Research

Primary Research:

• • Newly Emerging Trends Related to the Development of Outer Space

  • Space Law 

  • International Relations

  • International Legal Theory

Other Interests:

•    Race and Ethnic Relations

It is the eve of outer space development, but few people are aware of this. In the absence of awareness, people cannot prepare for the opportunities that will arise; and so the vast wealth likely to flow to Earth from outer space will cause ever-greater inequality and instability in our already unequal and unstable world. Only a few people are knowledgeable about the newly emerging trends.

For too long the field of space studies has remained a secret, known to only a select few. Most people are unaware of the plans which have been laid for outer space development. As it stands, the various fields which make up the outer space development regime are developing and expanding in a ways where only a few elite companies, individuals and countries are likely to benefit, in meaningful ways. This is undemocratic and likely to repeat patterns of massive inequality between countries and between people. This historical pattern will perpetuate unless those currently left out are engaged. This situation flies in the face of space law.

Newly emerging trends related to outer space development and moving humankind towards becoming space faring through educational enlightenment. My research attempts to bridge two worlds: the general public and the space development community.  Most people know very little about space law, space policy, why the NASA Space Shuttle fleet was retired and what comes next, or how to interpret news briefs regarding space activities.

Video Link: November 1, 2010 Global Forum: The Future of Space Exploration

http://blogs.webster.edu/webstertoday/2010/10/22/nov-1-global-forum-future-of-space-exploration/

CONSIDERATIONS:

Issues at Stake: perpetual inequality, quality of education, lost opportunities for intellectual renaissance, golden opportunity for a gift-talent driven technological space revolution spurring humankind in space faring status, perfect situation to breed world peace and cooperation of all people and all nations. I love the expression he or she is “a natural”. 

What if people are out there who have natural abilities, knowledge and innate talents to fill in missing pieces needed for humankind to become truly space faring?

What if sustainable, green, interstellar travel to habitable planets can become a reality with the coming together of such people?

Author’s Philosophy: Education Is Our Great Hope for the Future 

The first step toward accomplishing this goal is to expose students, teachers, administrators, civic leaders, and public officials to cutting-edge research which highlights emerging industries in the field of outer space development. Exposing students to this type of cutting-edge knowledge while it is being created is likely to have a markedly positive impact on their future careers. Preparing them now to lead in newly emerging industries at a time when outer space settlements are being constructed can serve as a powerful motivating force to enable them to want to excel in school. Budding abilities, gifts, and talents can be recruited, nourished, and developed. Space has long been known to engage and interest students, and it is time to take these possibilities to a place beyond mere fascination. It is time to take students to a new level—to actual meaningful participation in outer space development resulting in tangible career opportunities.

Imagination: Imagine outer space development themes being used to motivate and reinspire high school students who have lost their interest in school. Imagine outer space studies being added to the K-12 curriculum across the globe. Imagine universities providing students the opportunity to prepare themselves to lead as newly emerging industries take flight. Imagine outer space development sparking creativity and innovation. Imagine realizable opportunities made known to people from all walks of life within each nation so that we can all get ready to meet the challenges as humankind ascends into outer space. Imagine people being retrained for new job opportunities. This vision enables us to view outer space development as a means for solving the inequality gap problem that many scholars, activists, and academics have complained about. Outer space development can serve as an incentive for world peace and equality.

Why Develop Outer Space? 

The global community is experiencing economic recession, natural disasters, lack of opportunity, employment anxiety, failing K-12 programs, widening inequality gaps, uprisings, revolutions, revolts, unmet educational goals, and a general failure to uplift, inspire, and provide meaningful opportunities for significant portions of our population.

In our society, many people are experiencing depression, anxiety, career anxiety; we see alarming rates of people dropping out of high school and college; and there is a general lack of opportunities, along with high rates of job loss. People need something that will allow them to focus anew their talents, energies, abilities, and gifts, and use this bleak climate as an opportunity for positive change. Outer space development is emerging as an answer to this state of crisis. The question is: To whom will the benefits accrue? 

Where Will The Money Come From To Develop Outer Space?

Platinum-group metals such as iridium and osmium, and various other valuable untapped natural resources, have been discovered in abundant quantities and are likely to be mined by companies. The discovery of natural resources has sparked development projects in the past. These historical patterns of human behavior are occurring again today, as companies speed up the process of private spaceship development.

Public Apathy: Why Should People Care?

Many strategic decisions have already been taken regarding space development of which the global general public is unaware. Once legal rights to space resources are granted, only those with the capital to take advantage of new laws and policies will be in a position to profit from the new space industries. Only those who are in a position to “know” about outer space development will be in position to take advantage of the opportunities. It is important to remember that the global general public has for several decades being paying the start-up costs for space exploration research, science, and technology. It’s not too late to factor in equality before an infrastructure of inequality is forever with us as we venture to establish the final frontier.

Notifying Heirs: People should be notified that they, as the province of mankind, have been granted rights to outer space territory and resources

SPACE LAW: The Outer Space Treaty of 1967, 3 Other Treaties and the Moon Agreement (1979-1984)

Space law is often left out of law school curriculum and information sources. For example:

http://untreaty.un.org/cod/avl/lectureseries.html. However, it could prove to be the most important area of law of our times.

Specifically, the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 states the “exploration and use of outer space should be carried on for the benefit of all peoples irrespective of the degree of their economic or scientific development”. So, creating a public awareness campaign to encourage teaching the general public so that they can grain knowledge about newly emerging space trends, can produce greater opportunity.

Key actors will become the primary shareholders in the future; everyone else will be left behind. This would be contrary to the Outer Space Treaty which states that all people should benefit from outer space. Beautiful, heartfelt, and awe-inspiring. However, is it really likely that all people will benefit as outer space development happens?

This treaty deems outer space and its resources as belonging to “the province of mankind.” Only a few people are aware of the new space activities and newly emerging industries. So how can everyone benefit?

Outer space development provides the perfect opportunity for democracy, equality, opportunity, and a solutions-based approach for many world problems. However, since there is little awareness and no critique, it is likely that past patterns of using public resources to establish wealth for the few will soon become globally irreversible.

Frequently Asked Questions About Space Law: http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/FAQ/splawfaq.html

Post Cold War Discourses: Many speeches and printed matter circulating within the space community speak to the need to excite and get the general public interested in space activities. However, at the beginning of the post–Cold War era, discourse appeared which argued that the notion of outer space development for the “benefit of all peoples” was impractical, unreasonable, and a hindrance to the system of free-market economic incentives necessary for the further development of outer space.

http://transhumanity.net/articles/entry/transitioning-humanity-for-outer-space-development 

Politics, Power and How to Interpret Implications of Laws:

On the agenda plans are plans to build advanced space transportation systems; to privatize spacecraft development; to create commercial space habitats, space stations, and space settlements; to initiate commercial space mining; to investigate spacecraft trajectory optimization for landing on near-Earth asteroids; to engage in commercial spaceport construction and interstellar-interplanetary-international telecommunications; and to launch space exploration missions to near-Earth asteroids, the Moon, Mars, and Mars’s moons. U.S. initiatives have in the past been mirrored by the international community, and we can expect to see similar patterns arising on a global scale—indeed, as this book will demonstrate, they already are.

US Law Trendsetting Behavior: U.S. initiatives have in the past been mirrored by the international community, and we can expect to see similar patterns arising on a global scale—indeed, as this book will demonstrate, they already are.

Interpreting Space Law & Politics: Reading together a pattern of laws and politics, on the future agenda are the following: plans to build advanced space transportation systems; to privatize spacecraft development; to create commercial space habitats, space stations, and space settlements; to initiate commercial space mining; to investigate spacecraft trajectory optimization for landing on near-Earth asteroids; to engage in commercial spaceport construction and interstellar-interplanetary-international telecommunications; and to launch space exploration missions to near-Earth asteroids, the Moon, Mars, and Mars’s moons.

Notes:

2002 Minutes of Meetings on Space Law, International Institute of Space Law during the International Astronautical Federation Congress, Houston Texas, United States of America http://www.iislweb.org/docs/2002%20IISL%20REPORT%20HOUSTON.pdf

2003 Minutes of Meetings on Space Law, International Institute of Space Law during the International Astronautical Federation Congress, Bremen, Germany http://www.iislweb.org/docs/2003%20IISL%20REPORT%20BREMEN.pdf

2004 Minutes of Meetings on Space Law, International Institute of Space Law during the International Astronautical Federation Congress, Vancouver, Canada http://www.iislweb.org/docs/200406-IISLnewsletter.pdf

2006 Minutes of Meetings on Space Law, International Institute of Space Law during the International Astronautical Federation Congress, Valencia, Spain http://www.iislweb.org/docs/2006%20IISL%20REPORT%20VALENCIA.pdf

2007 Minutes of Meetings on Space Law, International Institute of Space Law during the International Astronautical Federation Congress, Hyderabad, India http://www.iislweb.org/docs/2007%20IISL%20REPORT%20HYDERABAD.pdf

2008 Minutes of Meetings on Space Law, International Institute of Space Law during the International Astronautical Federation Congress, Glascow, Scotland http://iacse.commercial-space.net/papers-from-iac-2008-glasgow-scotland-preliminary

2010 Res Communis Comments on Meetings on Space Law, International Institute of Space Law during the International Astronautical Federation Congress, Prague, Czech Republic http://rescommunis.wordpress.com/2010/09/http://rescommunis.wordpress.com/2010/09/28/iac-2010-e7-2-30-years-of-the-moon-agreement-perspectives/

What Happens Next? 

Add Outer Space Development Studies to the Curriculum: K-12, universities and other schools throughout the global community.

Niche-Expertise: People have the power to develop their own knowledge base-a niche expertise in some aspect of outer space development.

Including Everyone: We must commit ourselves to finding ways to include those located at all strata of the global society. We must do a full scale search for talent and genius and cultivate it with all people, especially those born into situations where they lack access to privileged knowledge-contact arrangements which generally determine which young people will make it into “top” careers. The children of people historically prevented from participating in privileged arenas must be included this time in order for the Outer Space Treaty to be upheld.

Education: Students, K-12, university and graduate students, can play an integral part in the development, envisioning and planning stage of human space settlements, and they can integrate these hands on experiences in with current course studies.

Global Alliances: Form global alliances aimed at addressing the issue of creating a broad public awareness and excitement about the development of outer space.

CONCLUSION

So What? Leaders promote and people crave democracy, equality and opportunity. Scholars and leaders speak to problems such as widening inequality gaps, conflict and the need to create job opportunities. Outer space development provides the perfect opportunity for democracy, equality, opportunity, and a solutions-based approach for many world problems. However, since there is little awareness and no critique, it is likely that past patterns of using public resources to establish wealth for the few will soon become globally irreversible.

To schedule public talks send inquires to: outerspacedevelopment@gmail.com.

https://sites.google.com/site/outerspacetalks/