An article by the Associate General Counsel for the
Smithsonian Institution reported in THE FUTURIST,
page 60, May-June 1990 (Common Era) that the
Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space
Museum had speculated on a Declaration of First
Principles for the Governance of Outer Space
Societies. The project's participants represented
a broad array of disciplines and interests,
including engineering, biomedicine, law, economics,
psychology, bioethics, and philosophy. Rather than
attempting to frame an actual constitution for
space societies, which normally would be reserved
for sovereign governments. The document would
be a reference for interested government entities
responsible for space policy, and to define the
fundamental rights and freedoms of those who
might some day migrate to space.
I wrote to the article's author, told him I was
working on this story and included a draft of
'core principles' I had drafted. I asked for more
information on the Smithsonian's study. The
author's reply included a copy of the Declaration
and permission to quote from it. It follows: