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25 A.F. L. Rev. 70 (1985)
Pollution of the Extraterrestrial Environment

handle is hein.journals/airfor25 and id is 80 raw text is: NOTES AND COMMENTS Pollution of the Extraterrestrial Environment MAJOR RAYMOND T. SWENSON, USAF As MAN INCREASES His USE of space for military, commercial, and scientific purposes, there is a concommitant need for consideration of the deleterious effects space activities may have on man's health, the biosphere, and the ability to exploit outer space. Spacecraft are the ma- jor sources of such effects in the Earth's upper atmosphere, in space itself, and on celestial bodies. Professor Stephen Gorove has defined pollution as a human alteration of the environment by the introduc- tion of undesirable elements or by the undesirable use of elements.' This note will not examine directly the environmental effects of weapons used in space. It will, instead, consider the problems of space debris, contamination of the upper atmosphere, radiation hazards, and effects on the Moon and other celestial bodies. It will examine existing inter- national agreements affecting the space environment and conclude with a survey of recommendations for action to protect that environment. This note was adapted from a paper prepared for a seminar in Air and Space Law taught by Professors Paul G. Dembling and S. Neil Hosenball, the former and current general counsels of NASA, at George Washington University National Law Center. Major Swenson (B.A., University of Utah; J.D., University of Utah College of Law; LL.M., George Washington University) is Chief, Environmental Law Division, HQ SAC/JAM, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. He is a member of the Utah State Bar and is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Utah, the Federal District Court of Utah and the Court of Military Appeals. 1. S. GOROVE, STUDIES IN SPACE LAW: ITS CHALLENGE AND PROSPECTS 153 (1977). 70 - The Air Force Law Revlew/1985