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Whose Laws Apply On the ISS?
Hugh Pickens writes "Whose laws apply if astronauts from different countries get into a fight, make a patentable discovery, or damage equipment belonging to another country while on the International Space Station? According to the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, ratified by 98 nations, states have legal jurisdiction within spacecraft registered to them. When the space station was assembled from modules supplied by the United States, Russia, Japan and the European Space Agency (ESA), partners rejected an initial proposal that US law should prevail throughout the space station. "It was agreed that each state registers its own separate elements, which means that you now have a piece of the US annexed to a piece of Europe annexed to a piece of Japan in outer space, legally speaking," said Dr Frans von der Dunk of the International Institute of Air and Space Law at the University of Leiden. So what happens if a crime is committed in space? "If somebody performs an activity which may be considered criminal, it is in the first instance his own country which is able to exercise jurisdiction," Dr. von der Dunk added."
Didn't he invent the "Coffee and Donut" combination?
a Federation.
..the winner makes the law. Duh.
I had hoped that astronauts would be above this, but, nobody seems to be above anything nowadays.
If a crime is committed in space, we need to execute a nice antique trial-by-fire... if they survive decompression, they must be innocent. If not, they're guilty. It's foolproof!
You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
What do you mean I can't have more air?
Let Sealand claim it :)
Bark less. Wag more.
Wait till the first child gets born. They might be the first people able to claim multinationality, or perhaps to be able to drop the concept of nationality altogether.
Ok, unlikely, but would it not rock?
So when are the Dutch sending up the hydroponics section again?
Still think be more amusing to have it be whoever you're currently flying over. "3-2-1-Not Legal!"
Originally had thought it really didn't matter, seeing as they 'rigorously screen astronauts'...but after the Diaper Psycho incident, this might come to be of importance soon enough. Bugger of a wait for trial if something happens on a Mars mission though.
Urgent! Do NOT GO into the module made by the United States.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
Astronauts don't break the law....
Oh wait...
What happens if you have a joint in the Dutch module and some jolly fellow pushes you over in the Singapore module? Do you get spaced?
Victims of 9/11: <3000. Traffic in the US: >30,000/y
I foresee the international trial of the century wherein American astronauts are accused of stealing pencils from the Russians after their own space aged pens die.
Brannigans Law
Jesus saves souls and redeems them for valuable cash prizes
the law of common decency?
We're all hypocrites. We all have hidden parts, it's the contrast between them that make us more a hypocrite than others
There are documented cases of people born on airplanes who were able to claim citizenship in four countries at once - their home country, the country where the plane took off from, the country where the plane landed, and the country whose airspace the person was in when they were born.
Law? As in rules of civil society? How bout acknowledging the fact that there is no society on a space station and not giving in to lawyers who are trying to con people into thinking that their contribution is necessary in a situation where "law" is, in fact, the least efficient way to solve problems?
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
there are at most a dozen people up there at one time.
one dozen people in a floating school bus don't need laws about drivers licenses, aircraft operation, housing codes, or logging regulations (maybe one day we'll have Treeees Innnnn Spaaace, but not today)
it's not as if anyone can anonymously commit crimes up there, and if anyone gets really rowdy they can have a nice, cold, explosive time "out".
VLC FOR MAC IS DYING! IF YOU DEVELOP, PLEASE SAVE IT!!
Why wouldn't they just follow protocols used by ships in international waters?
Please sign petition to restore sanity to our banking system!!!
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In Space, no one can hear you scream Habeus Corpus. :)
I will shred my adversaries. Pull their eyes out just enough to turn them towards their mewing, mutilated faces. Illyria
We used to joke that, technically, cosmonauts who launched from Baikonur and landed at Canaveral were exactly that.
You will often see it called 'The NASA Space Station Project' in a great many news sources and thats how NASA refer to it...
So I guess U.S. laws would apply since its obviously a NASA project...
Oh wait, that would be in U.S. news sources... and in press releases from a U.S. space agency...
In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
1.) Provide each astronaut a handgun of personal choice
2.) Place astronauts back-to-back in the center of the longest capsule on board
3.) If velcro boots are provided, order each astronaut to take ten steps toward the edge of the capsule. If not, approximate 10 seconds of floating in opposite directions before turning and firing.
4.) In the event the space station is still intact and both parties are still alive, review tape footage and declare the astronaut with the most matrix-like moves the winner.
-Rob
Biblical fiscal responsibility
Why not? They already have a firearm on the Soyuz. It's part of their survival kit in case they land off-course and have to deal with unfriendly and hungry wildlife.
Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat
In Soviet Russian module, the Party determines the laws.
Have gnu, will travel.
So far its only tenent is that "No one can hear you scream," but they're working on it.
If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
The ISS has an illegal modded "region-free" DVD player, purchased by NASA and shipped up in 2001.
Properly, the ISS should have a Region 8 player. Those are for aircraft, cruise ships, and "international venues". Airlines have to buy Region 8 players and discs for in-flight entertainment. Why isn't the MPAA pursuing this? It sets a bad example.
The Canadian Criminal Code basically states that if any crime on the ISS involves a Canuck, Canada can prosecute the crime:
Section 7:
Space Station -- Canadian crew members
(2.3) Despite anything in this Act or any other Act, a Canadian crew member who, during a space flight, commits an act or omission outside Canada that if committed in Canada would constitute an indictable offence is deemed to have committed that act or omission in Canada, if that act or omission is committed
(a) on, or in relation to, a flight element of the Space Station; or
(b) on any means of transportation to or from the Space Station.
Space Station -- crew members of Partner States
(2.31) Despite anything in this Act or any other Act, a crew member of a Partner State who commits an act or omission outside Canada during a space flight on, or in relation to, a flight element of the Space Station or on any means of transportation to and from the Space Station that if committed in Canada would constitute an indictable offence is deemed to have committed that act or omission in Canada, if that act or omission
(a) threatens the life or security of a Canadian crew member; or
(b) is committed on or in relation to, or damages, a flight element provided by Canada.
This is the same section that governs crimes on aircraft, oil platforms, and some ships.
And exactly what is wrong with NASA? A lot of good science comes out of it. Sure a lot of it isn't immediately obvious as to the benefit, but the country and the world as a whole is better off for having the agency around doing research.
Climate research for example has greatly benefited from the actions of the agency.
Provided their hammer is bigger than yours, of course.
I hope, when they die, cartoon characters have to answer for their sins.
As if Europe even was a single country with a common law. (Err, a law in common, that is.)
Things seem to be going that way, unfortunately (EU, get out of Sweden now, please!), but we're not there yet.
Swedish plasma phys. PhD student; MSc EE; knows maths, programming, electronics; finance interest; seeks opportunities
Space truly is the final frontier [of litigation].
More Twoson than Cupertino
It is a fallacy to think you need faith in God to have morals and restraint. A dangerous fallacy.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
because when the borg attack I shall use lawyers as my shield.
Let the borg assimilate that.
i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
Are the fights that serious on the ISS?
With the possible exception of the temporary visitors, all the crews onboard the ISS, the Shuttles and Soyuz ships that service the ISS are all extremely disciplined professionals and have to behave as such at all times, especially since they are kept busy so much of the time, and their safety depends on their professionalism. These folks have been trained their whole careers to exercise great patience that it is second nature to them. I seriously doubt there are any "fights" more involved that something along the lines of "Awright, which one of you knuckleheads ate my last package of butterscotch pudding" or something like that. There have been some rather heated exchanges between the ISS crews and their mission control counterparts on the ground, and those are well documented, but so far there's been no widely publicized arguments between the ISS individual crew members themselves.
Why don't they simply carry their passports around, making sure that they get a stamp everytime they enter or leave a compartment? They should also set up extradition treaties in case the American murderer of the Russian cosmonaut hides in the Japanese compartment. Of course, if he manages to reach the American compartment, where he can't be extradited, the Russians may decide to decompress the station, which would force the murderer into the Russian escape pod. Sounds like a space soap opera, and more beneficial to humankind than all this research jabberjibber that noone understands.
For example, should stem cell research (legal in some countries, illegal in others) be permitted. Could it be done in, say, a european module, but not an american one. How about growing GM crops
politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
I propose building a wall around our ISS modules. I am tired of illegal space men crossing our borders to steal our resources. Although on the upside at least we do not give them drivers licenses.
$diff terrorists hippies
$
$rm -rf *terrorists *hippies
What would they trade for foodstuffs? And water. And oxygen. And any number of other things.
The nation's chief export will be zero gravity porn.
But they will have to get more attractive citizens.
Remember, You are unique...just like everyone else.
"It was agreed that each state registers its own separate elements, which means that you now have a piece of the US annexed to a piece of Europe annexed to a piece of Japan in outer space, legally speaking".
Ok, anybody besides me that see an obvious question regarding this: which European states law apply in ESA's sections? There is no "Europe" when it comes to laws - each country have their own.
So which is it? English? French? German? Dutch? Italian? Spanish? Or another European law?
Dude, dogs were first. Those astronauts better be prepared to sniff some ass...
My blog. Good stuff (when I remember to update it). Read it.
It's even worse than that. The ESA sections really muddy up the waters. The ESA and the EU have no legal personality in international law. Which member nation of the ESA would have legal responsibility? All, or none? Who the hell knows.
A good start.