Who owns the Moon? On 2 May, Dr Saskia Vermeylen will give an enlightening talk as part of Engage with Strathclyde week where you can learn more about the legal wrangling that’s likely to take place as humans continue to venture into outer space.
During the Cold War, outer space was perceived as a location for scientific experiments and a ‘battlefield’ for competing political ideologies between the United States and the Soviet Union. Outer space in the 21st century is increasingly seen as a potential site for human settlement.
Whether it is a Lunar hotel, a Martian permanent settlement or a mining expedition in outer space, it is widely believed that private parties will want to have exclusive property rights over the ‘land’ on which they live or manage their commercial businesses.
On the 2nd May a public lecture, by Dr Saskia Vermeylen, will compare different legal discourses such as the Outer Space Treaty (1966) and the Moon Agreement (1979) and compare and contrast those with the frontier ‘myth’ in science fiction literature to find answers to the question ‘Who owns the Moon?’. You can read more about Saskia’s work via her blog or watch a programme made with the BBC.
Register now to join us for this exciting talk which will take place at the University of Strathclyde’s Technology Innovation Centre (7-8pm).
Registration will be available from 6.30pm.
You are also invited to register for the Images of Research Exhibition Opening Night hosted by the Principal Prof. Sir Jim McDonald, which takes place immediately preceeding Saskia’s talk.
Look-out for more posts from Engage with Strathclyde participants on the Glasgow City of Science and Innovation Blog and follow them on Twitter @EngageStrath