"Stuf4" wrote in message
om...
From Henry Spencer:
Scott M. Kozel wrote:
A space shuttle is an 'aircraft' for relatively brief portions of its
mission, and then only for ascent-to-orbit and descent-from-orbit.

Its actual mission is carried out in space, where "Rules of Air
Warfare"
and rules for "military aircraft" do not apply to a spacecraft.

Moreover, even when it's an aircraft, it's not a combat aircraft. One
can
reasonably argue that it's a chartered civilian cargo aircraft -- there
is
no question that even on military shuttle flights, final control of the
vehicle remains with NASA -- and those do not require military markings
even when carrying military cargo.

It is a military crew conducting a military mission. Even NASA makes
that perfectly clear.

And there is nothing wrong with that. And nothing illegal. And nothing that
requires military markings in the absence of hostilities with the target of
that operation. The UN Treaties say nothing prohibiting the military use of
space other than the following (to summarize)
1. No WMD
2. No military manuevers on celestial bodies
3. No weapons tests, fortifications, bases etc.
http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/treat/ost/outersptxt.htm