Michelle Lea Desyin Slawecki Hanlon (born August 8, 1965) is an American space lawyer and

space law Space law is the body of law governing space-related activities, encompassing both international and domestic agreements, rules, and principles. Parameters of space law include space exploration, liability for damage, weapons use, rescue effort ...

professor. She is the co-founder, president and chief executive officer of For All Moonkind, president of the

National Space Society The National Space Society (NSS) is an American international nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational and scientific organization specializing in space advocacy. It is a member of the Independent Charities of America and an annual participant in the Comb ...

, co-director of the Center for Air and Space Law at the

University of Mississippi School of Law The University of Mississippi School of Law, also known as Ole Miss Law, is an ABA-accredited law school located on the campus of the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi. The School of Law offers the only dedicated aerospace law curr ...

. In July 2017, Hanlon co-founded For All Moonkind with Tim Hanlon. It is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

protecting human cultural heritage in

outer space Outer space, commonly shortened to space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth and its atmosphere and between celestial bodies. Outer space is not completely empty—it is a near-perfect vacuum containing a low density of particles, pred ...

. The organization is a permanent observer to the

United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space The United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) is a United Nations committee whose main task is to review and foster international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, as well as to consider legal issues ar ...

. It advocates internationally, including with the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, for the development of protocols to identify and protect human history in space. Hanlon serves on the advisory board of several start-ups involved in commercial space activities, including

orbital debris Space debris (also known as space junk, space pollution, space waste, space trash, or space garbage) are defunct human-made objects in space—principally in Earth orbit—which no longer serve a useful function. These include derelict space ...

removal,

remote sensing Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring information about Eart ...

, and the support of lunar resource extraction. In 2021, Hanlon joined the Advisory Council of

The Hague Institute for Global Justice The Hague Institute for Global Justice, or simply The Hague Institute, is an international think tank based in The Hague, Netherlands. It was established in 2011 by a consortium of partners including the Municipality of The Hague, an academic coa ...

Off-World Approach, created to serve as a platform "where leading experts in space enterprise can work to develop a rule of law in space that is flexible, inclusive, and permissive for the next generation of space adventurers to excel." Hanlon is the editor-in-chief of each of the Journal of Space Law and the Journal of Drone Law and Policy. She serves as co-director of the

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

program in the Center for Air and Space Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law.

Education

Hanlon completed high school in 1983 at the

Kent School Kent School is a private, co-educational, college preparatory boarding school in Kent, Connecticut, United States. Frederick Herbert Sill established the school in 1906. It is affiliated with the Episcopal Church of the United States. Acade ...

, Kent, Connecticut. In 1987, Hanlon received a B.A. in political science at

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from

Georgetown University Law Center The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...

in 1992. Later in 2017, she studied air and space law at

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous ...

and graduated from the

McGill University Faculty of Law The Faculty of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the oldest law school in Canada, and continually ranks among the best law schools in the world. The faculty is known for it ...

with a

degree in air and space law.

References

# Michelle L.D. Hanlon, 2021
''Due Regard and Safety Zones: Understanding the Commercial Implications of Recent Policy and Legislation''
NASA # Michelle L.D. Hanlon, 2020
''The Artemis Accords: What Are They and Will They Work?''
NASA # Michelle L.D. Hanlon, 2020
''Is Section 9 The Most Important Part of The Artemis Accords?''
Moon Village Association #H. Alshamsi, R. Balleste, M.L.D. Hanlon, 2018
''As the Grapefruit Turns Sixty, It's Time to Get Serious about Clean up in Outer Space''
J. Air L. & Com. 83, 45 #Michelle L.D. Hanlon, 2021,
“Due Regard” for Commercial Space Must Start with Historic Preservation
', 9 Global Bus. L. Rev. 130 #M.L.D. Hanlon & B. Cunningham, 2019,
The Legal Imperative to Mitigate the Plume Effect: An “Aggravation and Frustration” that Imperils our History and our Future
'' Journal of Space Law, Volume 43, number 2 #Michelle L.D. Hanlon, 2019,
Adapting the ISS Code of Conduct to Form the Foundation of Astrolaw
'' San Diego International Law Journal, Volume 21 #Michelle L.D. Hanlon, 2017
''Sexual Hostility a Mile High''
Hastings Women's Law Journal, Volume 28, number 2 #Michelle L.D. Hanlon, 2018
''Here a Spaceport, There a Spaceport, Everywhere a Spaceport''
Journal of Space Law, Volume 42 {{DEFAULTSORT:Hanlon, Michelle 1965 births Living people 21st-century American women lawyers 21st-century American lawyers Academic journal editors Kent School alumni Georgetown University Law Center alumni McGill University alumni University of Missouri School of Law faculty Yale College alumni

Education

References

Further reading