Unable to Battle COVID-19 In America Donald Trump Now Aims To Colonize Stars
America is battling the pandemic Coronavirus. With each passing minute, the number of infected cases is rising so is the death toll. The lack of medical supplies poses a bigger threat to the US than the pandemic itself. But rather than focusing completely on the pandemic. US President Donald Trump has decided to join the space race with the likes of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.
Highlights! With the new executive order, Donald Trump aims to start lunar mining for resources
- What does the executive order mean?
- Moon Is Not The Final Destination
- The Space Race
The President of United States Donald Trump has signed a new order that aims to encourage international support for allowing usage and recovery of space resources from Mars, Moon and other celestial bodies.
The executive order called, ‘Encouraging International Support for the Recovery and Use of Space Resources’ classifies outer space as physically and legally unique domain of human activity instead of ‘global common.’
What does the executive order mean?
Scott Pace, executive secretary of the U.S. National Space Council, said in a statement
“This executive order establishes U.S. policy toward the recovery and use of space resources, such as water and certain minerals, in order to encourage the commercial development of space,”
The order has been in work for a year now. It was prompted by a desire to clarify the United States’ position to negotiate with international partners to help advance NASA’s Artemis program for lunar exploration.
Watch: Trump Talks About Moon and Future of Mars
NASA’s Artemis program aims to send people to the moon by 2024 and to establish a sustainable lunar outpost by 2028. Here NASA will have a strong competition with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
So while the US does not view space as a “global commons” it sees a clear path to off-Earth mining. Meaning America will not need further international treaty-level agreements.
Moon Is Not The Final Destination
It’s a start but the moon isn’t the final destination for NASA. The Artemis program aims to help NASA and its partners learn how to support astronauts in deep space. Which means a further mission to Mars which NASA plans to do in 2030.
Now the question is which laws apply when you leave earth and mine space resources? Or How are we going to save lunar land from getting disfigured by the mining?
To that end, the statement mentions that the US seeks to negotiate with foreign states regarding safe and sustainable operations in the form of ‘joint statements’ and ‘bilateral and multilateral arrangements.’
The Space Race
Human’s fascination with space has led to many discoveries and inventions. World’s two richest men Amazon owner Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, Tesla owner are already competing for the race that Donald Trump has now joined.
SpaceX by Elon Musk aims to reduce space transportation costs to enable the colonization of Mars. The company is already tasked with delivering cargo, experiments, and supplies to the NASA’s Lunar Gateway once it is deployed in orbit of the Moon.
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin aims to enable private human access to space at a low cost. Even amid a pandemic Blue Origin employees are being pressurized to conduct a test launch of New Shepard rocket in the US.
It’s only time will tell who wins the race to space – Donald Trump, Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos. Who’ll you bet on?
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