The Development of Outer Space: Sovereignty and Property Rights in International Space Law [Hardcover]

Thomas Gangale (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0313378231 | ISBN-13: 978-0313378232 | Publication Date: July 23, 2009 | Edition: 1

In the United States, lobbies for the commercial development of space have become increasingly antagonistic toward the international legal regime of outer space, condemning the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and the unratified 1979 Moon Agreement as anti-business. The Development of Outer Space: Sovereignty and Property Rights in International Space Law argues that the res communis principle enshrined in the Outer Space Treaty was misrepresented here, with essential help from corporate lobbyists whose real object was the defeat of the Law of the Sea Convention. Thomas Gangale builds the legal case for reviving the moribund Moon Agreement as a prelude to negotiating a second Moon treaty to establish a regulatory regime for the exploitation of extraterrestrial resources.

The author's account of the inception and evolution of outer space law to date is deeply informed by his appreciation of such terrestrial considerations as the nation-state system, the contending economic theories of capitalism and communism, and the post-colonial struggle between the developed space-faring nations and the developing earthbound nations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

". . .a unique niche interest work worth the read for those who are fascinated by the prospects of multiple nations settling human outposts on celestial bodies' off-Earth. . . it certainly is worth the read for anyone having a strong interest in space law and the economic development regimes of the nascent space economy coming rapidly in the 21st Century. To those with the niche interest, I say buy this book. It will make you think."

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Spaceports.blogspot.com

"Gangale (executive director of OPS-Alaska, an aerospace think tank) examines the legal issues of sovereignty and property that are likely to arise in outer space exploration and discusses how they can be managed by current and possible future international agreements."

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Reference & Research Book News

Review

"In this engaging and informative volume, Mr. Gangale deftly guides us through a labyrinth of incomplete and sometimes conflicting space treaties and laws. Lurking within the corridors we find superb statesmen and jurists, earnest advocates, the greedy, and the misinformed. Staying a course between wishful thinking and defeatism he develops a convincing strategy for government, law, technology and private enterprise to join together and successfully apply greater and greater amounts of space-based resources to help solve if not eradicate problems on Earth."

(

Albert A. Harrison
Professor Emeritus of Psychology
University of California, Davis

)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 261 pages
• Publisher: Praeger; 1 edition (July 23, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0313378231
• ISBN-13: 978-0313378232
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,161,322 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #47 in Books > Law > Specialties > Air & Space

More About the Author

Thomas Gangale holds a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California, and a Master of Arts degree in international relations from San Francisco State University.

Upon graduating from USC, Gangale reluctantly turned down an offer from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to join the Voyager mission control team due to his prior commitment to the United States Air Force. He was both an airman and an officer in the USAF, serving as an air traffic controller, an F-4 weapon systems officer, and an historian. Also while on active duty, he served on the technical management teams of several satellite projects of the highest national priority involving national technical means of verification of strategic arms control agreements, as well as a Strategic Defense Initiative satellite program and two Space Shuttle payloads (STS-4 and STS-39).

He has published numerous articles in aerospace and social science journals, has presented papers at several aerospace symposia, has written opinion editorials in major metropolitan newspapers, and has appeared as a guest on international radio and television programs. He is a leading authority on timekeeping systems for other planets, and is the inventor of a class of orbits that will be essential to communication between Earth and crews in the vicinity of Mars. He was an original member of the Design and Project Management Team for the Mars Arctic Research Station, a NASA-related Mars analog research facility located near the Haughton Meteor Crater on Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic. His work on property rights and the international law of outer space has been briefed to senior NASA leaders. He is currently working on a comprehensive history of the scheduling of human spaceflight in two dimensions of time.

Along with space exploration, Gangale has had a lifelong interest in history, politics, and international relations. He is the author of the American Plan for reforming the presidential nomination process, which is has the support of the California Democratic Party and has been recommended for consideration within the Democratic National Committee. He serves as executive director for OPS-Alaska, a research firm, where he continues to develop other electoral reform proposals in cooperation with political parties and civic organizations. He also serves on the board of the People's Lobby Educational Foundation.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lucid, Engaging and Informative, September 20, 2009

By 

Albert A. Harrison "aaharrison" (Davis, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Development of Outer Space: Sovereignty and Property Rights in International Space Law (Hardcover)

As a prepublication reviewer I found this new book by Tom Gangale informative, interesting and provocative and the published version is a welcome addition to any space enthusiast's library. This well-organized, authoritative and readable work offers a lucid introduction for readers who are approaching space law for the first time, and helpful integration and commentary for those who are already acquainted with the field. "The Development of Outer Space: Sovereignty and Property Rights in International Space Law" guides readers through a labyrinth of incomplete and sometimes conflicting treaties and laws. It introduces a fascinating cast of characters including superb statesmen and jurists, earnest advocates, visionaries, entrepreneurs, and occasionally the misguided or ill-informed. Much of the material is inherently controversial. His approach is certainly "no nonsense" and he is not the least bit shy about revealing his personal views, but his treatment struck me as fair and even-handed. Staying a course between wishful thinking and defeatism, Mr. Gangale proposes a convincing strategy for government, law, technology and private enterprise to draw-on space based resources to ameliorate if not solve resource problems on Earth.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cutting Edge, Scholarly, and a Romp of a Read, August 24, 2009

By 

M. Dudley-rowley "Marilyn Dudley-Rowley, PhD" (Petaluma, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Development of Outer Space: Sovereignty and Property Rights in International Space Law (Hardcover)

Thomas Gangale's work on sovereignty and property rights in international space law represents cutting edge scholarship on these topics. While scholarly, the book is imminently readable and witty. I highly recommend this book to readers who wish to understand the history of outer space law, who want to know the inside story on the demise of the Moon Treaty, who anticipate the issues that older launching states will face with newer launching states making headway in space, and who seek to learn the challenges that human groups living and working elsewhere in the solar system will pose to the political economy of the Earth. Gangale's vision foresees a transformation in the ecology of capitalism - a subject bound to generate both heat and light.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Technoeconomy-Technocracy Dichotomies in Space, October 31, 2009

By 

Jack Kennedy Jr. "Jack Kennedy 276.275.4700" (Wise, Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Development of Outer Space: Sovereignty and Property Rights in International Space Law (Hardcover)

Thomas Gangale's recent 2009 book entitled The Development of Outer Space: Sovereignty and Property Rights in International Space Law is a unique niche interest work worth the read for those who are fascinated by the prospects of multiple nations settling human outposts on celestial bodies' off-Earth.

Gangale provides critical yet constructive analysis of other international legal commentators on property rights in space. The primary thesis is focused on the premise that technology development is the barrier to outer space development, not the current state of international space law and treaties.

The book writer reviews the Moon Treaty at length discussing various aspects of property rights and the theory of "the common heritage of mankind." He takes a critical look of the writings of others in this legal niche and enables the reader to consider an alternative view to other commentators. Gangale is specifically critical of The Space Settlement Prize which seeks to propose American federal legislation requiring the recognition of extraterrestrial real property claims as flawed.

Gangale advocates inclusion of China in international space regimes so as to further embed the nation into current space operational legal regimes. He advocates an interplanetary political economy based upon market forces and advocates the adoption of the so-called Regency of United Societies in Space.

The author notes that "we have yet to become a true spacefaring civilization; we are merely a space-capable civilization." There is an acceptance of the technocratic model for initial development of outer space. He notes the need for balance between the "technoeconomy-technocracy" dichotomies associated with a push-pull relationship that this reader found an extremely interesting insight on the rapidly growing national space program efforts around the world and within the American civil and commercial space sectors.

While this book is not for everyone, it certainly is worth the read for anyone having a strong interest in space law and the economic development regimes of the nascent space economy coming rapidly in the 21st Century. To those with the niche interest, I say buy this book. It will make you think.