It may be as simple as the party who'd be liable for damage to property on the
ground likely has claim to the object. On the other hand, if debris did cause
damage, you might find the spacecraft owner insisting. "Nope! Not mine! Never
seen it before in my life!" 😁Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
-------- Original message --------From: Keith D Lemons via Meteorite-list
<[email protected]> Date: 4/4/21 1:57 PM (GMT-06:00) To:
[email protected] Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Ownership of
Space-X Debris Question MikeG raises a good question about ownership of the
Space-X debris found on the farm. As you all are familiar, the general rule is
that the land owner owns a meteorite find thereupon per the Forest City
Meteorite case (Iowa, 1890) and that government or government controlled
entities such as NASA always retain ownership no matter where the debris
lands.Barring any specific statute or regulation that I am unaware of, I would
make an educated guess that if the Space-X mission was private, the landowner
owns the fall; however, if the Space-X mission was performed or funded pursuant
to a government contract, then the government retains ownership of the debris
as the mission would be governmental, but executed by a contractor, i.e.,
Space-X. The government’s involvement, or lack thereof, in the mission would
be the determining factor. In practical terms, if the FBI shows up at your
door, I would hand it over under protest, but not resistance; if Elon Musk or
his minions show up, the price of your piece just went way up.Before buying or
selling a piece, it would behoove you to do some due diligence on determination
of the mission and under whose funding or control it was carried out. The fact
(if that is the case) that neither the government nor Space-X descended upon
the debris field to recover the pieces is immaterial if it happens to be a
government mission - the government never loses its ownership in anything, its
interests must be granted by conveyance, regulation (e.g., public land
meteorite finds) or by operation of law (the last less common than confirming
Venusian meteorites).Final thought, Mr. Musk is a cagey fellow and rarely
misses a trick. It is entirely possible he has wrangled the institution of
some governmental regulation that grants Space-X permanent ownership & the
right of possession of any and all materials, space ship or otherwise, that he
launches towards the heavens. (Probably would be found in Federal Register.)
Legal research is in order, which is much cheaper than defending a lawsuit or
criminal charges later.And, yes, I know lawyers are killjoys.Keith Lemons J.D.,
1978, Baylor [Sic’em, Bears!] UniversitySent from my
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