* Crossposted from: [FIDO] Space Exploration Sub
 CR> According to the body of international law, the Moon and all celestial
 CR> bodies have the status of "Res Publicum" which means the "Common
 CR> Heritage of Mankind". 
thats "mankind" , not "the powers that be" 
 CR> Private corporations and persons have no rights whatsoever under
 CR> either treaty.    The right to explore and exploit the Moon, Mars and
so the rights of the private citizen and corporation are *not* held so highly
in our government's agenda... whoosh! there goes all the hope for a new 
orld,
the modern american spirit has once again been curtailed by the visions of an 
aristocracy. Freedom has been nipped in the bud, and the age old power 
strugglers will begin securing pieces...
;(
 CR> other bodies resides with recognized nations.   Treaty nations agree
 CR> to conduct themselves according to the restrictions of the treaties.  
could a company move to a non-treaty nation to build a rocket to go claim
some of the moon?
 CR> The nations also agree that they will not claim sovereignty over any
"I am not claiming sovereignty over the thing i am not allowing you to claim
sovereignty over..."buahuahua "if you try to claim sovereignty over that 
hing
that i have no sovereignty over i will use deadly force to ensure my lack of 
sovereignty..."
[snicker]...
[snicker]... 
BUAHUAHUAHUA!!!!!
i sincerely hope these treaties are in place to prevent future shock amongst
the populus and will be reinterpreted at a later date...;)
kinda like the prime directive in trek, thatz a filter to prevent future 
shock too
 CR> Nations may license persons and corporations to conduct certain
 CR> activities on the Moon or planets.  Those activities are primarily
ok i thought they weren't going to let private entities in there at all... 
...open foot echo mouth internationally insert... 
 
CR> restricted to scientific research.   Any commercial exploitation of
 CR> any celestial body can only be conducted in conjunction with an
 CR> international agency approved by the United Nations.   All profits and
well see what they allow, something tells me they are pretty flexible;)$$$
 CR> revenues from commercial operations using extraterrestrial resources
 CR> are subject to collection by the international agency;  private
keeps sounding communist somehow
 CR> persons and corporations have no rights with respect to collecting
 CR> profits. 
ouch! 
 CR> Any person or corporation who violates the conditions of the treaties
 CR> could be prosecuted under the criminal laws of their home country, or
     ^^^^^^^^i like that  $$flex$$
 CR> the country in which their place of operation is located. 
 CR> Any person or corporation who wishes to do business in space must
 CR> therefore gain the approval and sponsorship of some country. 
well i suppose they did take the trouble to aquire more weapons first=)
 CR> According to Dr. Koelle, an investment of a base on the Moon would
 CR> involve a start of cost of $ 30 billion for a 12 person facility, and
 CR> operating costs of about $ 2.5 billion in 1990 dollars.   A base of
 CR> Mars would cost at least ten times as much.   
i think we should probe mars robotically for the next 5 or so years before we 
endanger the precious lives of our astronauts for a philistine sensationalist
audience of armchair astronauts...
cr>A commercial base on the
 CR> Moon might be within the means of a consortium of private investors,
 CR> but a base on Mars is totally out of reach. 
the prices you quoted for our government are probably way outrageous compared
to what a conglomerate who has the material and skill directly in itz 
asp...
8)::dont forget all those stories of what your government pays for stuff 
i hear its nearly what you'd pay at a hospital~~hehe
 CR> Any investment organization who wants to put up that kind of money
 CR> would certainly not do so under the terms of the present international
 CR> treaties. 
they may move to a country that isnt under the traety and dare the UN to 
start war with the nation they reside in cause if they attacked they'd look 
like bullies and shake up thier popular support as a gentile civilized 
tion.
 CR> As for establishing an illegal claim on the Moon or Mars and defending
 CR> it by force, good luck.   It would be decades before a base on the
i'm just speculating dude dont send the cia to kill me yet...
 CR> their knees by an embargo.  It is unlikely that any shots would need
in given time the other world colony may have something it could barter with
that the earth also needs like dilithium! or sump'n~~hehe
 CR> But if a base on the Moon or Mars could be maintained for 50 years or
 CR> so until it become self sufficient, them scenarios such as that
 CR> described in "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" by Robert A. Heinlein,
 CR> might one day become a reality. 
 CR> But we have a long way to go.
hopefully we wont have to many problem proving that the interpretation of 
the law is *mankind* not "the powers that be"
... I call things as I see them; If I didn't see them, I make them up!
--- Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 [NR]
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