Are there road traffic rules in Space?

[tinypositrons]

Are there "road" traffic rules in Space?

Do you have to "stick to the left of your orbit" or "give way to the unmanned vessel"?

 

[SteamKing]

The only strictly enforced "Rules of the Road" in outer space are:
1. Don't hit something else.
2. Don't let something else hit you.

 

[AlephZero]

In one sense, this works on the same principle as the "big air" theory of collision avoidance for planes: unless you are flying in a place where you know there will be other planes around (e.g. near an airfield), you are unlikely to hit anything purely by chance.

That said, many space satellites do share similar orbits, and there is a lot of effort put into tracking orbiting "space junk" to avoid collisions.

 

[tinypositrons]

Thanks guys. I was going to try and drive to space in my Ferrari. Just needed to know so I don't get a ticket from the space police.

 

[pmacias]

I cannot speak to any specific regulations or rules that may be in place for space travel. However, I can say that there are certainly protocols and guidelines in place for spacecraft and satellites to avoid collisions and maintain safe distances from one another. These protocols are established and enforced by various organizations, such as NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration, to ensure the safety of all space travelers and equipment. Whether or not these protocols can be considered "traffic rules" in the traditional sense is up for interpretation, but they serve a similar purpose in regulating the movement of objects in space.