Who owns stuff that falls onto someone's property?

Tim May tcmay at got.net
Sat Feb 1 12:31:16 PST 2003


Expect the first EBay auctions of debris from the "Columbia" to be a 
constitutional issue soon. (Actually, the censors at fascist EBay have 
probably already flagged any transactions which mention "space shuttle" 
and "Columbia" to be illegal thoughtcrime sales.)

Many tons of debris, scattered over at least three states.

The FedGov is already trying to claim control over the entire debris 
field.

(Of course, those in the know would be interested in any debris which 
includes artifacts from Shen Zou 4, the module left in orbit by the 
Chinese satellite launch, said by Jane's to be a military surveillance 
satellite, China's first, and said to have been a recovery mission by 
the three payload specialists on the classified STS-107 misison. The 
possibility that the Chinese set a 3-kg explosive charge to detonate 
under accelerometer signals is...interesting.)

Janes.com: "SZ 4 left its orbital module in orbit, where it will 
operate as an independent satellite for six or seven months, conducting 
Earth observation (perhaps military as well as civil), science and 
technical experiments. "

But, of course, such speculations are now banned under orders of 
HomeSec Internal Security Directorate 117-4, so I am making no such 
speculations.




--Tim May
"Ben Franklin warned us that those who would trade liberty for a little 
bit of temporary security deserve neither. This is the path we are now 
racing down, with American flags fluttering."-- Tim May, on events 
following 9/11/2001





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