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Everyone's excited about rockets to Mars, and each SpaceX launch brings that dream closer to reality. Musk and others are putting a lot of money and brainpower on the technical problem of getting people to Mars. Less sensational topics, such as surviving on Mars, receive less attention — but plenty of money and serious thought, because there's no way to get around them.
But there's another important question which isn't getting much attention:
Who will own Mars, and how will it be governed?
Does Mars belong to the people who get there first? To the highest bidder? To all the people of Earth?
Does Mars belong to Earth, or does Mars belong to Mars? Does it belong to the Sun? To the Martian microbiome, if there is one? (What are the indigenous rights of microbes, I wonder?)
Who will be in charge of Mars once the colonists arrive? If Mars turns out to have valuable resources, who gets them? And if a Mars colony is to govern itself, what kind of government would it have?
The Mars colonization project is driven by the ultra rich. And those who want to stake their claim on Mars may rather the rest of us didn't think too much about the little problem of who owns the planet next door, and why.
(Score: 2) by Spook brat on Friday March 31 2017, @06:18PM
The answer to this question will be, as it has always been, "whoever is standing on it".
By necessity, the habitations of these colonists will be defended against uninvited guests or will become someone else's home instead. Similarly, mines and other real estate will belong to those who create them to the extent that the creators are capable of preventing them from being taken by others.
As far as who will be in charge, regardless of politics the people living on Mars will do whatever they need to in order to stay alive. There may be consequences in terms of how much Earth is willing to deal with/support them afterwards, but rebellion and self-government will always be a choice for them. [existentialcomics.com] The likelihood of Mars colonist not eventually forming a self-organized Mars government seems remote to me, especially once the colony is fully self-sufficient. I can imagine an extreme scenario where Earth governments suddenly decide to embargo a Mars freight vessel and deny landing rights on Earth, but I wouldn't want to be downhill in the gravity well when that tea party starts.
Travel the galaxy! Meet fascinating life forms... And kill them [schlockmercenary.com]