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SpaceX can't broadcast Earth images because of a murky license

cnet.com

21–30 of 139 posts

Re: SpaceX can't broadcast Earth images because of a murky license

#21
post #2

But why does the license exist?

There are privacy implications for air or space based surveillance of the Earth (rather more so for high resolution photography of specific areas of land than video in which the earth is merely a backdrop, but drawing that distinction isn't necessarily trivial). The solution the United States has adopted is to regulate the extent to which commercial entities are entitled to distribute such imagery and video; licensin…

> drawing that distinction isn't necessarily trivial

Meters per pixel. If it's >20, just give it blanket permission.

Re: SpaceX can't broadcast Earth images because of a murky license

#22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are privacy implications for air or space based surveillance of the Earth (rather more so for high resolution photography of specific areas of land than video in which the earth is merely a backdrop, but drawing that distinction isn't necessarily trivial). The solution the United States has adopted is to regulate the extent to which commercial entities are entitled to distribute such imagery and video; licensin…

> drawing that distinction isn't necessarily trivial Meters per pixel. If it's >20, just give it blanket permission.

That's probably the most practical option, but even that distinction isn't necessarily straightforward in a launch video (and even the sort of 20m multispectral imagery that's freely made available to the entire world by multiple providers including NASA becomes more of a possible privacy/security issue if remote sensing operators were to permanently point their cameras at the same location). The regulation was likely drafted with a view to the future in an era where all satellite based EO had low spatial resolutions and processing techniques were in their infancy anyway.

Re: SpaceX can't broadcast Earth images because of a murky license

#23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Extremely small office" is a typical public sector reply in the PIIGS in order to get a bribe to 'make things move faster'. Or a piece of bureacracy in order to harass anyone we want, anytime we want. Also.. an "Act" on what to do in Space? Seriously? So when that thing flies over (e.g.) Japan should it follow Japan's laws? Or we only count the base location? In which case movie it to (e.g.) Greenland and problem so…

Your narrow-minded anger is ill-informed. First, there are quite a few very obvious reasons why it's in humanity's interest to regulate space missions. You want to minimise space debris, for example, because it could result in a series of collisions making near-earth orbits a wasteland you can't cross. That's why there are rules on the size, structure, orbits, data sharing, disposal mechanisms and other features of s…

>First, there are quite a few very obvious reasons why it's in humanity's interest to regulate space missions. You want to minimise space debris, for example, because it could result in a series of collisions making near-earth orbits a wasteland you can't cross.

Preventing space debris is not related to this topic in the least. Neither is preventing a "space arms race".

>Providing a potentially understaffed office with the resources it needs isn't a "bribe".

It seems to me that the best way to solve this problem is to get rid of this useless office.

>Regarding this specific licensing requirement, a good read is https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/CRSRA/files/15%20CFR%20Part%2096...

I don't think it's good discussion etiquette to link to an unreadable wall of bureaucratic text and not give any context. I.e. at least state one good reason for this regulation.

Re: SpaceX can't broadcast Earth images because of a murky license

#25

The public interest would appear to outweigh the narrow rights of the licensing office here. And it's not as if we don't have hours of footage from those places at the same resolution already so whatever horse they're trying to keep in the barn has already bolted.

> The public interest would appear to outweigh the narrow rights of the ....

If only that was ever used to make regulation. We might have a decent copyright law by now in the US. I still blame Micky Mouse and Disney for all bad copy right law.

Re: SpaceX can't broadcast Earth images because of a murky license

#27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Extremely small office" is a typical public sector reply in the PIIGS in order to get a bribe to 'make things move faster'. Or a piece of bureacracy in order to harass anyone we want, anytime we want. Also.. an "Act" on what to do in Space? Seriously? So when that thing flies over (e.g.) Japan should it follow Japan's laws? Or we only count the base location? In which case movie it to (e.g.) Greenland and problem so…

> "Extremely small office" is a typical public sector reply in the PIIGS in order to get a bribe to 'make things move faster'. I suggest to stop using "PIIGS" as is a pejorative term to refer south European countries.

Agreed, but one of the Is is not south

Re: SpaceX can't broadcast Earth images because of a murky license

#28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> drawing that distinction isn't necessarily trivial Meters per pixel. If it's >20, just give it blanket permission.

That's probably the most practical option, but even that distinction isn't necessarily straightforward in a launch video (and even the sort of 20m multispectral imagery that's freely made available to the entire world by multiple providers including NASA becomes more of a possible privacy/security issue if remote sensing operators were to permanently point their cameras at the same location). The regulation was likel…

> even that distinction isn't necessarily straightforward in a launch video

From what I understand the trouble point is when they hit orbit, and by then they're plenty far away to meet the cutoff.

Re: SpaceX can't broadcast Earth images because of a murky license

#29
post #7

The US owns the earth now? What a croc of shit.

Hey, (almost) everyone on Star Trek speaks english, with an American accent (apart this perfect human being called Jean Luc Piccard!!)(or with slight Russian accent). Even the Ferenghi! That should have made it clear for you :)

They actually don’t. It’s explained in several TNG episodes as being a facade created by the “universal translator” plot device.

Re: SpaceX can't broadcast Earth images because of a murky license

#30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your narrow-minded anger is ill-informed. First, there are quite a few very obvious reasons why it's in humanity's interest to regulate space missions. You want to minimise space debris, for example, because it could result in a series of collisions making near-earth orbits a wasteland you can't cross. That's why there are rules on the size, structure, orbits, data sharing, disposal mechanisms and other features of s…

>First, there are quite a few very obvious reasons why it's in humanity's interest to regulate space missions. You want to minimise space debris, for example, because it could result in a series of collisions making near-earth orbits a wasteland you can't cross. Preventing space debris is not related to this topic in the least. Neither is preventing a "space arms race". >Providing a potentially understaffed office wi…

> Preventing space debris is not related to this topic in the least. Neither is preventing a "space arms race".

The relation is OP's complete and naive refusal to entertain the possibility and usefulness of regulating private activity in space.

> It seems to me that the best way to solve this problem is to get rid of this useless office. > I don't think it's good discussion etiquette to link to an unreadable wall of bureaucratic text and not give any context. I.e. at least state one good reason for this regulation.

See: it's this attitude that keeps the level of such discussions at a kindergarten level. The linked document contains text, yes. But it's perfectly readable English. The first paragraph is headlined "SUMMARY" and contains this justification for the regulation and the office implementing it:

They are intended to facilitate the development of the U.S. commercial remote sensing industry and promote the collection and widespread availability of Earth remote sensing data, while preserving essential U.S. national security interests, foreign policy and international obligations.

You can easily find a later section entitled "Purpose" that expands on it:

(1) Preserve the national security of the United States;

(2) Observe the foreign policies and international obligations of the United States;

(3) Advance and protect U.S. national security and foreign policy interests by maintaining U.S. leadership in remote sensing space activities, and by sustaining and enhancing the U.S. remote sensing industry;

(4) Promote the broad use of remote sensing data, their information products and applications;

(5) Ensure that unenhanced data collected by licensed private remote sensing space systems concerning the territory of any country are made available to the government of that country upon its request, as soon as such data are available and on reasonable commercial terms and conditions as appropriate;

(6) Ensure that remotely sensed data are widely available for civil and scientific research, particularly environmental and global change research; and

(7) Maintain a permanent comprehensive U.S. government archive of global land remote sensing data for long-term monitoring and study of the changing global environment.

Those seem to be seven good reasons. If you want to argue their merit, you should start with a good-faith effort to understand them.

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