Ernst Leo Albin Fasan (12 August 1926 – 20 July 2021) was an Austrian lawyer and a recognized authority in

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 ...

, including

metalaw Metalaw is “the entire sum of legal rules regulating relationships between different races in the universe.” It is a concept of space law closely related to the scientific Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). The idea is an elabo ...

Biography

Fasan was born in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. He grew up in Neunkirchen and attended school in

Wiener Neustadt Wiener Neustadt (; ; Central Bavarian: ''Weana Neistod'') is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administration of Wiener Neustadt-Land Distr ...

. In 1950 he earned his Doctor of Law at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich hist ...

. Fasan published numerous papers on problems of space law, including metalaw and the scientific Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (

SETI The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is a collective term for scientific searches for intelligent extraterrestrial life, for example, monitoring electromagnetic radiation for signs of transmissions from civilizations on other pl ...

). In 1970, Fasan published what remains the seminal book on

Metalaw Metalaw is “the entire sum of legal rules regulating relationships between different races in the universe.” It is a concept of space law closely related to the scientific Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). The idea is an elabo ...

, ''Relations with Alien Intelligences: The Scientific Basis of Metalaw''. Fasan was a practicing attorney when in 1958 he helped to establish the Permanent Committee on Space Law of the International Astronautical Federation. Two years later his friend, colleague and fellow space law pioneer Andrew G. Haley invited him to join the committee's successor, the International Institute of Space Law. Fasan was elected to the IISL board of directors in 1962 and also subsequently served as an officer of the organization. In 1963 the IISL awarded Fasan the Andrew G. Haley Gold Medal. In June 2008, as an honorary director, Fasan was among those representing the IISL when it was grante
Permanent Observer status
before 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 ...

(COPUOS). Fasan remained active in the SETI field as a member of th
SETI Permanent Study Group
of the

International Academy of Astronautics The International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) is an independent non-governmental organization established in Stockholm (Sweden) on August 16, 1960, by Dr. Theodore von Kármán, and recognized by the United Nations in 1996. The IAA has electe ...

. Fasan died in July 2021 at the age of 94.Trauer um Ernst Fasan
noen.at

References

External links

B.P. Besser, Austria's Ascent into Space: A short historical account, Proceedings of the Concluding Workshop of the Extended ESA History Project, 13-13 April 2005

Metalaw and SETI
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fasan, Ernst 1926 births 2021 deaths 20th-century Austrian lawyers Lawyers from Vienna Space law

Biography

Further reading

References

External links