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#51 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Mapping a way forward » 2017-04-08 07:03:54
re universities - across the globe there are probably around over 15,000 universities. Many command hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue each year. In the USA, some 22 million people are engaged in university employment, support and study.
I have long argued that a University on Mars should be a priority for economic development of the planet. The first Mars base could well be a "university town" rather than a "company town".
The research opportunities on Mars are huge. Either a consortium of universities or a single university might set up shop there, paying Space X or a Mars Consortium for transit, habitat and life support.
Big donors would love to be associated with such projects. One can envisage a "Bill Gates Centre" at the Harvard University of Mars.
This is a quick route to guaranteeing a cash injection of tens of millions, perhaps hundreds of millions of dollars every year.
Louis: I have written about the University of Central Florida above (post #227). Another reason to think that UCF would be a good choice is that, as a public corporation, it has its own police department.
The university could exert sovereign control over a branch campus on Mars. Exercising sovereign control over a spacecraft or spaceport or other sovereign facility (e.g., a prototype Martian settlement) is permitted by the Outer Space Treaty.
If the university admitted students from dozens of terrestrial nations then, when the prototype settlement was eventually sold to a group of the university’s graduates, the Old World would probably accept the settlers’ declaration of sovereignty over their settlement.
I think that this Mars development model is the closest that we have yet come to “mapping a way forward”.
#52 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Mapping a way forward » 2017-04-07 15:30:24
I'm sure a lot of scientists would like a university model. However, university doesn't have the billions necessary for Mars.
UCF is a public university. The United States Congress could give 10 billion dollars to UCF so that UCF can pay for the design and construction of a prototype Martian settlement on Earth and the construction of a prototype Martian settlement on Mars. And once that first successful prototype settlement has been built on Mars the planetwide settlement of Mars will be possible.
And the UCF Foundation Inc. can help to fund UCF research projects. The Foundation is a tax-exempt public charity that can accept tax-deductible contributions.
Is Canada going to claim Mars and then give Mars to the corporation that you have been advocating? If Canada is not going to do that then I think that your proposal cannot be a model for "Mapping a way forward".
#53 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Mapping a way forward » 2017-04-07 13:45:54
If a 'company town' or 'university town' can have a governing board of elected representatives, or even that everyone employed there gets a vote or a say on decisions, then that could be a great model to start with and still allow some return on investment if required. Some checks & balances so that people preserve dignity & some freedoms.
Then again, from what I can tell, Elon Musk isn't in this for profit - he's a visionary who needs to make profit in order to accomplish his real goals.
John: The University of Central Florida Board of Trustees is a public corporation. The UCF Board of Trustees is composed of people appointed by the Florida Board of Governors (an agency of the State of Florida).
I do not know whether UCF-BOT is a for-profit or a not-for-profit corporation. However, UCF-BOT probably is permitted to earn profits on its assets, and the profits might include royalties on patents that are based on research and discoveries at UCF research colleges.
UCF-BOT might contract with a space transportation company to take people and supplies to a spaceport on Mars. The transportation company would have to make a profit on such services in order to remain in business.
UCF is a space-grant university.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_ … ip_Program
Florida Space Grant Consortium is a NASA sponsored program administered by the University of Central Florida.
UCF might establish a College of Sociocultural Systems Engineering. Students of the college could participate in the design, construction, testing and operation of such systems. UCF could sell completed systems (Martian settlements) to groups of setters. After arriving on Mars, a group of settlers could move into their new settlement and then sign an agreement like the Mayflower Compact. They could thereby establish a government for their settlement.
#54 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Mapping a way forward » 2017-04-07 07:00:24
I actually think Universities are a good and likely model for how Mars will be run - at least in its early stages. Entry to university campuses in the US (and most countries) is strictly controlled and their internal working is actually very disciplined, however dishevelled the students may appear. It's knowledge and skills based community. There is very little crime or social disorder within the campus but people are (or have been until quite recently) relatively free to express their opinions. People however cannot just switch from one skills base (faculty) to another at will.
There are worse things a nascent Mars community could resemble than a US University campus.
About the University of Central Florida:
The “University of Central Florida Board of Trustees, Third Amended and Restated Bylaws” provide that the University of Central Florida Board of Trustees is a “public body corporate”.
“The University of Central Florida Board of Trustees is vested by law with all the powers and authority to administer the University of Central Florida in accordance with Article IX, Section 7 of the Florida Constitution, the laws of the State of Florida and with rules and policies of the Florida Board of Governors.”
https://web.archive.org/web/20100601160 … dfinal.pdf
The term “body corporate” is an old way of saying “corporation”.
http://www.businessdictionary.com/defin … orate.html
I believe that the University of Central Florida could establish a campus on Mars without violating the terms of the Outer Space Treaty. The University just needs to refrain from making any claim of sovereignty over Mars or any portion of Mars.
When people graduate from the University and found their own settlement they can deal with the politics and complexity of declaring sovereignty over their settlement and obtaining international recognition.
#55 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Mapping a way forward » 2017-04-06 16:54:17
Are you not familiar with a "company town"? That's a town established by one company, where the one company provides most or all services. It's a monopoly. I didn't invest it. For corporate government, I'm suggesting the corporation establish one and only one settlement. That one settlement will be a company town. That means company own dormitory for its employees, company owned cafeteria, company owned clothing stores, company owned grocery stores. I would allow others to set up business in the company town, but expect the company to dominate that one town.
Your “company town” description reminds me of the Presidio of San Francisco, which was a U.S. Army base near the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidio_of_San_Francisco
However, your “company town” description also reminds me of the University of California, Davis, which is located in the City of Davis, California. The University is under the control of a state-authorized corporation named The Regents of the University of California.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regents_o … California
Perhaps we could agree on this:
A state-sponsored terrestrial university establishes a College of Sociocultural Systems Engineering. The university builds an auxiliary campus on Mars (i.e., a company town). Young, strong, healthy people enroll in the College and go to Mars. They live in dormitories provided by the University. They participate in the design, construction, testing and operation of sociocultural systems and their supporting ecosystems (i.e., complete Martian settlements) The University sells the completed settlements to groups of Martian settlers. The university builds dozens of settlements, continuously improving their settlement designs. The university, being state-sponsored, has the power to employ police, who enforce national laws and university regulations (the U.C. Regents have this power).
And maybe the University of Central Florida would consider establishing a College of Sociocultural Systems Engineering. That university is close to the Kennedy Space Center.
#56 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Mapping a way forward » 2017-04-06 08:37:02
As soon as you have one corporation governing the planet, someone is going to file an antitrust suit against it an try to break it up due to anticompetitive behavior!
A major problem with the "Corporation and Municipalities" development model is that there are no steps that space settlement advocates can take to put that model into practice. The advocates just have to sit and wait until a terrestrial sovereign that is not a party to the Outer Space Treaty decides to claim territorial sovereignty over Mars and then vests ownership of that planet in a corporation created by the sovereign.
Here is an example of a corporation created by a sovereign:
http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces … awCode=BPC
This example "may sue and be sued" but a sovereign can just as easily provide that a corporation it created cannot be sued in any court and for any cause. In other words, the corporation can get away with mass murder.
#57 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Mapping a way forward » 2017-04-06 08:01:07
Corporations by their very nature are supposed to compete with one another, the very idea of having only one corporation defeats the purpose of incorporation. The market requires many players, not one. A corporation is not supposed to be a monopoly, that goes against the rules. As soon as you have one corporation governing the planet, someone is going to file an antitrust suit against it an try to break it up due to anticompetitive behavior!
However, where a corporation owns the whole planet and dictates who the government officers are and what the laws shall be the corporation can declare that it is immune to judicial processes. This is known as the doctrine of sovereign immunity.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_immunity
So there is no legal process for stopping the corporation's monopoly. And if people oppose this evil system they get massacred.
#58 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Mapping a way forward » 2017-04-05 17:32:55
...the "Corporation and Municipalities" model favored by RobertDyck and myself, which involves a single sovereign upon the entire planet with municipalities...
Ian:
The CorpWatch website has posted an article titled “Robertson Winery Accused Of Slavery-Like Practices In South Africa”.
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=16098
That article includes a link to a movie trailer titled "Bitter Grapes—Slavery in the Vineyards”.
The working conditions shown in that trailer have also prevailed in Mexico for many decades. Workers have to defecate and urinate in the fields where they work. This can lead to food crops becoming contaminated with potentially lethal bacteria.
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspect … tamination
I do not like your one-corporation-owns-the-entire-planet Mars development plan because the most likely result of that plan would be extreme economic exploitation of 99 percent of the people by 1 percent of the people. Under that system, slave plantations would be the predominant type of settlement and moral communities would not exist.
#59 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Mapping a way forward » 2017-04-04 07:04:39
Draft Agreement to Establish a Joint Spaceport
This agreement is made and entered into by and between the Province of Saint Marie and the Province of Outer Los Angeles.
These provinces are individually and collectively referred to herein as the "MEMBER" or "MEMBERS".
Each MEMBER is a province of the Principality of Andorra and each MEMBER is authorized and empowered to contract with the other MEMBER for the purpose of exercising their power to establish, maintain, and operate a joint spaceport.
The latitude and longitude of the geometric center of the joint spaceport is: _______________.
The joint spaceport established pursuant to this agreement shall be known as the __________ Spaceport.
The __________ Spaceport shall be a public trust and that trust shall be administered by a Board of Regents. The Board of Regents shall be composed of six members and each of those members shall be known as a Regent. Each MEMBER may appoint and remove 3 Regents.
[This draft agreement is based, in part, on the "Joint Powers Agreement" posted at…
http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/salton/JointPow … mm%20.html ]
#60 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Mapping a way forward » 2017-04-03 20:06:37
...the "Settlement-Countries" model favored by Scott Beach which would involve a country on Earth to claim sovereignty on the planet and give permits to settlements to become sovereign, making multiple sovereignties. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Ian: My “DRAFT Authorization to Establish Provinces on Mars” does not include a component of my previous proposal. Andorra would not claim the Tharsis Region, as I had previously proposed. A Mars Society chapter that obtained a Provincial Charter would instead adopt a resolution that states the latitude and longitude of each of the four corners of its 12-mile by 12-mile settlement. And two or more chapters might join together to establish a spaceport and agree on the latitude and longitude of the geometric center of a circular spaceport boundary, which might be as much as 20 miles in diameter.
So the holders of Provincial Charters could put their settlements wherever on Mars they want to, and put their joint spaceport a safe distance from their settlements.
In practice, I expect the joint spaceport to be built first. This whole plan would depend on a rocket company agreeing with the Charter-holders to deliver settlers and materials to the spaceport.
I am also suggesting that the Charter-holders establish one or more “funding corporations” that can sell shares and bonds and receive infrastructure development loans, perhaps from the World Bank or International Monetary Fund or terrestrial governments. The funding corporation(s) would have to be professionally managed and be very careful to make full disclosures about how they are handling the moneys they receive.
In regard to independence and sovereignty, each settlement might choose to become an independent sovereign or two or more settlements might join together to establish one sovereign entity. I think that this decision should be left up to the Martians of that time.
I am trying to design a minimum workable model for the settlement of Mars. I believe that this approach has the advantage that it will be relatively easy to get a consensus on "mapping a way forward".
I regard the "single sovereign upon the entire planet with municipalities" model as very unlikely to be agreed to. That model would require a terrestrial consensus that would be extremely difficult to achieve. And I doubt that the Queen of England is going to charter a "Crown corporation" and authorize that corporation to take ownership of every square inch of Mars and to exert government power over everyone who lands on Mars. That colonization model would cause lots of consternation in countries were people remember how colonial European governments treated native peoples.
#61 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Mapping a way forward » 2017-04-03 15:09:39
"Atlantis Rising: Why Floating Cities are the Next Frontier"
In this video, Joe Quirk speaks about “start-up governments” and how new governments can create wealth and opportunity.
In my draft "Authorization to Establish Provinces on Mars" (see post #196) I provided a means for each province to peacefully become an independent sovereign state; Just prove that you have established a viable society by producing 101 children and then you can declare your independence.
I chose the number “101” because that was the number of people who became the subjects of a new government on November 11, 1620. From that day forward they lived together under a document known as the “Mayflower Compact”. They called themselves "Pilgrims". They had traveled together across an ocean to the "New World".
#62 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Mapping a way forward » 2017-04-02 15:54:41
My hope for Mars settlements is that people will realise they have been 'chosen' in some way to do something significant with their lives, to build a new society founded on deep respect for others, fairness, restraining self-interest for the interests of all.
Another reason to like the "celestial number" is that 144 is the first perfect square in the Fibonacci Sequence. That sequence is closely associated with Phi, a fascinating irrational number. Please see the thread titled "A Phi-based Flag of Mars" in these forums.
#63 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » SpaceX Incorporated » 2017-04-02 14:14:07
SpaceX is incorporated in Delaware as SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. and it is qualified to do business in California.
https://businessfilings.sos.ca.gov/frmD … r=C2414622
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX
#64 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Mapping a way forward » 2017-04-01 19:00:59
Scott Beach wrote:The Principality of “Andorra is a parliamentary co-principality with the President of France and the Bishop of Urgell (Catalonia, Spain) as Co-Princes”.
If co-heads of state are officials of France and Spain, and both France and Spain have signed the Outer Space Treaty, then is Andorra really exempt?
First, the Bishop of Urgell is not an official of the Spanish government.
Second, the Outer Space Treaty reads, in part, “This Treaty shall be open to all States for signature. Any State which does not sign this Treaty before its entry into force in accordance with paragraph 3 of this article may accede to it at anytime”.
The records of the United State Department of State show that the Principality of Andorra is not a party to the treaty.
https://www.state.gov/t/isn/5181.htm
You asked if Andorra is "exempt". I do not think that "exempt" is the correct word. Andorra is simply not a party to the Outer Space Treaty. Andorra can claim territorial sovereignty over whatever portions of outer space it wants to; just like numerous sovereigns have claimed territorial sovereignty over portions of Antarctica.
#65 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Mapping a way forward » 2017-04-01 17:22:52
Scott, that's quite a piece of work. I have no idea if it will fly - I hope you get somewhere with it.
The Principality of “Andorra is a parliamentary co-principality with the President of France and the Bishop of Urgell (Catalonia, Spain) as Co-Princes”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andorra#Politics
If Elon Musk is willing to work with Mars Society chapters then Musk might ask the Co-Princes to issue provincial charters to the chapters.
#66 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Mapping a way forward » 2017-04-01 16:57:50
You probably know that most Europeans work in km
Yes, I know that they use the metric system now, and that they were using “cubits” when they designed and built the great cathedrals of Europe. I specified that the settlement would be square and that it would contain approximately 144 square miles because I knew that some people would recognize those design elements as sacred.
Building the Great Cathedrals (transcript)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/bu … drals.htmlNARRATOR: Some quick math converts modern units to medieval units and produces another divine figure: 144. In the New Testament, Heaven is called the City of God. It's height: 144.
STEPHEN MURRAY: This is the Book of Revelation, the vision of Saint John the Divine: As John measures the city, he finds it's 144 cubits.
NARRATOR: Amazingly, at the dedication ceremony for the opening of Amiens Cathedral, the bishop read aloud the very same passage from the Book of Revelation that describes the divine height, 144.
STEPHEN MURRAY: So we're dealing, in the building, with, clearly, a number that expresses some kind of object of desire. They wanted 144.
NARRATOR: Their search for divine dimensions continues at Beauvais, the cathedral that partly collapsed. They measure the height.
ANDREW TALLON: ...check the measurement, and it is 144.3.
STEPHEN MURRAY: ...the same number at Beauvais. They're aiming at this celestial number.
NARRATOR: The builders at both Amiens and Beauvais used the height of God's heavenly city in the Bible to design the height of their cathedrals.
Along with the discovery of Solomon's Temple encoded at Notre Dame, and Noah's Ark at Amiens, experts have uncovered compelling evidence that some medieval architects used measurements from the Bible as a blueprint for building their cathedrals.
Using sacred numbers, Gothic engineers strived to make cathedrals a kind of Heaven on Earth, a sacred place for transporting medieval minds from their daily lives of toil to the lofty heights of eternity.
Even the floor plan of the cathedral is the ultimate Christian symbol of salvation, the crucifix.
STEPHEN MURRAY: The building is a vehicle. It takes you somewhere else. A cathedral, in a sense, is a medium; it's a transport. It takes us to heaven.
The city lies foursquare, with its width the same as its length. And he measured the city with the rod, and all its dimensions were equal—twelve thousand stadia in length and width and height.[17] And he measured its wall to be one hundred forty-four cubits, by the human measure the angel was using.[18] Revelation 21: 17-18
#67 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Mapping a way forward » 2017-04-01 09:31:33
Draft Resolution of the _______ Chapter of the Mars Society
We, the undersigned members of the Mars Society, have joined together to promote the exploration and settlement of the planet Mars. We have obtained from the Principality of Andorra a Charter that authorizes us to establish a province on Mars. Acting in accordance with the Charter, we declare that:
(1) The latitude and longitude of the northwest corner of the province is ______________;
The latitude and longitude of the northeast corner of the province is ______________;
The latitude and longitude of the southwest corner of the province is ______________;
The latitude and longitude of the southeast corner of the province is ______________;
(2) the name of the province is ________;
(3) the province shall initially be governed by a Board of Governors;
(4) the membership of the Board of Governors includes ________ and ________ and ________;
(5) the province shall have a president, a secretary, and a treasurer and such other officers as the Board of Governors may determine;
(6) ________ is the initial president of the province and ________ the initial secretary and ________ is the initial treasurer;
(7) the Board of Governors may authorize the formation of a “funding corporation” that will handle the terrestrial business affairs of the province.
[The Government of Florida has established a Florida nonprofit corporation named “Scripps Florida Funding Corporation”; https://scripps.edu/florida/about/scien … 659841.pdf . That corporation raises money to pay the operating expenses of the The Scripps Research Institute; https://www.scripps.edu/florida/.] The province’s funding corporation may contract with a rocket company to deliver settlers and building materials to the site of the province’s spaceport, or to the site of the joint spaceport of several provinces.
Draft Bill No. 1
The Board of Governors of ________ Province does hereby enact as follows:
The Board of Governors of ________ Province, acting in accordance with the Charter of ________ Province, does hereby declare that the exploration and utilization of Mars is the prerogative of all humankind and that every person is eligible to become a resident of ________ Province.
#68 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Mapping a way forward » 2017-04-01 09:24:53
DRAFT Authorization to Establish Provinces on Mars
The French chapter of the Mars Society has requested that the Principality of Andorra authorize the French chapter to establish a province on Mars. And the Spanish chapter of the Mars Society has requested that the Principality of Andorra authorize the Spanish chapter to establish a province on Mars. Their requests are granted in the following Parts.
Part 1. Provincial Charter Number 1
The Principality of Andorra hereby authorizes the French chapter of the Mars Society to establish a province on Mars. The province shall be 12 miles wide (east to west) and 12 miles high (north to south) and shall contain approximately 144 square miles. The chapter shall adopt a resolution that states the latitude and longitude of each of the 4 corners of the province. The resolution shall state the name of the province, shall establish the initial structure of the government of the province, and shall state the names of the initial officers of the government. The government shall enact a law which provides that the exploration and utilization of Mars is the prerogative of all humankind and that every person is eligible to become a resident of the province.
The lands within the province may, in accordance with laws enacted by the government, be divided into any number of parcels. Parcels may be leased to persons and organizations for such consideration as the government may determine. The revenue from such leases may be expended for the purpose of constructing, maintaining, and operating a spaceport and other public infrastructure.
The government may enter into an agreement with one or more other provinces to jointly construct, maintain, and operate a spaceport. The boundary of the joint spaceport may be up to 20 miles in diameter. The latitude and longitude of the geometric center of the joint spaceport shall be stated in the agreement.
Part 2. Provincial Charter Number 2
The Principality of Andorra hereby authorizes the Spanish chapter of the Mars Society to establish a province on Mars. The province shall be 12 miles wide (east to west) and 12 miles high (north to south) and shall contain approximately 144 square miles. The chapter shall adopt a resolution that states the latitude and longitude of each of the 4 corners of the province. The resolution shall state the name of the province, shall establish the initial structure of the government of the province, and shall state the names of the initial officers of the government. The government shall enact a law which provides that the exploration and utilization of Mars is the prerogative of all humankind and that every person is eligible to become a resident of the province.
The lands within the province may, in accordance with laws enacted by the government, be divided into any number of parcels. Parcels may be leased to persons and organizations for such consideration as the government may determine. The revenue from such leases may be expended for the purpose of constructing, maintaining, and operating a spaceport and other public infrastructure.
The government may enter into an agreement with one or more other provinces to jointly construct, maintain, and operate a spaceport. The boundary of the joint spaceport may be up to 20 miles in diameter. The latitude and longitude of the geometric center of the joint spaceport shall be stated in the agreement.
Part 3. Independence and Sovereignty
Each province authorized by the Principality of Andorra shall maintain a registry of live births. When the number of live births in a province is equal to 101 the province may at any time thereafter declare its independence and establish a sovereign state. Two or more provinces may jointly declare their independence and establish a sovereign state when the combined number live births in those provinces is equal to 101 or more.
Part 4. Additional Provincial Charters
The Principality of Andorra hereby invites each of the other chapters of the Mars Society to apply for an authorization to establish a province on Mars. The application fee shall be 100 Euros.
#69 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Mapping a way forward » 2017-04-01 06:48:36
Fesenkov Crater
The Fesenkov impact crater on Mars is 87 kilometers in diameter (i.e., 54 miles wide).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_c … ars:_A-G#F
“The area around craters may be rich in minerals. On Mars, heat from the impact melts ice in the ground. Water from the melting ice dissolves minerals, and then deposits them in cracks or faults that were produced with the impact. This process, called hydrothermal alteration, is a major way in which ore deposits are produced. The area around Martian craters may be rich in useful ores for the future colonization of Mars”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fesenkov_(Martian_crater)
I believe that the “soil” around Fesenkov Crater is rich in minerals that were ejected from the crater during impact. Those minerals may be important to growing nutritious food. I also believe that the volcanoes in the Tharsis Region of Mars have erupted many times and deposited many layers of volcanic ash on the lands around Fesenkov Crater.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File … oom_32.jpg
(Fesenkov Crater is near to the eastern side of the Tharsis Region
and is at about the same latitude as Olympus Mons.)
An area about 120 miles south by southeast of Fesenkov Crater has been photographed by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
http://viewer.mars.asu.edu/planetview/i … 8N084W&T=2
Directly above the horizontal midline of that photograph is a smooth, reasonably level area. That might be a good place to put a spaceport and a number of settlements.
#70 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Mapping a way forward » 2017-03-31 20:13:17
Article XVII of the Outer Space Treaty reads, in part, “This Treaty, of which the English, Russian, French, Spanish and Chinese texts are equally authentic, shall be deposited in the archives of the Depositary Governments”.
https://www.state.gov/t/isn/5181.htm
The Spanish version of the treaty can be translated into English as “The exploration and utilization of outer space… is the business of all mankind”. I am reasonably certain that our businessman in chief would be very pleased by this translation.
#71 Re: Space Policy » The Outer Space Treaty: A Case of Inatful Drafting » 2017-03-29 06:46:20
Unless there's another convention that says otherwise, I think we can treat outer space as being under the same laws as the high seas, also called the common heritage of mankind.
Wikipedia contains an article about the "common heritage of mankind". That article cites the Outer Space Treaty as an example of a legal document that contains this "principle of international law".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_he … of_mankind
However, I believe that the Wikipedia article is incorrectly citing the Outer Space Treaty as an example of a document that contains the "common heritage of mankind" doctrine. Equating that doctrine with "the province of all mankind" is a mistake.
A sentence written in French:
L'illisibilité des textes légaux et réglementaires n'est hélas pas l’apanage des institutions européennes.
English translation:
Unfortunately, incomprehensible legal documents and regulations are not the prerogative of the European institutions.
http://context2.reverso.net/info.php?q= … gTot=fr-en
“Every person has a right to a certain amount of room in the world and should not be made to feel wicked in standing up for what is due to him”.
— Bertrand Russell, On Education, page 91
https://books.google.com/books?id=joCMA … 22&f=false
#72 Re: Space Policy » The Outer Space Treaty: A Case of Inatful Drafting » 2017-03-28 17:09:02
The Outer Space Treaty provides that the exploration and use of outer space shall be the province of all mankind. Perhaps that provision should be understood as meaning that all people, whether they are born to a royal lineage or to a lineage of lower social status, or born in a developed country or an undeveloped country, have the right to explore and use extraterrestrial resources, including portions of Mars.
#73 Re: Space Policy » The Outer Space Treaty: A Case of Inatful Drafting » 2017-03-28 16:54:55
Interesting. Well in context I would say that prerogative means there more a "right of exploitation" than a "birthright". But it could be felt perhaps to encompass that. I am not sure why the English text didn't make use of the word prerogative or birthright there. Perhaps "province" was felt to be more felicitous.
I think the general point is reasonably clear: as a starting principle, no part of humanity should be excluded from exploring or making use of outer space.
Louis: I edited the message that you quoted. Please note that I added some interesting information and references to that message.
#74 Re: Space Policy » The Outer Space Treaty: A Case of Inatful Drafting » 2017-03-28 16:29:41
I looked at the French version of the Outer Space Treaty. I found that the French version uses the word “l’apanage”, which can be translated into English as “prerogative”. “Birthright” is a synonym for prerogative.
https://books.google.com/books?id=8N4UR … ht&f=false
I could agree that the exploration and use of outer space is the birthright of all humankind.
And see appanage: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appanage
"The system of appanage greatly influenced the territorial construction of France and the German states, and explains why many of the former provinces of France had coats of arms which were modified versions of the king's arms".
l’apanage and appanage and birthright are all closely linked to the ownership and control of tracts of land or provinces.
#75 Re: Space Policy » The Outer Space Treaty: A Case of Inatful Drafting » 2017-03-28 14:36:21
I wonder if “province” is a misspelling of “providence”.
“Destiny” is a synonym for providence.
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dicti … providence
I would agree that the exploration and use of outer space is the destiny of all humankind.
Should we request that the U.N. Secretary General correct this “misspelling”?