JOURNAL OF SPACE LAW VOLUME 18, NUMBER 2 1990 JOURNAL OF SPACE LAW A journal devoted to the legal problems arising out of human activities in outer space VOLUME 18 1990 NUMBER 2 EDITORIAL BOARD AND ADVISORS BERGER, HAROLD GALLOWAY, ElLENE Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Washington, D.C. BDCKSTIEGEL, KARL-HEINZ GOEDHUIS, D. Cologne, Germany London, England, BOUREL Y, MICHEL G. HE, QIZHI Paris, France Beijing, China COCCA, ALDO ARMANDO JASENTULIY ANA, NANDASIRI Buenes Aires, Argentina New York, N.Y. DEMBLING, PAUL G. KOPAL, VLADIMIR Washington, D. C. Prague, Czechoslovakia DIEDERIKS-VERSCHOOR, I.H. PH. MCDOUGAL, MYRES S. Baarn, Holland New Haven, Connecticut FASAN, ERNST VERESHCHETIN, V.S. Neunkirchen, Austria Moscow, U.S.S.R. FINCH, EDWARD R., JR. ZANOTTI, ISIDORO New York, N.Y. Washington, D.C. STEPHEN GOROVE, Chairman University, Mississippi All correspondance should be directed to the JOURNAL OF SPACE LAW, University of Mississippi Law Center, University, Mississippi 38677. JOURNAL OF SPACE LAW. The subscription rate for 1991 is $65 (domestic) and $70 (foreign) for two issues. Single issues may be ordered at $36 per issue (postage and handling included). Copyright @ JOURNAL OF SPACE LAW 1990 Suggested abbreviation: J. SPACE L. JOURNAL OF SPACE LAW A journal devoted to the legal problems arising out of human activities in outer space VOLUME 18 1990 NUMBER 2 STUDENT EDITORIAL ASSIST ANTS Rbonda G. Davis, ed. Derwin B. Govan, index & brief news ed. Pamela G. Guren Robin R. Hutchison Kenneth C. Johnston Candidates Alton J. Lefebvre A. Kelly Sessoms D. Jeffrey Wagner FACULTY ADVISER STEPHEN GOROVE All correspondance with reference to this publication should be directed to the Journal of Space Law, University of Mississippi Law Center, University, Mississippi 38677. Journal of Space Law. The subscription rate for 1991 is $65 (domestic) and $70 (foreign) for two issues. Single issues may be ordered at $36 per issue (postage and handling included). Copyright @ Journal of Space Law 1990 Suggested abbreviation: J. Space L. JOURNAL OF SPACE LAW A journal devoted to the legal problems arising out of human activities in outer space VOLUME 18 1990 NUMBER 2 CONTENTS ARTICLES The Growth of Domestic Space Law: A U.S. Example (Stephen Gorove) ................................................................. 99 The Status of Radio Spacecasting Under Space Law (Martin Rothblatt) ............................................................. 113 International Space Plans and Policies: Future Roles of International Organizations (Stephen E. Doy/e) ............ 123 SPECIAL FEATURES Events of Interest ..................................................................... 139 A. Past Events ....................................................................... 139 Reports Developments in Arms Control Negotiations: The Proposed Defense and Space Treaty (Statement of Ambassador David 1. Smith) .................................................................. 139 Workshop on Space Debris Held at the Cospar Congress (I.H.Ph. Diederiks·Verschoor and Lubos Perek) ............... 143 Mobile Satellite Communications: Issues for the 1990's (Milton L. Smith) ............................................................... 147 The New Space Law Database of the Institute of Air and Space Law in Cologne (Karl-Heinz Bockstiegel and Knut Focke). ...... 155 Steady Progress for United Nations Space Activities in 1990 (Yvonne Lodico) ................................................................. 160 The 33rd Colloquium on the Law of Outer Space, Dresden, October 8-13, 1990 (I.H.Ph. Diederiks-Verschoor ) .......... 164 Comments Space Debris and the United Nations (Ste/an Noreiin) .................... 175 Short Accounts National Space Outlook Conference (Stephen E. Doyle} .................. 180 64th Conference of the International Law Association, Queensland, Australia (Karl-Heinz Bockstiegel} .............. 182 "Law and Outer Space," Second Annual Symposium (Stephen Gorove} ............................................................... 183 Space Debris: Scientific and Legal Round Table (Katherine M. Gorove} ....................................................... 185 Other Events .................................................................................. l87 Brief News ...................................................................................... 187 B. Forthcoming Events ........................................................... 189 Book Reviews Lyall, Francis, Law and Space Telecommunications (Jonathan F. Galloway} ...................................................................... 191 Vereshchetin, V.S. (ed.), Novoe v kosmicheskom prave Na puti k mezhdunarodnomu chastnomu kosmicheskom pravu (Michael Yackushev} ......................................................... I92 European Space Agency (ESA), Les Stations Spatiales Habit"es - Aspects Juridiques (Katherine M. Gorove} ....................... 194 Bockstiegel, Karl-Heinz and Benko, Marietta (eds.), Space Law: Basic Legal Documents, Vol. 1.. ................................ 195 Stoker, Carol (ed.), The Case for Mars III: Strategies for Exploration -- General Interest and Overview ................. 196 Recent Publications Books .............................................................................................. 198 Contributions to Books ................................................................... 199 Articles ......................................................................................... 199 Reports ........................................................................................... 20 I Notes/Comments ............................................................................. 202 Short Accounts ............................................................................... 202 Book Reviews/Notices ..................................................................... 202 Official Publications ...................................................................... 204 Current Documents 1. Draft for a Convention on Manned Space Flight.. ............... 209 II. New National Space Policy Directive of September 5, 1990 .................................................................................. 217 III. Legislation on Inventions in Outer Space ......................... 218 IV. Resolution on Space Law of the 64th Conference of the International Law Association held in Queensland, Australia, 19-25 August 1990 ..................... 219 V. International Institute of Space Law of the International Astronautical Federation, Standing Committee on the Status of International Agreements Relating to Activities in Outer Space, Third Annual Report - October 1990 ................................ 221 THE GROWTH OF DOMESTIC SPACE LAW: A U.S. EXAMPLE Stephen Gorove' Introduction More than three decades have passed since the beginning of the Space Age, during which time the United States has not only contributed to the scientific and technological achievements but has also played a leading role in the establishment of rules and regulations governing the activities associated with the exploration and use of outer space. While the international community focused its attention on the world-wide implications of the emerging activities in outer space, and drafted a number of major international agreements, in the domestic field the United States took the leadership in passing several important legislative enactments and in promulgating hundreds of rules and regulations, thereby underscoring the unique role that it has played in charting new pathways in a hitherto unknown field of national space legislation. The NASAct The first landmark of this unparalleled domestic track record was laid by the United States Congress a year after the launch of Sputnik, and is known as the National Aeronautics and Space Act (NASAct) of 1958,1 in which· the United States pledged that its activities in space would be devoted to peaceful purposes and for the benefit for all mankind. 2 In the same enactment, Congress further declared that space activities were to be the responsibility of a civilian agency exercising control over such activities sponsored by the United States, except that actiyities associated with the development of weapons systems, military operations, or national defense would be the responsibility of the Department of Defense} The assigned task of the new agency, known as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), has been, inter alia, to plan, direct and conduct space actIvItIes, arrange for the scientific community's participation and provide for the widest practicable and * Director of Space Law and Policy Studies, University of Mississippi Law Center. Member, International Academy of Astronautics. Vice-President, International Institute of Space Law (IAF). 1. Pub. L. No. 85-568, 72 Stat. 426, 42 U.S.C. sec. 2451 et seq. (1988)[hereinafter NASAct]. 2. [d. sec. 102(a). 3. Id. sec.l02(b). 99 100 JOURNAL OF SPACE LAW Vol. 18, No.2. appropriate dissemination of information concerning its activities and the results thereof.4 (aJ International Aspects Apart from its day-to-day functions, NASA has been authorized to engage, under the foreign policy guidance of the President, in a program of international cooperation subject to agreements made by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.5 While our focus is on U.S. domestic law, in order to foreclose any possibly erroneous impression, it· should be stressed that the preceding provision, as interpreted