New National Center for Space Law Announced at Nebraska Law Conference
The formation of the United States Center for Space Law was announced during the University of Nebraska College of Law’s 12th annual Space Law Conference in Washington, D.C.
Dennis Burnett, president of the Nebraska Law Space, Cyber and Telecommunications Law Advisory Board and an adjunct professor of law, announced the new center during the conference, which was held Friday, Oct. 18.
The center – which won’t be directly run by Nebraska Law – plans to work on public policy as well as raise funds to help students study space law, carrying on Nebraska’s work on behalf of a major NASA space law education grant, according to a Nebraska Law news release.
The annual conference, “Global Perspectives on Space Law and Policy,” brought together more than 200 registrants to discuss issues in space law and policy.
Included on the agenda was a lunch discussion with legal counsel for space agencies that included NASA general counsel Sumara Thompson-King along with Masahiko Sato, director of evaluation and audit for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Phillipe Clerc, head of Ethics and Compliance, and former head of the legal department, for France’s National Centre for Space Studies.
The conversation was moderated by Burnett and Sergio Marchisio, chairman of the European Centre for Space Law.
The discussion included international collaboration, the roles of their respective agencies and returning to the moon, including NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to land a man and a woman on the moon by 2024.
Thompson-King said the same systems that already exist will move Artemis forward.
“We’re going to build upon the collaboration and coordination that we have already been engaged in to get the space station operational,” she said.
The daylong event concluded with “A Celebration of Women in Space Law Reception” at the National Press Club, at which Nebraska law students assembled table décor featuring photos and biographies of notable women in the field of space law.
Law Professor Discusses Legal Aspects of Planetary Defense
A Nebraska Law professor held a roundtable discussion about the need for planetary defense in Washington, D.C., prior to the opening of the International Aeronautics Congress/International Institute of Space Law Symposium earlier this month.
Frans von der Dunk explored the legal issues involved in organizing planetary defense – which include ongoing efforts to protect Earth from catastrophic asteroid impacts – at the American Society of Law’s Tillar House.
Von der Dunk was joined by Nebraska Law professors Jack Beard, who spoke at the event, and Matt Schaefer, who served as a commentator. The event speakers and commenters will write chapters to the forthcoming book “Legal Aspects of Planetary Defense” by Irmgard Marboe, part of a series of space law studies edited by von der Dunk.
The event brought together the American Society of International Law, a leading American international law association, and the International Institute of Space Law. The event was sponsored by the ASIL Space Law Interest Group, co-chaired by Nebraska Law’s Beard and Magilton. Beard developed and organized this unprecedented event as part of his work on the ASIL “Signature Topics” Steering Committee.
Nebraska Law Students Tour NASA Space Flight Center
Thirteen students from Nebraska Law recently were part of a group invited for a tour of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
The tour, which included LLM and J.D. students as well as two Space Law Network student awardees, was intended to help the group prepare for their attendance at the 12th annual Nebraska Space Law conference on Oct. 18.
The tour included sessions on data visualization, the James Webb Telescope project, and the space environment simulator.
Elsbeth Magilton, the Neb-raska Space, Cyber, and Tele-communications Law executive director, also hosted Jessica Deihl, attorney at NASA Goddard Center, and, and Sumara Thompson-King, NASA general counsel, for a fireside chat and mentorship brunch at the conference.
The event, organized by the Space Law Interest Group for the American Society of International Law, targeted law students, new professionals and those interested in mentoring others.
Thompson-King covered her career, professional experiences, and her advice to those seeking mentorship or mentoring others.
When asked how it felt to be the first female general counsel at NASA she said it was an honor.
“But I don’t want to be first and last,” she said, emphasizing that leadership and success inherently comes with pressure.
Next Year’s Event Scheduled
The date for the 13th annual Space Law Conference in Washington, D.C., is Oct. 2, 2020.
For more on this year’s and next year’s conferences, visit law.unl.edu/dc-conferences.
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