Post by torpedo on May 19, 2020 21:58:06 GMT
Here Are NASA's New Rules for Playing Nice in Space
If any country wants to mine the moon, we must follow the Artemis Accords.
BY CAROLINE DELBERT
30th anniversary of apollo 11 moon missionNASAGETTY IMAGES
NASA has released a new slideshow of 10 Artemis Accords principles for diplomacy, resources, and safety.
With the Accords, NASA hopes to make firm plans to mine moon resources for sustainable settlements.
Many ideas in the list take from existing space treaties and bodies of law from the oceans and air.
After President Donald Trump's administration first teased an international agreement about mining the moon for valuable regolith earlier this month, NASA has released the full details of the Artemis Accords. With the release of a showy explanatory site, the agency has put forth ideas like transparency and the need for mutual emergency assistance in order to ensure “a Safe, Peaceful, and Prosperous Future.”
IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING
Why Mining the Moon Seems More Possible Than Ever
There’s precedent for the U.S. to help lead the way with new spacefaring policy, and the document NASA released with its statement doesn’t go into a great deal of detail. It’s kind of like the “elevator pitch” for the Artemis Accords, broken into 10 digestible sections. Let’s look at what’s inside.
Peace: In line with the Outer Space Treaty, all activities in space must be peaceful. In the opening statement, NASA explains that any “sustainable and robust presence on the moon” and then subsequent travel to Mars will require full international partnership to be safe and effective.
Transparency: NASA wants all spacefaring nations to share their plans and policies, which is similar to the way international air travel and cargo operates now. If certain information is kept secret, that limits how effective everyone else can be in an emergency.
Interoperability: Because space travel has such high stakes, NASA seeks standardized equipment and procedures to allow different nations to cooperate with as little user friction as possible.
an illustration of a future human settlement on the surface of the moon
Emergencies: Spacefaring nations agree, in concordance with the decades-old Rescue Agreement, to give emergency aid to crews from other nations as needed—another idea similar to maritime or aeronautics agreements.
Registration: Artemis emphasizes that everyone should continue to comply with the Registration Convention for vehicles and property in space, like the registration for your vehicles or the deed for your home.
Science: NASA wants all participating nations to share their scientific data publicly, as NASA has done for many years. This also mitigates risk when it comes to invasive science like mining, where choosing the wrong location could interfere or harm other missions.
Heritage: Activities on the moon must respect established “historic sites” like where Neil Armstrong walked on the moon in 1969. Protecting these broadly allows for the establishment of new sites as we spend more time on the moon.
MUST-READ FEATURE
The Oral History of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing
Resources: NASA encourages development of moon resources, especially to help build self-sustaining long-term construction on the moon.
Deconfliction: Artemis wants to establish “safety zones” to avoid any conflict between groups that could compete for the same resources. NASA says planning ahead, registering and sharing everything transparently, and continuing to communicate will all help to de-escalate any potential conflicts—hopefully before they even arise.
Disposal: Where and how to de-orbit and retire spacefaring equipment is critical, because irresponsible space trash endangers everyone. Continuing the work of existing policies and groups, Artemis seeks to standardize, minimize, and document debris.
Honestly, the version of the moon governed by these principles sounds pretty nice. President Trump’s emphasis on moon mining has rightfully drawn a lot of attention, but NASA is a civilian organization that’s always at least paired scientific investigation with the inherent political nature of the Space Race. We’ll see if those principles hold up and are applied equally to all the nations who travel into space.
If any country wants to mine the moon, we must follow the Artemis Accords.
BY CAROLINE DELBERT
30th anniversary of apollo 11 moon missionNASAGETTY IMAGES
NASA has released a new slideshow of 10 Artemis Accords principles for diplomacy, resources, and safety.
With the Accords, NASA hopes to make firm plans to mine moon resources for sustainable settlements.
Many ideas in the list take from existing space treaties and bodies of law from the oceans and air.
After President Donald Trump's administration first teased an international agreement about mining the moon for valuable regolith earlier this month, NASA has released the full details of the Artemis Accords. With the release of a showy explanatory site, the agency has put forth ideas like transparency and the need for mutual emergency assistance in order to ensure “a Safe, Peaceful, and Prosperous Future.”
IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING
Why Mining the Moon Seems More Possible Than Ever
There’s precedent for the U.S. to help lead the way with new spacefaring policy, and the document NASA released with its statement doesn’t go into a great deal of detail. It’s kind of like the “elevator pitch” for the Artemis Accords, broken into 10 digestible sections. Let’s look at what’s inside.
Peace: In line with the Outer Space Treaty, all activities in space must be peaceful. In the opening statement, NASA explains that any “sustainable and robust presence on the moon” and then subsequent travel to Mars will require full international partnership to be safe and effective.
Transparency: NASA wants all spacefaring nations to share their plans and policies, which is similar to the way international air travel and cargo operates now. If certain information is kept secret, that limits how effective everyone else can be in an emergency.
Interoperability: Because space travel has such high stakes, NASA seeks standardized equipment and procedures to allow different nations to cooperate with as little user friction as possible.
PAUL DIMARE
Registration: Artemis emphasizes that everyone should continue to comply with the Registration Convention for vehicles and property in space, like the registration for your vehicles or the deed for your home.
Science: NASA wants all participating nations to share their scientific data publicly, as NASA has done for many years. This also mitigates risk when it comes to invasive science like mining, where choosing the wrong location could interfere or harm other missions.
Heritage: Activities on the moon must respect established “historic sites” like where Neil Armstrong walked on the moon in 1969. Protecting these broadly allows for the establishment of new sites as we spend more time on the moon.
MUST-READ FEATURE
The Oral History of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing
Resources: NASA encourages development of moon resources, especially to help build self-sustaining long-term construction on the moon.
Deconfliction: Artemis wants to establish “safety zones” to avoid any conflict between groups that could compete for the same resources. NASA says planning ahead, registering and sharing everything transparently, and continuing to communicate will all help to de-escalate any potential conflicts—hopefully before they even arise.
Disposal: Where and how to de-orbit and retire spacefaring equipment is critical, because irresponsible space trash endangers everyone. Continuing the work of existing policies and groups, Artemis seeks to standardize, minimize, and document debris.
Honestly, the version of the moon governed by these principles sounds pretty nice. President Trump’s emphasis on moon mining has rightfully drawn a lot of attention, but NASA is a civilian organization that’s always at least paired scientific investigation with the inherent political nature of the Space Race. We’ll see if those principles hold up and are applied equally to all the nations who travel into space.