Well said. Most likely the same treaties that hold for Antarctica will come into play with the Moon, providing for small scientific colonies but nothing really constructive or progressive.Therumancer said:
If Richard Garriott [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/99516-Richard-Garriott-Claims-the-Moon] was serious about his claim to the moon, he would have been so tied up in diplomatic and political snafu he would have felt a political prisoner.
Today's political climate that still is on an endless loop from the cold war restricts many space programs that would have had us already colonizing Mars and perhaps even the moons of Jupiter. We already have the technology to allow manned ships to escape the solar system's gravity well and explore neighboring systems within a feasible timespan. But treaties forbid such ships from being put into use, because of their nuclear powerplants. I seem to recall that there was some wrangling for the Galileo probe to get used, not only because of the paranoia of its using the Earth as a slingshot, but also of the ion drive which a couple countries felt violated the nuclear space treaty.
A world unity would just about be what we need to get such a program going where it would benefit the human race and get many of our industries that are destroying our world onto other planets and surfaces that won't pose a threat to us. But I doubt such a unity will occur in our lifetime. The current attempt at such is rapidly degrading itself into a farce, with zero attempt to adjust to the new climate that has come about since the cold war ended.
Many say we need to solve our problems before we even think of colonizing space. That is actually true. But a lot of our problems stem from the fact we are quickly approacing a time when we will achieve overpopulation, and that won't even be a primary factor when overindustrialization and resource harvesting ruin most of the land we should be putting towards providing simpler needs of each of our planetary citizens. The current fiasco with BP is a strong example.
There was a time when human imagination was discouraged, and yet many broke new boundaries to provide many of the things we take for granted today, and these achievements' potential are nowhere near being realized. Today it seems human imagination is encouraged, and yet no boundaries are being broken. Mostly because corporations and governments feel the people want just the same old thing. Or would prefer the people wanted the same old thing.
Now we have Japan actually declaring an attempt to try something new. I hope they are serious, and are prepared to deal with what is up there. There is every reason to believe the Moon can provide many resources that can improve our way of life and provide a chance at a decent future. Let's be serious for once, and hope that this attempt actually breaks new ground and breaks our current racial funk we are in. And by racial I mean the human race. Everyone.
