Private Law, Public Law, Metalaw and Public Policy in Space

Thelaw of outer space is rapidly evolving to adapt to changes in the economicdrivers as well as advancements in technological capabilities.  The contents of this book are a reflection ofthis changing environment as evidenced in the writings of the second and thirdgenerations of space lawyers. Theoretical aspects of space law are explored by chapters relating tofundamental concepts central to the corpusjuris spatialis.  Practical aspectsof space law are probed by examinations into international and domesticregulation of commercial activities, with particular emphasis on African,Asian, and European perspectives. International policy considerations are scrutinized in relation tomilitary uses of outer space.  Thescientific Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) is the subject of aconcise history of the discipline vis-a-vis the role of the SETI PermanentCommittee of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), and also of astudy of the policy and other ramifications of social media in the event of thediscovery of intelligent extraterrestrial beings.

The book concludes with the republication of theseminal and highly influential RelationsWith Alien Intelligences The Scientific Basis of Metalaw by Dr. ErnstFasan, first published in 1970.  Scholar,author, and attorney Ernst Fasan was among the original space lawyers, a small,pioneering group of visionaries who recognized that the movement of man intospace must be accomplished without the shackles of history and in anenvironment free from the threat of the use of space as an instrument of armedaggression.  The influence of Dr. Fasanhas extended beyond the international legal community to the broader scientificcommunity, especially to the field of astrobiology, as he pursuedgroundbreaking investigations into what could be the ultimate in legalrelationships - metalaw - the interaction of sentient beings from differentplanets.  The contributors to this LiberAmicorum are among those who can trace their own work to the foundations ofspace law placed in part by Ernst Fasan.