Interplanetary Weekly
4/14/2020
Tuesday
Issue #1969
RUSSIA STEALS MOON!
Earlier this week, Russian citizens celebrated the
tremendous feat of engineering and technology that their
country had achieved when they officially established the
first colony on the Moon. Russian government officials
declared that the land on which the base resides, as well as
1000 square miles of land around the base, are all the
property of the Russian government.
Four Russian cosmonauts touched down on the
surface of the Moon near the near the north pole on the
evening of August 28th, 2019. Since then, a permanent
colony has been established on the surface. Cosmonauts
have been arriving at the moon base consistently, around
4 people per month. Each mission brought supplies and
habitats that
were used to
expand the
colony. There
are currently 34
cosmonauts
living in the
colony.
Figure 1Image of the Moon Base Other
governments
across the world are furious with the bold claim of territory
on the moon. They are currently meeting daily to discuss
what should be done.
Almost 80 years ago the United States, Russia, and the
United Kingdom all signed the Outer Space Treaty. Since
then the treaty has been signed by 109 countries. By
signing the treaty, these countries all agreed to follow a
few guidelines. They agreed to never put weapons of mass
destruction into space, always allow free exploration of
space by any country, and to not appropriate or claim land
in space, to name a few. It is this last principle that the
Russians have broken by establishing territory on the
Moon. This treaty has been the basis for many of the
decisions made by countries with regards to space.
The 22 countries involved in the United Nations
Committee for the Peaceful Use of Outer Space held an
emergency meeting this week to determine how to best
approach the bold territory grab made by the Russian
Federation. The committee unanimously voted to
implement economic sanctions on Russia in an attempt to
make Russia give up their claim to the land on the Moon.
Countries sit on the brink of war over the outrageous claim
to territory that can not be owned by any individual. The
land was agreed to be used only for scientific
advancements, not for imperialistic land acquisition.
Owning territory on other planets has long been a source
of debate. There are many
resources on the surface of
other planets and asteroids that
could be extracted if
corporations and countries
could claim exclusive rights to
those resources. It would
cause a race to the Moon in an
attempt to get these resources.
This would be a good thing for
space travel, but it would
restrict access to other planets
to only the richest countries
with the best space programs.
Launch of a Proton Rocket
The current agreement
outlined in the Outer Space treaty allows for scientific
discovery in space without potential imperialistic
expansion and destruction of land on other planets while
trying to obtain resources on other planets.
The Space Act of 2015 allows for private companies to
have exclusive rights to the resources which they extract,
including platinum, iron, and even water. This gives them
an incentive to go out and extract resources from asteroids
or the Moon. However, it does not give anyone the ability
to own land on other planets. Even with the ability to
extract resources in space, no one can lay claim any
territory.
This extraterrestrial land grab was unlike anything seen
before. The Outer Space Act has never been cited to deal
with a territory dispute in outer space. Its only uses have
been to deal with weapons of mass destruction in space.
This was the original purpose of the act. The Soviet Union,
United States, and United Kingdom wanted to prevent
nuclear weapons from being deployed in space.
The Russians will likely suffer strict consequences for
breaking the laws outlined by the Outer Space Act. There
is nothing wrong with developing a colony on the Moon,
so long as it is peaceful and available for the use of any
country. If the Russians continue to claim the land as their
own and forbid other countries from accessing it, they will
likely continue to have sanctions held against them.
Bibliography
Image of Proton Rocket. (n.d.). Retrieved from
Russian Space Web:
http://www.russianspaceweb.com/proton_20
14.html
Paine, T. (2018, March 19). Bombs in orbit?
Verification and violation under the Outer
Space Treaty. Retrieved from The Space
Review:
https://www.thespacereview.com/article/345
4/1
Parkinson, J. (2019, January 20). Can Anyone 'Own'
the Moon? Retrieved from BBC :
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-
environment-46877417
Parsons, J. (2020, Apr 7). Nasa to colonise the moon
with astronaut base ready for trip to Mars.
Retrieved from Metro:
https://metro.co.uk/2020/04/07/nasa-reveals-
plans-colonise-moon-astronaut-base-
12519711/
The Outer Space Treaty has been remarkably
successful – but is it fit for the modern age?
(2017, January 27). Retrieved from The
Conversation:
https://theconversation.com/the-outer-space-
treaty-has-been-remarkably-successful-but-
is-it-fit-for-the-modern-age-71381
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.
(n.d.). Treaty on Principles Governing the
Activities of States in the Exploration and
Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and
Other Celestial Bodies. Retrieved from
United Nations Office for Outer Space
Affairs :
https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/sp
acelaw/treaties/introouterspacetreaty.html