<P> The International Space Station programme is a joint project among five participating space agencies: NASA, the Russian Federal Space Agency (RSA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), European Space Agency (ESA), and Canadian Space Agency (CSA). National budget constraints led to the merger of three space station projects into the International Space Station . In 1993 the partially built components for a Soviet / Russian space station Mir - 2, the proposed American Freedom, and the proposed European Columbus merged into this multinational programme . The ownership and use of the space station is established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements . The ISS is arguably the most expensive single item ever constructed, and may be one of the most significant instances of international cooperation in modern history . </P> <P> According to the original Memorandum of Understanding between NASA and the RSA, the International Space Station was intended to be a laboratory, observatory and factory in space . It was also planned to provide transportation, maintenance, and act as a staging base for possible future missions to the Moon, Mars and asteroids . In the 2010 United States National Space Policy, it was given additional roles of serving commercial, diplomatic and educational purposes . </P> <P> As a global system of computers interconnected by telecommunication technologies consisting of millions of private, public, academic, business, and government resources, it is difficult to argue that the Internet is a global commons . These computing resources are largely privately owned and subject to private property law, although many are government owned and subject to public law . The World Wide Web, as a system of interlinked hypertext documents, either public domain (like Wikipedia itself) or subject to copyright law, is, at best, a mixed good . </P> <P> The resultant virtual space or cyberspace, however, is often viewed as an electronic global commons that allows for as much or more freedom of expression as any public space . Access to those digital commons and the actual freedom of expression allowed does vary widely by geographical area . Management of the electronic global commons presents as many issues as do other commons . In addition to issues related to inequity in access, issues such as net neutrality, Internet censorship, Internet privacy, and electronic surveillance arise . </P>

Human-made renewable resource which is subject to the tragedy of the commons