Politics of Settling Space

[Tokora]

Fairly easy question, if enough people get the desire to leave this rock for a new world (say Mars for example) how would that be done politically? Would the colonies be controlled by the nation of origin, or would they be independent from the start? Would a NGO (like a political or religious movement) have the resources to migrate? Does the Outer Space Treaty ban settlement at all? The moment colonists step onto the new world, who's in charge?

[The New California Republic]

Would it be possible to flesh out the OP a little bit?

[Resilient Acceleration]

So it's the question of space governance.

I'm not sure. The Outer Space Treaty ban national claims of celestial bodies, but other than that, it's a bit unclear. Especially regarding lunar and asteroid mining, which could be one of the largest industry of the future. Who will enforce laws and private property there? Will there be private property at all? Will we see the rise of mecha space marines combating mecha space pirates trying to take over SpaceX mineral shipments? Nontheless, it's pretty exciting to think about it.

[Bombadil]

I imagine it will be somewhat akin to the British East Indies Company.

[The Emerald Legion]

Honestly, I seriously doubt any terrestrial authority will be able to effectively rule over a martian colony. Any support given by an earthborn nation would face an immense time lag between launch and arrival. Like, suppose there's an insurrection on mars. It would take seven months to get any aid there. Not to mention in all likelyhood requiring local assistance to land any sizeable body of troops safely.

[Trollzyn the Infinite]

We'll deal with space traitors the same way we deal with Earth traitors: burn Georgia.

[Adamede]

If we start seriously colonizing space is bet my money on a new treaty/series of treaties being drawn up.

Saying space is owned by no one is all well and good when no one actually lives there, but if we start building colonies that’ll no longer be the case.

[Postauthoritarian America]

Since anyone headed for Mars would be dead long before they arrived, the point is moot. Under the Outer Space Treaty no nation may claim sovereignty over any celestial body. That obviously would apply to portions of any celestial body such as the Moon, as well as to any putative independent colony formed by Earthlings.

[Adamede]

Since anyone headed for Mars would be dead long before they arrived,

Where the hell are you getting that?

the point is moot. Under the Outer Space Treaty no nation may claim sovereignty over any celestial body. That obviously would apply to portions of any celestial body such as the Moon, as well as to any putative independent colony formed by Earthlings.

We didn’t exactly follow the treaty of Tordesillas very long when it came to colonizing the Americas.

[Kowani]

Honestly, I seriously doubt any terrestrial authority will be able to effectively rule over a martian colony. Any support given by an earthborn nation would face an immense time lag between launch and arrival. Like, suppose there's an insurrection on mars. It would take seven months to get any aid there. Not to mention in all likelyhood requiring local assistance to land any sizeable body of troops safely.

any insurrection would also find itself cut off from any earth support, communications, and supplies
not a great recipie

[Postauthoritarian America]

Since anyone headed for Mars would be dead long before they arrived,

Where the hell are you getting that?

the point is moot. Under the Outer Space Treaty no nation may claim sovereignty over any celestial body. That obviously would apply to portions of any celestial body such as the Moon, as well as to any putative independent colony formed by Earthlings.

We didn’t exactly follow the treaty of Tordesillas very long when it came to colonizing the Americas.

Their brains would be fried by radiation, their heart and lungs atrophied in conditions of microgravity or their capsule turned into Swiss cheese and all the air leaked out by micrometeorites. Take your pick. Assuming they got there they would again either suffocate within days or have to live in such an oxygen-rich environment that dropping a fork would start a fire. Again, take your pick. Dead people don't make good space colonists either way.

Re: Tordesillas, who do you mean by "we," Spain or Portugal? Those were the only parties to the treaty. England, France, et. al. claimed territory in the New World under the doctrine of discovery. This despite the fact of the substantial native populations there. I suppose any native Martians or Lunatics would have to file their own objections

[Adamede]

Honestly, I seriously doubt any terrestrial authority will be able to effectively rule over a martian colony. Any support given by an earthborn nation would face an immense time lag between launch and arrival. Like, suppose there's an insurrection on mars. It would take seven months to get any aid there. Not to mention in all likelyhood requiring local assistance to land any sizeable body of troops safely.

Just put a couple of killsats in orbit and if the colony get uppity blast them.

Anyway and colony is goin go to be dependent on earth. We are a long way off form making self sustaining artificial habitats.

[Adamede]

Where the hell are you getting that?

We didn’t exactly follow the treaty of Tordesillas very long when it came to colonizing the Americas.

Their brains would be fried by radiation, their heart and lungs atrophied in conditions of microgravity or their capsule turned into Swiss cheese and all the air leaked out by micrometeorites. Take your pick. Assuming they got there they would again either suffocate within days or have to live in such an oxygen-rich environment that dropping a fork would start a fire. Again, take your pick. Dead people don't make good space colonists either way.

Sounds like problems that can be overcome with advancements in technology, not something that is a physical law that cannot be broken like light speed.

Some of the brightest minds in the world are working on creating space colonies, and it’s still seen by most in the scientific community as a worthwhile endeavor. I think that speaks enough for itself.

[The Emerald Legion]

Honestly, I seriously doubt any terrestrial authority will be able to effectively rule over a martian colony. Any support given by an earthborn nation would face an immense time lag between launch and arrival. Like, suppose there's an insurrection on mars. It would take seven months to get any aid there. Not to mention in all likelyhood requiring local assistance to land any sizeable body of troops safely.

any insurrection would also find itself cut off from any earth support, communications, and supplies
not a great recipie

I mean, being reliant on earth for support, communications, or supplies is kind of a worse situation to begin with. I'm assuming any colonization effort has to be able to support itself on just what's there and an initial supply dump. Because seven months is a hell of a time to wait for some food and toilet paper.

[Postauthoritarian America]

Their brains would be fried by radiation, their heart and lungs atrophied in conditions of microgravity or their capsule turned into Swiss cheese and all the air leaked out by micrometeorites. Take your pick. Assuming they got there they would again either suffocate within days or have to live in such an oxygen-rich environment that dropping a fork would start a fire. Again, take your pick. Dead people don't make good space colonists either way.

Sounds like problems that can be overcome with advancements in technology, not something that is a physical law that cannot be broken like light speed.

Some of the brightest minds in the world are working on creating space colonies, and it’s still seen by most in the scientific community as a worthwhile endeavor. I think that speaks enough for itself.

Some day the human race may enlighten itself to the point where we no longer sacrifice our best and brightest to our vain conceit that there is any place in the known cosmos that can sustain human life except Earth. There is no Planet B.

[Bombadil]

any insurrection would also find itself cut off from any earth support, communications, and supplies
not a great recipie

I mean, being reliant on earth for support, communications, or supplies is kind of a worse situation to begin with. I'm assuming any colonization effort has to be able to support itself on just what's there and an initial supply dump. Because seven months is a hell of a time to wait for some food and toilet paper.

Matt Damon managed it.

[Adamede]

I mean, being reliant on earth for support, communications, or supplies is kind of a worse situation to begin with. I'm assuming any colonization effort has to be able to support itself on just what's there and an initial supply dump. Because seven months is a hell of a time to wait for some food and toilet paper.

Matt Damon managed it.

I’ll pass on the night soil potatoes.

[Stellar Colonies]

Sounds like problems that can be overcome with advancements in technology, not something that is a physical law that cannot be broken like light speed.

Some of the brightest minds in the world are working on creating space colonies, and it’s still seen by most in the scientific community as a worthwhile endeavor. I think that speaks enough for itself.

Some day the human race may enlighten itself to the point where we no longer sacrifice our best and brightest to our vain conceit that there is any place in the known cosmos that can sustain human life except Earth. There is no Planet B.

Not yet.

If we do attain the technology necessary to expand into space, which is merely an engineering problem (I'm including life and ecosystem support under this), interplanetary travel and settlement is pretty much inevitable, albeit difficult. The main challenge would probably be enough phosphorus, which is, to put it mildly, a big problem.

That said, interstellar travel involving people is likely not remotely possible anytime soon.

[Cordel One]

I want to see space treated as neutral international territory, but it won't be if the robber barons continue to dominate it as an industry.

[The Emerald Legion]

Sounds like problems that can be overcome with advancements in technology, not something that is a physical law that cannot be broken like light speed.

Some of the brightest minds in the world are working on creating space colonies, and it’s still seen by most in the scientific community as a worthwhile endeavor. I think that speaks enough for itself.

Some day the human race may enlighten itself to the point where we no longer sacrifice our best and brightest to our vain conceit that there is any place in the known cosmos that can sustain human life except Earth. There is no Planet B.

Nonsense. It exists, therefor it must be conquered.

[Bombadil]

Some day the human race may enlighten itself to the point where we no longer sacrifice our best and brightest to our vain conceit that there is any place in the known cosmos that can sustain human life except Earth. There is no Planet B.

Nonsense. It exists, therefor it must be conquered.

I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world because they'd never expect it.

[Saiwania]

Lets have it become like the Gundam universe where the peoples on Earth and in the space colonies evolve separately to the point where the space colonies rebel against the Earth for autonomy/self rule, and there is regular warfare between and perhaps within the two worlds.

[UniversalCommons]

Industrialization of space happens before settlement. First space tourism, then asteroid mining, moon mining, solar power satellites, and other industries.

[Stellar Colonies]

Lets have it become like the Gundam universe where the peoples on Earth and in the space colonies evolve separately to the point where the space colonies rebel against the Earth for autonomy/self rule, and there is regular warfare between and perhaps within the two worlds.

The spectre of nuclear intra-planetary war between countries on the same planet is horrifying enough, but the WMDs of interplanetary war would likely be to nukes what nukes are to conventional bombs.

You would not want regular warfare between fully developed nation-worlds.

[Northern Socialist Council Republics]

You would not want regular warfare between fully developed nation-worlds.

Like a real-life game of Interplanetary? I suppose that would be very interesting, in the sense of the "may you live in interesting times" kind of interesting.