Is a flag on the moon an interstellar land grab? If a baby is born on space vessel, what nationality does it have? Which passports will get you a spot on the International Space Station?
These are the questions on Completely Optional Knowledge listener Tim Burberich’s mind, who called us up to find out who makes the rules in outer space. So we got in touch with Joanne Irene Gabrynowicz, who might just have the coolest job title in the world: space lawyer.
Joanne advises the United Nations and directs the International Institute of Space Law, so she’s dealt with a pretty impressive range of galactic legal questions. As she explains, our current system of governing space dates back to 1957, when the Soviet Union launched the first ever man-made satellite — Sputnik — into orbit.
Since then, humans have written treaties and passed agreements to treat space as a “global commons,” a place for all of us.
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