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An event of cosmic proportions occurred on November 18 when the US congress passed the Space Act of 2015 into law. The legislation will give US space firms the rights to own and sell natural resources they mine from bodies in space, including asteroids.
Although the act, passed with bipartisan support, still requires President Obama's signature, it is already the most significant salvo that has been fired in the ideological battle over ownership of the cosmos. It goes against a number of treaties and international customary law which already apply to the entire universe.
The new law is nothing but a classic rendition of the "he who dares wins" philosophy of the Wild West. The act will also allow the private sector to make space innovations without regulatory oversight during an eight-year period and protect spaceflight participants from financial ruin. Surely, this will see private firms begin to incorporate the mining of asteroids into their investment plans.
The act represents a full-frontal attack on settled principles of space law which are based on two basic principles: the right of states to scientific exploration of outer space and its celestial bodies and the prevention of unilateral and unbridled commercial exploitation of outer-space resources. These principles are found in agreements including the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 and the Moon Agreement of 1979.
I learned everything I need to know about asteroid mining from Rip Foster. [Read it at Project Gutenberg. -Ed.]
(Score: 4, Insightful) by dltaylor on Friday November 27 2015, @03:02AM
Anyone who expects the United States of America to abide by a treaty is a fool. There are plenty of pre-Columbian people, as well as Mexico, at least, who know otherwise. When an action is in the self-perceived interest of the wealthy, well-connected owners of the government, that action will be taken, regardless of written promises or the cost in human life and quality of life.
Sometimes, there is a beneficial side effect, such as the downfall of the National Socialist government in Germany, but, had the USA stayed out of WWI, as President Wilson offered in his campaign, rather than to enter the war to recoup the profits of the arms manufacturers, would there even have been that government?
(Score: 2, Insightful) by khallow on Friday November 27 2015, @04:00AM
Anyone who expects the United States of America to abide by a treaty is a fool.
What's particularly remarkable is that this guy demands that the US abide by a treaty they didn't sign! The Moon Treaty never was signed by any space power and most certainly is irrelevant to any discussion of outer space law.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 27 2015, @04:09AM
Yes, treaties until they become inconvenient.
Be a part of universal human rights treaties and then waterboard people whenever needed, in any number. And burn people alive with yellow phosphorus. Extra-judicial killings... The list goes on and on.
Americans signing their treaties is of no consequence other than to keep someone busy while fully knowing that they totally intend to break them when the time comes. There is no trust in American promises. At all.
You've got to ask if someone signed a treaty, mustn't they abide by it? Shouldn't there be consequences if they don't? Shouldn't the world move away from the American dollar as the reserve currency? There is hardly any value left in it anyway.
Sometimes, there is a beneficial side effect, such as the downfall of the National Socialist government
That is your opinion. And your are entitled to it, even if it is wrong and misguided.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 27 2015, @04:52PM
You are saying that beating the Nazis was not the right thing to do?