistant to private sector development," and more cooperative during the transfer process. Now, Mike says, NASA's relations with Bigelow are "excellent." Also metioned are Bigelow's own patents. Dig in.<br /><br /></span><li><a href="http://www.hhlaw.com/geoberst/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Gerry Oberst</span></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> of Hogan & Hartson on </span><a href="http://www.satellitetoday.com/via/globalreg/21595.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Protecting C-Band Satellite Operations.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">LOST in space: I did not know about this but an astute SLP reader (and aren't they all?) sends over a link to this </span><a href="http://www.nss.org/legislative/NSS-LoST-WhitePaper.pdf"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">NSS White Paper: Rejecting the Law of the Sea Treaty (LoST)</span></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (Oct 2007). Their position: "The National Space Society believes that the United States should reject the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, also known as the Law of the Sea Treaty (LoST). We believe that the Senate should not ratify LoST because it subjects the U.S. and other nations to unnecessary and counterproductive international authority; sets a bad precedent for signing other, more restrictive “common heritage of mankind” treaties; inhibits the future development of space resources; and is in fact unnecessary since the U.S. already complies with the portions of the Treaty that do NOT inhibit resource development." (Thanks, Reginald.)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Whose our blog daddy? Yes, a </span><a href="http://www.law.utk.edu/faculty/facultyreynolds.htm"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">space law professor</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> who also wrote the top selling space law book on Amazon (among only a few zillion other things) <em>is</em> the world's </span><a href="http://2007.weblogawards.org/polls/best-individual-blogger-1.php"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">best individual blogger.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> But only in his spare time. (And </span><a href="http://instapundit.com/archives/024572.php"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">yes</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> he reads Space Law Probe.)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Trivia: What is the ringtone on Bob Bigelow's cell phone? (You can ask Mike Gold, but according to <em>Air & Space,</em> it's <em>Yippie-yi-yo, Yippie-yi-yay</em>, the chorus from the 'cowboy ballad' </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riders_in_the_Sky:_A_Cowboy_Legend"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Ghostriders in the Sky.</span></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">)<br /><br /></span><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Finally, the joke about "a blood-sucking mosquito lawyer" in <em><a href="http://www.beemovie.com/">Bee Movie</a></em>, (as referenced today by brave Peter Lattman in the WSJ's Law Blog) is not about space lawyer.<br /><br />That's it. Enjoy this Hubble </span><a href="http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2007/41/image/a/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">holiday image</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> of the nearby spiral galaxy M74 "resembling festive lights on a holiday wreath." (Via Alan Boyle at </span><a href="http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/11/29/488701.aspx"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Cosmic Log</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">.)<br /><br />And have a probing weekend.<br /><br />* * *<br />IMAGE: In honor of Elon Musk, I had to pull out this great shot of Falcon in front of FAA in Washington. Love it. (But hey SpaceX, SLP supports whatever you guys do, just don't try to park that thing in front of my building on 78th Street in Manhattan.)</span></li>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-57113450796493901302007-11-29T09:04:00.000-08:002008-12-10T18:54:38.558-08:00Luncheon with Patti Grace Smith<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDBrPBA_rzk-g9ZvHIp2SVdb4tV4h3mpbEuiKFdKOhh3RKq1XhLIyqUZq93uqjSaracXlV_PErnJdBMCvWwXYwhlT6J9pa2YwobdXVAieJkcdg5uhE-PVwSuEWO0H8mqpy4nU68A/s1600-h/wsbr-logo.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137920049618926194" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDBrPBA_rzk-g9ZvHIp2SVdb4tV4h3mpbEuiKFdKOhh3RKq1XhLIyqUZq93uqjSaracXlV_PErnJdBMCvWwXYwhlT6J9pa2YwobdXVAieJkcdg5uhE-PVwSuEWO0H8mqpy4nU68A/s320/wsbr-logo.gif" border="0" /></a><font face="trebuchet ms" size="2">Pull up a chair at the </font><a href="http://www.wsbr.org/"><font face="trebuchet ms" size="2">Washington Space Business Roundtable</font></a><font face="trebuchet ms" size="2"> lunch on Thursday, Dec. 6th as the always appetizing and nourishing FAA Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation, Patti Grace Smith, fills our space plates with her enriching insights on the tantalizing topic, <em>Future of Commercial Space</em>. Yum.<br /><br />That's at The University Club, University Hall, 1135 16th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. Here is your </font><a href="http://www.wsbr.org/documents/Patti%20Grace%20Smith%202.doc"><font face="trebuchet ms" size="2">invitation and reservation form.</font></a><font face="trebuchet ms" size="2"><br /><br />* * *<br />Also on the lunch menu at WSBR -- which of course is the "leadership forum for the promotion of commercial space business and education" -- this Friday, Nov 30th, Jean-Yves Le Gall Chairman & CEO of Arianespace will be chewing on the topic <em><a href="http://www.wsbr.org/documents/Le%20Gall%20fnl.doc">From Sputnik to High Def</a></em>. And coming January 24th, Robert Peckham, President and General Manager of Sea Launch will do lunch, topic to be arranged. Also, on Feb. 26th the WSBR "flagship lunch and silent auction" will feature Hamadoun Toure, Director General of ITU.<br /><br />Loosen your belt a few notches. (And who needs dessert?) </font></div>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-79348043706333016852007-11-28T12:47:00.000-08:002008-12-10T18:54:38.809-08:00"Law or war"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDTHjmWGZ80cwA7CFHA7bb8w4Wa5qZq6ilN6X-XAAH6ryA3aryIWsLdFR4Oi-UaoCEbGelU0eh9a1fZXiBBEbw8kY8Zv70d2Sv2webtLAtN8r4KKJSePmcm05QqpZGX4nj2hVNEg/s1600-h/artic.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137944187335129730" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDTHjmWGZ80cwA7CFHA7bb8w4Wa5qZq6ilN6X-XAAH6ryA3aryIWsLdFR4Oi-UaoCEbGelU0eh9a1fZXiBBEbw8kY8Zv70d2Sv2webtLAtN8r4KKJSePmcm05QqpZGX4nj2hVNEg/s200/artic.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">As the ice melts, simmering international tensions over the frostbitten Artic heat up.<br /><br />This week in <em>Wired,</em> </span><a href="http://www.wired.com/science/space/magazine/15-12/st_essay"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">journalist Richard Morgan worries</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> that "what has gone unnoticed amid the international clamor is that the Arctic battle has implications that reach far beyond the top of Earth." Unnoticed? Not by space lawyers.<br /><br />Just ask the ever-quotable Prof. Joanne Gabrynowicz of the University of Mississippi her views on Earthly dealings over the frozen far north as precedent for addressing future claims to resources and land on the Moon. She instructs: "The recent Arctic events are relevant. The seabed, high seas, Antarctica, and space are, as a matter of law, global commons. What happens in one can be argued to be legal precedent in the others."<br /><br />And Joanne adds, "As I tell my students, when humans have a conflict there are only two options: to reach agreement or to fight. Even agreeing to disagree or doing nothing simply puts these options further into the future; it does not create additional options. At the level of nations, these options are law or war."<br /><br />We'll take more law any day.<br /><br />* * *<br />IMAGE: NASA</span>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9449868.post-7392973611140051662007-11-27T07:02:00.000-08:002008-12-10T18:54:38.878-08:00Sundahl on The Space Show<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPLiEMxF5neKy3pQ_VjnMPmPqNg-dT9e1TBKtngktQSv_u6A_tEIBqcNzPdZBrrYDY3z3EhQ5c6yQjseS5ObjY5kdcXwGJ9eqlo1bQINoYGaeyI55MTHuXsAqoclV6ituPGIVWA/s1600-h/SUNDAHL.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135106365003708994" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPLiEMxF5neKy3pQ_VjnMPmPqNg-dT9e1TBKtngktQSv_u6A_tEIBqcNzPdZBrrYDY3z3EhQ5c6yQjseS5ObjY5kdcXwGJ9eqlo1bQINoYGaeyI55MTHuXsAqoclV6ituPGIVWA/s200/SUNDAHL.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">That's right, another space lawyer lights up The Space Show. If you missed last Monday's edition of </span><a href="http://www.thespaceshow.com/detail.asp?q=835"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">the Show</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (Nov. 19, 2007) featuring the illustrious </span><a href="http://facultyprofile.csuohio.edu/csufacultyprofile/detail.cfm?FacultyID=M_SUNDAHL"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Dr. Mark Sundahl</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> talking about, you guessed it, UNIDROIT and the Space Assets Protocol to the Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment, along with of course other juicy topics in space law, no worries, you can </span><a href="http://archive.thespaceshow.com/shows/835-BWB-2007-11-19.mp3"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">listen now.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><br /><br />And you can talk with Mark about the Space Assets Protocol anytime, </span><a href="http://spacelawprobe.blogspot.com/2007/11/space-protocol-needs-industry-support.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">just drop him a note.</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> Tangentially, if you also want to chat a bit about, say, the minutiae of ancient Greek legal history (and who doesn't?), let him know, he's an expert on all that too.<br /><br />(And yes, Dr. David Livingston will continue to have members of the legal profession appear on his popular program, if only to fan the rumors, which I may have personally started, that our gracious multimedia Space Show host <em>likes </em>lawyers.) </span>Jesse Londinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16498818841422146325noreply@blogger.com