George Sowers, professor of practice in mechanical engineering at Colorado School of Mines, was featured in Space News' coverage of the 34th Space Symposium, happening April 16-19 in Colorado Springs. Sowers was part of an expert panel on space mining and whether national or international law should govern the practice in the future.
From the article:
The United States and Luxembourg have passed laws giving companies the rights to space resources they extract. Companies are relying on that legal authority to attract investment for their plans to mine the moon and asteroids.
"If I'm a U.S. company, the only law I am obligated to follow is U.S. law," said George Sowers, Colorado School of Mines professor and former United Launch Alliance vice president and chief scientist.