It is assumed that when the space tourism industry finally takes off there will be legal issues that will need to be addressed first. Disclaimers and releases will need to be signed by participants deciding to hurl themselves into space.
But, there is also a question of law in outer space, such as if someone breaks the law or is thought to have broken the law, who decides guilt or innocence? There is an interesting article about astronauts on the International Space Station following the laws of the nation that owns certain parts of the station or breaking the laws of a nation that the ISS happens to be flying over at the moment.
These issues also will have to be addressed for the space tourism industry as well. For instance, if a Russian spacecraft is passing over the United States when an alleged crime occurs, whose jurisdiction is it? If a spaceplane collides with a satellite who has the right of way?
Since space tourism is such a new endeavor, these international legal questions regarding the proliferation of humans in space have not yet been worked out. But, they will need to be worked out since the space tourism is set to commence in a couple of short years.
