91
votes
Accepted
Why does NASA publish all the results/data it gets?
It's required to by the legislation that created it, the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958.
FUNCTIONS OF THE ADMINISTRATION
Sec. 203. (a) The Administration, in order to carry out the ...
- 178k
54
votes
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Is it legal to steal the American flag from the moon?
How to Protect and Preserve the Historic and Scientific Value of U.S. Government Lunar Artifacts summarizes the 1967 Outer Space Treaty thusly:
These recommendations are consistent with international ...
- 167k
42
votes
Why does NASA publish all the results/data it gets?
I drive by it every day... We do it for the benefit of all:
Really though, the government has a vested interest in making sure we (the United States) remain a technology leader in the world because ...
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42
votes
What crimes have been committed or attempted in space?
There's the following gem in the Apollo 13 transcript, regarding astronaut Jack Swigert:
024:18:10 CC
Okay. Some truck lines are being struck in the Midwest, and the school teachers have walked off ...
25
votes
What crimes have been committed or attempted in space?
The crew of Apollo 7 defied many orders from mission control, due to a crowded schedule, a lack of sleep, and the commander's head cold. Because all three were active members of the military at the ...
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24
votes
Why does NASA publish all the results/data it gets?
Because they're scientists, and publishing your results is what scientists do. There's a reason why the final step of basically every research methodology used in academia is "publish your results" (...
- 795
22
votes
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Is it possible to get married in space?
Many jurisdictions recognize weddings performed out-of-jurisdiction provided that those weddings are legal in the jurisdiction they're performed in. Unfortunately, there's no legal authority with ...
- 167k
22
votes
What crimes have been committed or attempted in space?
Does mutiny count? If so, then I submit an incident back in 1973 involving the Skylab 4 crew who, citing excessive work load and not enough rest, stopped communicating with the ground stations and did ...
- 321
19
votes
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What computer programs does ITAR say I can or can not write, or share, or use in the US?
With the exception of model rockets made of paper, wood, or breakable plastic, that are passively stabilized, that have low thrust and low delta V, and that do not have guidance software, launch ...
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18
votes
Is it legal to steal the American flag from the moon?
Possession is 9/10 of the law. If you somehow get there and steal the flag, it's not like any Space Marines are going to jump out from behind a crater rim. Law needs to be enforceable.
Maintaining ...
- 18k
16
votes
What decides if a launch has to be done instantaneously or during a window?
In the case of Falcon 9 / Orbcomm OG2 launch from SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL that's now scheduled for Dec. 20th at 8:29 p.m. EST (01:29 a.m. UTC), according to Spaceflight Now:
...
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16
votes
Accepted
What is stopping us from starting to terraform Mars right now?
A few of reasons for not mounting such a terraforming mission now are:
Cost-effectiveness. It's expensive to go to Mars, and simply throwing some seeds and fertilizer at the place is too unlikely to ...
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15
votes
Accepted
What orbital launch-site can I lawfully visit?
The United States launch sites are the most accessible, both in terms of location (near population centers and accessible) and political environment. Kennedy Space Center in particular is welcoming of ...
- 121k
13
votes
Accepted
moon structure ownership
There are two schools of thought discussed in Asteroid Mining: International and Legal Aspects by Frans G. von der Dunk:
Perspective 1: The US and countries like Luxembourg believe that any resources ...
13
votes
What crimes have been committed or attempted in space?
I believe this has not been settled in court yet, but astronaut Anne McClain has been accused of illegally accessing her estranged spouse's bank account from a computer on the ISS:
Then, earlier this ...
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12
votes
Would NASA be financially self-sufficient if it could keep all revenues from patents?
The question how much revenue might arise from a patent isn't something that can generally be proved or disproved (except sometimes in retrospect).
Bear in mind, though, that the Apollo program was ...
- 1,102
12
votes
Would NASA be financially self-sufficient if it could keep all revenues from patents?
This is actually built on a false premise. NASA can, and does, charge for patent usage. See this page for what it takes to get a NASA patent license. Note this:
including higher royalties
Or this ...
- 121k
11
votes
What orbital launch-site can I lawfully visit?
I'm not sure if it'd be exciting enough for you, but I visited Tanegashima with a friend in January 2013. It's a bit of a way off the west end of Japan, but not quite as far as Okinawa. They mostly do ...
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11
votes
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Does the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty apply to nuclear pulse propulsion and its use in outer space?
Using nuclear power, for any reason whatsoever, is looked upon with great suspicion by the existing nations with nuclear capabilities. There are a lot of countries, including the US, that are ...
11
votes
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Can I make a completely ITAR-free spaceship?
No
Here's what ITAR says about launch vehicles
Category IV - Launch Vehicles, Guided Missiles, Ballistic Missiles, Rockets, Torpedoes, Bombs, and Mines
(a) Rockets, space launch vehicles (...
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11
votes
Accepted
Can the Indian government ask SpaceX to pay for bandwidth usage in its airspace?
In order to transmit from a country, one must have a license to do so, with the exception of some spaces without specific owners, like WiFi's 2.4 GHz that allows small narrow transition can work. It ...
- 121k
10
votes
At what height does it become international territory / outer space, instead of state-controlled air territory?
There is no internationally agreed-upon definition of "outer space", or delimitation between outer space and airspace. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty does not contain a definition of the term "outer ...
- 1,428
10
votes
Is it possible to get married in space?
After reviewing the Canon Law, it should be possible to get married in space in a way accepted by the Catholic Church. Many countries accept a Catholic marriage as valid into their own jurisdiction ...
- 201
10
votes
Accepted
Might ISRO's 2018-004 launch be at least a technical violation of the Outer Space Treaty by India?
Sorry for being a few weeks late to this, but hopefully I can shed some light on how to think about it.
The ISRO launch of these satellites is legally problematic in several ways.
First, and as ...
- 1,428
10
votes
Accepted
Do owners of reentering spacecraft notify the countries' whose airspace they are likely to violate and seek permission?
tl;dr:
Do owners of reentering spacecraft notify the countries' whose airspace they are likely to violate and seek permission?
No, there is no requirement for notification, and in most instances ...
- 4,444
10
votes
Accepted
What protocol is in place if an astronaut kills another astronaut in or around the ISS?
There are two things about such an action that must be considered: what happens on the station itself so that the crew can protect themselves, and what happens once the crew returns.
To the first ...
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10
votes
Can the Indian government ask SpaceX to pay for bandwidth usage in its airspace?
The answer is No, largely based on the fact that India is a signatory to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. If you pick a country that didn’t sign any of the patchwork of treaties covering space, it could ...
- 1,231
9
votes
Is it illegal for a private citizen of the US to own and operate an orbital kinetic weapons platform?
The legal definition of "Weapon of Mass Destruction" in US law is quite broad (see https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2009/04/definition_of_w.html ), and an orbital kinetic weapon definitely ...
- 167k
9
votes
Is there any regulation against sending stuff to space that you don't need there, like the Tesla roadster?
Yes, there are regulations, they have all been observed.
SpaceX needed a boilerplate payload to showcase Falcon 9 Heavy. Something was going to go up there. So, the premise of your question is wrong, ...
- 6,906
9
votes
Might ISRO's 2018-004 launch be at least a technical violation of the Outer Space Treaty by India?
The satellites were launched on a vehicle operated by the indian government, with (at least implicit) permission of India.
This is clearly not a violation of the Outer Space Treaty, it only means ...
- 1,172
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