Guest: Wes Faires; Topics: Private person space property rights, relevant treaties, the State Dept. and the U.N. Please direct all comments and questions regarding specific Space Show programs & guest(s) to the Space Show blog which is part of archived program on our website, www.thespaceshow.com. Comments and questions should be relevant to the specific Space Show program. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are a violation of our copyright and are not permitted without prior written consent, even if for your own use. We do not permit the commercial use of Space Show programs or any part thereof, nor do we permit editing, YouTube clips, or clips placed on other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted, but the quote must be cited or referenced using the proper citation format. Contact The Space Show for further information. In addition, please remember that your Amazon purchases can help support The Space Show/OGLF. See www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm.
We welcomed Wes Faires to the show to discuss his quest to establish that private person space property rights are not forbidden by the Outer Space Treaty. Please visit his website, http://orions-belt.com, to see the State Department and other documents our guest referenced during this discussion. During the first segment of our 89 minute program, Wes introduced us to his "story" by telling us about his wanting to claim three stars in Orion's Belt and getting a county clerk to record the claim. Eventually he expanded his efforts and even attended as a private citizen one of the UN meetings on space held in Vienna. Rather than my attempting to summarize his story, listen to it in his own words during this segment. Note that his goal was and is to prove that private person space property rights are not prohibited by the Outer Space Treaty. He is not that interested in putting in a claim to own this or that celestial body.
Other topics discussed during this active first segment include a discussion about global commons, the Moon Treaty, and The Law of The Sea Treaty. Most of the discussion in the latter half of the first segment focused on the Moon Treaty. In addition, we fielded many listener email questions. There were no calls for this program.
In the second segment, Wes talked more about the Law of the Sea Treaty. He said the House had requested the Senate take up ratifying the treaty which was signed but not ratified during the Clinton Administration. He said the big problem with the treaty back then and now was the prohibition on seabed private property rights as the seabed was to be controlled by a special committee established by the treaty. Wes was asked why the House wanted the Senate to take up treaty ratification. He said it was because of problems with China in the South China Sea and Russia around the area of the North Pole. He said the property rights issues were not part of their focus. Later in the segment, a listener asked if China and Russia had signed onto the treaty and if so, why had that not influenced their behavior which is concerning to the House.
Later in this segment, listener Randy asked Wes to give the rational for companies wanting to have deep seabed mining rights. Don't miss what Wes said in response to this question. Another listener, Carlo, asked Wes if he had been seeking assistance from advocate organizations or the two deep space mining companies. Wes said no but he had participated in some events that provided him with key contacts for his work. As the program was ending, he again summarized his goal which was to make sure that private person property rights were legal with the Outer Space Treaty and to prevent adverse consequences from coming about due to the Moon Treaty and the Law of the Sea Treaty.
Please post your comments/questions in the comments section for this archived show on TSS website. You can reach Wes Faires through his website or me.
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