During the Cold War, outer space was perceived as a location for scientific experiments and a ‘battlefield’ for competing political ideologies between the United States and the Soviet Union.  Outer space in the 21st century is increasingly seen as a potential site for human settlement.

Whether it is a Lunar hotel, a Martian permanent settlement or a mining expedition in outer space, it is widely believed that private parties will want to have exclusive property rights over the ‘land’ on which they live or manage their commercial businesses.

This talk, delivered by Dr Saskia Vermeylen, will compare different legal discourses such as the Outer Space Treaty (1966) and the Moon Agreement (1979) and compare and contrast those with the frontier ‘myth’ in science fiction literature to find answers to the question ‘who owns the Moon?’.

Read Saskia’s blog on the subject or watch a 30 minute programme made for the BBC.

Registration will be available from 6.30pm, however, you are invited to register for the Images of Research Exhibition Opening Night that immediately precedes this event, which starts at 6.00pm.

This event is part of the 2017 Festival of Environmental Law and Governance.