Recent Articles in Volume 89, Issue 4 (2024)
By Daniel Friedenzohn and Trevor Simoneau – From carrying life-saving medical supplies to delivering Amazon packages, drones are increasingly playing a more significant role in our society. Such operations, however, raise a variety of legal and public policy questions, all requiring answers before drone deliveries become commonplace in the package delivery ecosystem. One legal issue that remains significantly underexplored is the challenge of regulating drone noise. This issue raises vital questions of federalism and preemption in the broader debate over federal versus state and local power to govern different aspects of civilian drone operations. []
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By Ryan Puente – Humans have never been more capable than they are now of dominating the extreme environments of the universe. This newfound capacity to enter the depths of the oceans and exit the familiar grasp of the atmosphere has led to an unprecedented ability to explore the corners of the universe. This ability brings excitement and opportunity but also presents many potentially fatal risks associated with the unknowns of the extreme environments being explored. The space tourism industry, like other extreme tourism industries, faces the challenge of navigating the forefront of human exploration in a sustainable way that preserves the lives and well-being of its customers. []
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By Brooke Sutter – The aviation industry is one of the most regulated industries that exists in modern society. Before an airplane can take a passenger from one destination to another, diligent and thorough checks are performed on the aircraft, the runway, the pilots, the crewmembers, the luggage, the route, and the numerous other points of potential risk. Due in part to this diligence, air travel is also one of the safest forms of travel. However, one point of potential risk that is underregulated and overlooked in the safety calculation is the weight of the passengers. The act of weighing passengers is not just another task that can be added to the preflight safety checklist—it is an act which carries its own emotionally charged, hotly debated baggage. []