John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences

News and information from the UND John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences.

SpSt Alum Chris Hearsey Featured as Next Colloquium Series Speaker

The Space Studies Spring 2019 Colloquium Series will feature several leading experts in various space related fields.  Please join us for our second presentation in this series that will feature Christopher M. Hearsey, J.D., M.S., founder and CEO of OSA Consulting, Inc.

Presentation Title:  Closed for Operations: Non-Interference Zones and the Cadence of the New Space Race”

Date:  Monday, February 11, 2019

Time:  5:00-7:00 p.m. (Central time)

Location:  Ryan Hall, Room 111

About the topic: This presentation will explore the concept of non-interference zones for space activities and how this concept produces an inevitable constraint on policy and decision makers planning future space activities. Generally, non-interference zones are volumes of space around spacecraft and/or space activities determined by a set of criteria that creates a location or relative position of exclusivity for the operator. The murky question of whether this idea is in accordance with the outer space treaty system and/or US law and policy is gaining some clarity. And while the legal considerations are important, the realities of physics and mathematics place a limitation on the flexibility of the criteria for non-interference zones to handle the proliferation of new operators and activities, and this raises the important question about the degree of exclusivity that is permissible and expected. This issue will have major implications for future mission and architectural designs and set the development cadence of space settlement on a celestial body. Adjusting to the space environment will be key to ensure successful operations on the Moon or other celestial bodies, but the physical limitations of the space environment highlight the need to keep discussions surrounding the cadence of this new space race ongoing because, eventually, we will run out of space.

About the speaker: Christopher Hearsey is an aerospace executive, research scientist, and space law and policy scholar who has worked in the aerospace and nonprofit industries for over ten years. Chris formerly served as the Director of DC Operations and Corporate Counsel for Bigelow Aerospace. Following a run for Congress in 2018, Chris founded OSA Consulting, LLC and the educational nonprofit The Space Court Foundation Inc., which is currently supporting the development of a YouTube show about space law titled Stellar Decisis that will launch in summer 2019.

Chris holds a BA in Mathematical Economics and Political Science from Temple University, a MS in Legal Theory from The American University, a MS in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, and a JD from the University of Mississippi with a concentration in air and space law (honors). Chris earned a fellowship at the National Air and Space Museum studying space history and served as a special assistant in the Office of Space and Advanced Technology at the US Department of State where he worked on President Obama’s National Space Policy and served on the US delegation to the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

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A simple live webcast will be available here.

The Adobe Connect webcast is available here. Questions for the speaker may be posted at this site during the presentation and is best suited for enrolled students.

Colloquium presentations will be added to the space.edu colloquium website after the live event for later public viewing.