I love that this channel can literally put out a video called ‘space regulations’ and the audience will happily watch it.

First. The space feds will take my railgun, but they cant take my 3d printer

"There are no wolves or bears in space." - Isaac Arthur out of context.

"I am the Space Law." -Space Sheriff Dredd

*Gets stopped at the Tannhauser Gate 35* "May I see your space license, lifeform?"

Sea law will likely be used as a foundation for space law, for salvage and accidents.

People ask who'd need the insane amounts of energy a Dyson swarm would produce. But they've never wondered how much red tape you need to produce to effectively cordon off space.

Aaah...the pleasure of learning about futurism whilist having substantial dinner

If regulations can ever be used to harm their competition, you can bet your eternal soul that some corporate officer will be willing to gleefully assign hundreds or even thousands of millions of dollars as nothing more than the price of keeping competition to a minimum.

One thing about space law that's often overlooked is that much of it is the result of treaties. The Outer Space Treaty, for instance. And treaties can be rescinded. And it's not like you can deny the ability to go into space to a nation that already has that capacity. Which means the future of space law, and indeed the future of humanity in space, kinda relies on us maintaining good diplomatic relations between major space powers. However atm we're quite far from that ideal. Also remember that the Outer Space Treaty is all that's keeping us from putting nukes in space, not technical limitations. So we really don't want ties here on Earth to get much worse...

How do we decide to whom bodies in space belong to? The same way we've always decided the ownership of some new bit of real estate. They belong to whomever gets there with enough rocks to drive away other interested parties.

As much as I enjoy your videos about technological possibilities, your videos about social futurological topics like this and the recent ethics of uplifting are my favorites. With how fast technology is developing today, I think it's so important that our social creations like law and ethics, traditionally conservative in most cultures and built a posteriori, adapt to be forward-looking and built a priori, and generating thoughtfulness and discussion with content like this is a huge part of making that happen! Thanks so much and please keep it coming!

I really enjoyed this episode, mainly because it really doesn't say much about space regulations and just kicks the discussion down the line and considering how I feel most current regulation is made by the rich and powerful to suit their wants/needs at the time, it feels like the right perspective. Nothing too preachy or substantial, just when the time comes for somebody to make money, everybody is going to want to wet their beak and get a bit of the pie so how are we ever going to figure out how they will regulate it. Also, how are we going to figure if the EU is going to want to protect their mining from American intervention or if China will just claim areas and not care about what others say. Basically at the end of the day, it will come down to 2 things. Who has money and who is in power. They are literally going to be the only ones that matter in a conversation about space. If you want to start talking about law and order where it could take years to send somebody to check up on them, good luck with that. Nobody is going to take anybody seriously when you tell them to get lost and they come back with a piece of paper and say "Ooh, just you wait, if I send this signal with a complaint, in just 3 years, a ship might show up with somebody to try and calm you down." The one big fail I think this clip had however was the talk about legal responsibility when it came down to the asteroid hitting London. Look at the modern day for your answer there. We have ships carrying oil all over the place, they are registered as their own legal entities and companies. They are operating under loss conditions for multi billion dollar companies. They have no liability. What are you going to hold responsible, some poor captain on a long haul that probably won't even be needed since you just launch it from a catapult of sorts and wait for it to arrive? Modern equivalents already have shown us that this is just a fairy tale, the framework is already here and if you think people are going to open themselves up for more liability in the future because they hate their own companies, yeah, no. . .

Lokutus for earths' first emperor! Long live Emperor Lokutus!!!

I luv space

Weird question, but can a galactic scale institution or legislation count as megastructure? You ringworld is cool, but is it as cool as having standard nut and screw available on every habitable world of the galaxy and beyond?😅

There is only one law, might makes right. *BELTALOWADA* ✊

Sheriff - I"'m the law see the star on my badge." "I don't recognize the authority of that star badge" Sheriff - "Ok, then perhaps all the stars out in space, when eject you out of the space lock!!"

As contractual as they are, the First, Second and Fourth amendments are unambiguous in their wording with no rational wiggle room, yet lawyers have found a way to argue that despite their explicit, clear and unambiguous nature they somehow leave room for the one thing they explicitly ban from being done and courts have accepted that something being banned outright isn't explicit enough for it to be banned.

The bit at 20:00 about a specific shipment of platinum is just a wonderful way to elucidate the issues with space rules. Fantastic video!

The galactic empire's dreaded enemy, space OSHA

I think the best way for regulations to actually work in space is if governments actually take the first initiative to build up space infrastructure, instead of corporations. Things like building observation posts, means of transport to space, etc. will allow for these governments to better enforce their laws, but this gets more difficult with distance.

The first rule of Space Law: All Your Base Are Belong To Us.

Missed opportunity for a Legal Eagle crossover

There already is some case law concerning liability for objects in space. My understanding is that NASA had to pay a fine to Australia for littering with the de-orbiting Skylab.

YAAY!! Happy Arthursday!

Damn am I #2!? I hope so because I definitely love this channel and sometimes watch it for hours

No wolves or bears in space? That's exactly what a Space Wolf-bear would want us to believe.

Great video as always, Isaac!

Personally, I think we should use Tree Law as the basis for space regulation 😎

I love your videos, I’m a massive fan of Sci-Fi and want to create my own Sci-Fi cartoon at some point. Your vids have given me A LOT of inspiration and ideas. Thank you for your good work sir!

So Glad your covering this Isaac, & leads to whole area of legalities re many scifi issues { person hood rights & responsibilities across species /alien, A.I. replicants etc..}., & of course sorting out current terrestrial law - crosses over astro- economics /politics. I tend to think lets get our earth based house in order re international law, before wild westing the space horizon ..... but this not how history so far has worked. Youve inspired me to look into the philosophy of Law as close cousin to the need to look at the philosophy of Science & History too

Thank you for the episode. Great as always, just like Giant Space Monsters.

Thank you for all this information you give us.

NGL I can't see regs making it past the inner asteroid belt for centuries to come.

thank you so much for these videos sir you really make me wonder about space...

Breakfast with a side of SFIA? Yes please!

+1 for an Honorverse mention :D I get excited for any mentions of WH40K and Honorverse in the science shows I watch XD

Would love to see a video on say a new country forming on the moon with superior technology. Something like the Lux series of books or others similar.

Love your stuff! Like so many, your work helps me think realistically when worldbuilding and plot designing for my scifi and science fantasy stories. Crazy how rife with story possibilities that basic problems with regulation is

It would be an interesting topic to do what the government of a colony ship would be. I would hope some sort of democracy, but also it would need a strong hierarchy so that the captains rules were immediately followed. The only caveat to following captains rules immediately would be if they are in direct opposition of the health of the crew, settlers or the ship itself. What would the relationship between the crew and settlers be? I would envision a much smaller crew to run the ship then its potential to house settlers. What is the crew to settler ratio? 1-10 or 1-100 or more. Who has the power to pick the colony, if once arriving, it’s unsuitable. Who has the power to turn the ship around and go back? Who is responsible for putting down a mutiny what force can be used to put down a mutiny? What happens to Settlers and crew who break the law in transit?

I never thought I’d want to see a video about regulation this much. I guess just about everything becomes interesting on SFIA!

Another area worth discussing and under-studied. Thank you, Isaac.

Realistically this is why a one world government would be ideal for space. Makes things much more clear. The kingdoms of old England didn’t fare well a lot of the time until it became a United Kingdom. I see this being similar, of course, on a much larger scale.

Honestly considering the distances, the rocket equation and the ludicrous amount of stuff up in space. For a long time to come. The owner is whom ever gets their first and surrounds their claims with MACs as their complaints departments. In case anyone has a problem with it.

“I forgot my space wallet bro. Can you cover me?”

Another informative episode as always Isaac.

I saw this on YT and immediately went to Nebula to watch it there, but I couldn't find it. I found something else and watched that, then came back to watch this on YT. I have made suggestions on Nebula for things that would be nice to have, and they promptly responded with great courtesy. To the point though, those are all important concerns. We all know what will actually happen though. Rich people, whether rich because they have a lot of money or rich because they have a lot of power in a moneyless society, will hire smart lawyers, or better still well-connected lawyers, to make up the regulations as required so that the rich people paying the lawyers will become richer and/or more powerful. Since lawyers will be involved, lawyers will also become richer and/or more powerful. Also, accountants will become richer, but not necessarily more powerful, because accountants are just lawyers with spreadsheets.

@2:15 say it with me *THAT IS THE POINT.*

Your optimism makes me weep sometimes.❤

With my luck I would get stopped by some space cop for going 5 feet faster than the speed of light

Ah, the episode that explains why "outlaw" star systems, like Pyro, will still have some form of "law and order".

My short story, Exo to Barnard, covers the steps taken by regulatory bodies to prevent contamination of Earth and her colonies. Embedded observers who are neutral to the colony's desires scrutinize their efforts to explore and settle a world around a Red Dwarf.

Another thing that we will have to figure out in the future is who gets to pilot these space craft, especially when individuals or corporations start doing active and regular space flights in the way this show describes. Will they need to get their own space pilots licence? Will they need to get different licences for different types of space craft? As there is a huge difference between a small personnel shuttle and a intergalactic space ship. Will a separate licence be needed for planatery re-entry and exit due to the different skills for a manoeuvre? As if you are only going to be operating in space then what is the point in waisting all the fuel and time practicing re-entries if you are never going to do so. And then you run across the thing off someone raised on an intergenerational ship let's say, would they need to go through that same licencing? And if so through what board or organisation if they are too far out for reasonable communications

In space, there will be three powers: The Military Forces, Pirates groups and the Outlaws who don’t care about anything but fuel, food and air.

Space has quite a bit of regulation now that wasn't discussed (sat orbits(geostationary slots), frequency allocation to prevent interference etc). Space debris becoming an increasing problem, faa fined one company).

10:22 one could sell the TV rights to the struggles of the colonists suffering as a reality TV show

Isaac, today I’m just commenting to let you know that we love your work, and by all means never stop producing these amazing pieces of documentary! 💙 We dream of a spacefaring civilization as much as you. Big blessings 🙏🏼

There’s no Magnificence in regulation. And that’s why there wasn’t any suitable or appropriate place for “Red Giant” by Stellardrone.

4:02 damn is dude really walking up a ladder like that?

The problem with space regulations, much like terrestrial regulations, is that when the average person hears terms like "public use" they think it means available for use by the public. When a bureaucrat or politician uses a term like "public use" they mean "government owned and controlled". That's why we pay taxes to maintain national parks, but then have to pay an admittance fee for government to allow us onto "our" public land to see the sights. I grew up reading Heinlein Space Operas with their built in assumption that, for the most part, space colonization would be a fairly libertarian affair, with individuals or groups allowed to pretty much do as they please as long as they're not trying to be space pirates. Sadly, that will almost certainly never occur.

wild wild SPACE west!

Out past Mars, ain't no speed limits.

0:10 i vote for you for space sheriff

yes

I can just imagine humans setup their first manned station on mars or somewhere else in the solar system. Then the alien building department shows up and starts writing violations and issuing fines.

the idea of laws in space depresses me, dont dash my hopes and dreams of space freedom and outlaws

When do we get the episode on the Gravity alteration tax, for adding or removing mass from the Earth?

Space lawyer would look good on the resume.

Wait, you're a lawyer/judge and you just do this for a hobby? I do love intellectual insight and debate, so thank you for a being a professional and a nerd.

I do. I own every atom, every particle, every wave in the universe. However, I share them freely, because I'm just cool like that.

Cool video

Usually the victors of war dictate history and law, that pretty much is what I would expect when it comes to space regulations...

Might will be right until enforcement and case law catch up.

Space Precautionary Act!

REGULATORS !!!!!!!! mount up

This is a court of the year 2079!

Honestly if your talking about giant space monsters I would love to hear your opinion on Shin Ultraman. You don't have to watch the series it's spawned from but I can't help but think of your videos when I watched it.

Greeting's!

Laws and jurisdictions are based on their ability to be enforced and damages collected. Ethics is internal to that jurisdiction and the enforcability of wider treaties

That crashed platinum asteroid will be under the protection of marshall Bravestarr and his shape shifting sentient uplifted horse.

In Principia, the OST is considered more of an aspirational document, although it does have enforceable provisions such as responsibility for spacecraft operations, astronaut rescue obligations, and territoriality ("ownership," as it were, is your base or spacecraft plus a reasonable area of operations, resources stop being considered part of a celestial body once extracted, etc.). The UN (and later, United Earth), attempted to solve the problem of the effect that unregulated asteroid mining would have on Earth's economy by establishing an international regulatory agency that worked with the major space resource corporations to create artificial scarcity by buying up resources at market value and then holding them for import to Earth once commodity prices have gone up again. By the 23rd century, this organization, the Extraterrestrial Resource Exchange Commission, has become this economic juggernaut comparable to the British East India Company, OPEC, or Amazon in strength to its contemporaries. Territoriality in itself is a point of contention between United Earth and the Mars Colonial Union. Earth considers Mars a bunch of rogue colonies that they only have to engage with diplomatically for practical reasons, and while Mars agrees with the OST in principle, they can't ratify it because the territoriality clause denies them sovereignty, plus the hypocrisy in allowing the nations of Earth (a celestial object from Mars' perspective) to claim territory on its surface are only a couple points of contention. Although, given that the colonies of Mars have been independent for about a century and a half by the contemporary setting of the series, it may be a moot point, although one that Earth still likes to bring up whenever they want to stir up resentment toward their former colonies for political reasons.

The law belongs to whoever can enforce it. We may not like that principle but that is where we are.

Hey Issac ! I was just watching an old video of yours about Things That Will Never Exist...and this has nothing whatsoever to do with that video 😂. I just was wondering if you are a fan of Farscape? I recently found it and my mind has been blown just wanted your thoughts

how does a colony even enforce the radio freq rights they sold?

Yay, space regulation! Voted for that

Yea my frieghter isnt up to code, the seals dont hold right. Just put on a space suit and recharge often, the atmosphere is low vacuum.

I wonder which country will break the Space Treaty first

The question of "who owns this is that" that is raised in this video for some reason makes me embarrassed to be human. I mean, it's a sensible thing to address, but demonstrates our hubris. I fear for the fall that is likely to follow such pride in thinking we have some natural claim to all things.

I assume all the aliens in this universe are happy with a bunch of old earth men making the rules up for them ?

The only space authority I respect is Sparks Nevada, Martial on Mars!!

Everyone Knows that CONCORD will hammer down its might upon you when you break space laws In high security space.

I am hoping for a united earth where everyone lives in peace

If we get to Mars it is no longer pristine.

Laws not backed by force are just guidelines. Space will belong to whoever has the force to police each area

An international panel can agree on terraforming Mars, with the staff being selected from the entire world.

The way I see things is that a law only exists where it is enforced. As such all laws will be based around these principles. For example: an asteroid belongs to whomever is operating a sufficient operation there, and extends as far as can be defended, the land can thus be divided to the owners discretion. Violations are likely, for the near term, to be penalized via the parent companies or countries as they can exert the influence to do so. I see it very similar to early colonial americas. What’s theirs is what they get there hands on and can keep. This unfortunately means battling for influence, often literary, and lots of politicking to get you way in whatever arbitrating body, even unfairly and unethically. And when it comes to the definition of the borders of a solar system, I think the main stelar body’s gravity influence zone makes the most sense. Is this system’s star or the other’s exerting the most gravity at this point?

Isaac Arthur couldn't possibly have been more wrong when he in the video at 24:08 claims "I would guess that until we find some solid sign of extraterrestrial life in this solar system though, or elsewhere, we won't see any significant increase in concerns over planetary contamination. We should discuss it before then but until then that conversation isn't likely to result in any new firm rules." In fact, these considerations instead will very soon lead to the most grave, revolutionary changes to the outer space laws that humanity will ever see.

14:16 thick robot

I think nobody has the authority to make any rules or laws in space, but i do accept that at some point who ever first lands on other planets will have a say in the rules of that location, i guarantee at some point companies will own planets and it will be because no sole government should be given that much power to control not only earth, but the rest of the system.