<< "...irreplaceable national resources..." >> Gentlefolk,
Eventually moon rocks should be a very replaceable resource--literally dirt cheap. It's only a matter of when. Keep the faith. ;-) As I understand, neither an individual nor a government can claim an entire astronomical body, but claims and use short of that are subject to debate and the legacy of common law, including that of the sea. Generally, the person or entity who surveys and develops land first has the greater claim to ownership--perhaps exceeding that of someone who has simply claimed the land without any effort to survey, occupy, defend, or develop it. It is also possible to claim that phrases like "for the benefit of all mankind" can apply to commercial development that benefits the general economy, environment, etc., so that existing treaty law--despite what some of it sounds like--is not necessarily hostile to commercial development. At one time it was envisioned that an international agency under UN auspices would be created to police interplanetary development (and I've made reference to such an agency in some of my fiction). Where that stands now, I have no idea. --Best, Gerald _______________________________________________ ERPS-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.erps.org/mailman/listinfo/erps-list
