Asteroids will provide the means to transform future human space exploration and operations into large scale activities. They will first provide a rich source of minerals and material for initial economic expansion and concurrently providing platforms for operations and manufacturing. Eventually, the human race could use asteroids as space vehicles to move itself across and possibly beyond the solar system effectively becoming mobile bases of operations and even space colonies. The only significant limitations of this future growth are technological capability and legal ambiguity for large scale human space activity. For any space activity to overcome its limitations and get off the ground, the activity must generate a great deal of interest.
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The human race would have to walk through the other steps before reaching any true certainty. Research has been going on since the 1970s without any an answer to having a colony with true independence16. Nevertheless, this potential independence could open the first foreseeable and realistic opportunity for human exploration beyond the solar system to our closest stellar neighbor. The only other potential opportunities for interstellar travel before using an asteroid-based colony would involve some unforeseeable revolution in space technology, most likely some astonishingly fast new propulsion system17. Unfortunately, all of this possibility available through asteroids is limited by our current international legal system regarding space.
Space law, in general, is murky concerning all the mentioned potential uses of asteroids. Out of all the potential uses, basic asteroid mining is the clearest within the framework of existing space law or interpretations of it by various entities around the world. Space law allows for utilizing materials harvested from celestial bodies by Governmental agencies and private companies for commercial purposes18. However, the international community has not officially addressed using those same asteroids for permanent human …show more content…
As the human race goes forward, international organizations need to determine a new legal framework for asteroid use. For now, a legal allowance exists to create man-made space structures to act as bases of operations, barges, or even colonies solely out of resources from asteroids as long as those asteroids are not wholly claimed21. Instead of building into the asteroids, space organizations can manufacture these space facilities by completely converting asteroid materials into totally man-made structures. This is not an ideal situation as it would increase the time and effort needed to create the facilities, but it is currently the only avenue for these large structures that exist within space law at this time. In any case, asteroids will play a central role in the future creation of any large structures the human race decides to
The human race would have to walk through the other steps before reaching any true certainty. Research has been going on since the 1970s without any an answer to having a colony with true independence16. Nevertheless, this potential independence could open the first foreseeable and realistic opportunity for human exploration beyond the solar system to our closest stellar neighbor. The only other potential opportunities for interstellar travel before using an asteroid-based colony would involve some unforeseeable revolution in space technology, most likely some astonishingly fast new propulsion system17. Unfortunately, all of this possibility available through asteroids is limited by our current international legal system regarding space.
Space law, in general, is murky concerning all the mentioned potential uses of asteroids. Out of all the potential uses, basic asteroid mining is the clearest within the framework of existing space law or interpretations of it by various entities around the world. Space law allows for utilizing materials harvested from celestial bodies by Governmental agencies and private companies for commercial purposes18. However, the international community has not officially addressed using those same asteroids for permanent human …show more content…
As the human race goes forward, international organizations need to determine a new legal framework for asteroid use. For now, a legal allowance exists to create man-made space structures to act as bases of operations, barges, or even colonies solely out of resources from asteroids as long as those asteroids are not wholly claimed21. Instead of building into the asteroids, space organizations can manufacture these space facilities by completely converting asteroid materials into totally man-made structures. This is not an ideal situation as it would increase the time and effort needed to create the facilities, but it is currently the only avenue for these large structures that exist within space law at this time. In any case, asteroids will play a central role in the future creation of any large structures the human race decides to