If Florida legislators get their way, it’ll soon be illegal to keep space parts. Stay with me on this. It used to be that components of space crafts were used once and discarded. Now, they are being reused. SpaceX is pioneering the technology. But that means the parts must be found to be reused. Two bills that are currently in the Florida legislature would make it illegal to keep any space components you run across, even if it lands on your property. The bills assert that whatever parts go into space remain the property of the owner after they return to Earth. The bills would also require people who find the items to report it to local police, who would then notify the agency that owns the parts. If you refuse to give up the items to police, you could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, meaning you could spend up to a year in jail and be hit with a $1,000 fine. People found guilty would also be responsible for restitution to the company for their losses due to the missing parts. Ultimately, the bills are proposed to help make other space companies feel confident about moving their operations to Florida. We all saw video of private boaters trying to get close to a recent ocean landing site. It’s nothing new, either. Remember when Americans scrambled to find part of the Space Shuttle Columbia after it exploded? To this day, only 38% of that craft was ever recovered by NASA. – Sean Roberts
Source: WTSP.com
