[meteorite-list] Ownership of Space-X Debris Question

[Keith D Lemons]

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!] University

Sent from my iPhone