Dr. Michael Dodge Moderates Panel Discussion at the 2016 Space Law Symposium

Prof. Dodge’s recently traveled to Denton’s Law Firm in Washington, D.C., where he was the moderator of a panel discussion at the 2016 Space Law Symposium: Current and Future Issues, from the American Bar Association Forum on Air & Space Law, which took place on June 8th. Prof. Dodge’s panel was entitled “Who is on your Space Vehicle?”, and it focused on the notions of several different legal classifications of people potentially sharing space aboard spacecraft—both for governmental and private needs. His panelists were: Laura Montgomery from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Jim Muncy of PoliSpace, and Margaret Roberts from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Prof. Dodge also wrote a Continuing Legal Education (CLE) paper on the subject for the use of the attorneys present who were seeking CLE credit for their State bar associations. The panel description is below:

“The continuing evolution of modern space activities have demonstrated a need for a continued human presence onboard both public and private spacecraft. Historically, spacecraft were the exclusive province of governments, and the extraordinary individuals chosen to operate onboard were the pride of the nation. With the Commercial Space Launch Act, the United States categorized both “crew” and “space-flight participants”, and with Public Law 114-90, there is an altogether new class of people boarding our spacecraft—“government astronauts”. This panel attempts to take a look at the evolution of the kinds of individuals operating or participating in spaceflight activities, and the panelists will share their impressions of what legal differences, if any, exist as between the various classifications. Panelists will share their impressions of how the potential co-existence of multiple classifications of people onboard a single spacecraft might impact any cases or controversies that might arise surrounding mission activities.”