The history of mankind has been a long and bloody struggle between nations, groups and
Individuals always trying to claim a bit more land to call their own
Other people have usually been around to try to stop these invaders
But what happens when the territory in question isn't on earth?
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1967 the governments of the United States the UK and the Soviet Union
Thought it might be a good idea to agree to some ground rules for the use of outer space
The Outer Space Treaty now agreed upon by over a hundred nations
Prohibits any country from placing nuclear weapons in outer space or on any celestial body it also
Explicitly forbids any nation from claiming a space resource such as the moon or a planet and so far. It's worked out to date
No government has attempted to claim a celestial body
But what if that were to change?
Let's say North Korean dictator
Kim jong-un got it into his head that he wanted to own the moon and somehow managed to launch a manned mission and
successfully land North Koreans on the moon
They plant the flag and a little statue of the glorious leader and hunker down to defend their new prize from all invaders now what?
realistically
Kim jong-un would likely get a stern talking-to by the other members of the treaty and suffer even more sanctions here on earth and the
incident would be forgotten if
However the North Koreans managed to construct some form of delivery system for nuclear warheads on the moon
The global response would probably be far more severe
But what if an individual tried to claim a celestial body while the outer space treaty does say non government entities will require?
Authorization to operate in outer space and are the responsibility of their parent nation
It does not explicitly state that an individual cannot claim a planet or moon
With the recent success of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket we need to consider the possibility that Elon Musk could go full
Supervillain and claim Mars as his own, but how would that work exactly?
What does it take to legally own something the size of Mars the doctrine of first possession basically the legal equivalent of Finders Keepers?
States that in order to claim something you must first show
Intention and control and possession goes into effect as soon as those two criteria are met
Simply planting a spacex flag on the red planet is enough to show the intent of ownership, but how do you control the whole?
The easiest way would probably be to build simple roads and tiny outposts over much of the planet surface
Once a road is built
You could reasonably claim a certain amount of territory on either side of it enough roads
And you've secured the whole planet of course the idea of first possession is not
Universally agreed upon so this claim would be iffy at best
Back on earth American authorities would likely step in and demand the claim be redacted
If Ilan refused further actions would be taken if the members of the treaty considered his claim to be a threat to the earth
The only way to ensure complete ownership of Mars would be to do it all at once you'd have to send enough manpower
materials and supplies to establish a
self-sufficient colony and leave the earth behind entirely if
you could do that the only way to get you to renounce your claim would be for other nations to physically come to Mars and
force you if
Elan musk did decide to establish himself as emperor of Mars the nations of Earth would have quite the predicament on their hands
There currently aren't any space agencies prepared to send a manned mission to the red planet which would give a lot more time to build
His empire and by the time NASA or the ESA arrived the Mars colony might have a 10 or 20 year head start
and it might not even be safe to land on the surface if the Martian citizens are hostile against earthling invaders of
Course this is all wild speculation odds are Elon Musk
Won't go crazy and establish a Galactic Empire off earth
But the fact remains that as successes of private groups and governments begin to snowball and space becomes more accessible
rules and regulations governing ownership of space will need to change will earth law even apply to eventual space colonies or will
regulations vary by celestial body
What do you think?
Will we end up with a new Wild West out in space or will the governments of the world work together to make space?
exploration a free and peaceful experience let us know your thoughts in the comments below if
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