17 thoughts on “The Moon Treaty”

1. I can’t think what your announcement might be, but if it helps to bury the Moon Treaty, announce early and announce often.

2. Are you announcing a really big wooden stake Rand? One the diameter of Tycho crater?

   1. Well, I’ll announce a proposal. Whether it’s politically viable remains to be seen.

3. I assmue if you are announcing something, you have backers involved.

4. I have thought out loud (in an email to Dennis Wingo) that with the announcement of a Falcon Heavy, it should be possible to mount a human lunar return mission for under a Billion smacker using three FH’s and as much off the shelf parts as permissible.

   My idea is to sell the rights to the mission for funding. This is my thinking FWIW:

   1) Occur between July 20, 2019 and no later than December 7, 2022.

   2) The mission should at a minimum place two Astronauts at a polar location on a mainly prospecting mission with a duration of at least 14 days (exceeding the surface time of all Apollo misisons combined). Dennis likes the North Pole. I defer to his expertise.

   3) Have a orbiter/return vehicle on one , a minimal lander on two and a minimus inflatible hab on three (call it the ‘Spartan!’) (not necessairly launched in that order BTW, more like the reverse).

   4) Other tools/experiments/rovers could be landed by other parties as interest/agreements allows on other launch vehicles.

   5) Upon departure, leave the site in a condition where it can act as a base for continuing robotic exploration and maintence activities and act as a foothold to enable more capable future return missions that expand the site in scope of activity and duration of the stay.

   Ok, ya’ll can laugh now.

   1. Sounds like Project Artemis

      http://www.asi.org/adb/02/07/ssto-business-plan.html

      The problem, as with most space ventures is just finding that first billion to get started.

5. Make that July 16th.

   1. July 16, 2019, 50th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11, would be a fitting launch date. 7 years seems doable if the Falcon Heavy doesn’t fall much behind schedule, and someone has the cash to pay for it.

6. Laws are made and enforced by humans over other humans. Those other humans may disagree.

   This is a major reason for settling mars first. It will be much easier to disagree when you are out of the close reach of the moon.

   Evidenced by the fact that there even is a moon treaty, but no such thing as a mars treaty.

   1. The Moon Treaty applies to Mars. It applies to the entire universe that isn’t earth.

      1. Yes, but…

         The fact remains that people will have a better chance of defending claims made on mars than they will on the moon. It’s about time people defended their liberty.

         …or we could all just bend over for our rectal exams.

         It also applies to any rocks orbiting other stars… and nobody sees a problem with that?

      2. But it only applies to the nations that signed and ratified it. Most nations have rejected it and for good cause based on their experience with the LOS.

         1. Even then Thomas, it will take a backseat to reality once people start to make claims. This is why the search for intelligent life starts at home.

7. The Moon Treaty is the sour grapes, “We didn’t want that universe anyway” treaty for all the countries that don’t have a foreseeable, credible space program within the next few generations.

   1. Karl wins the thread.

   2. Difference being that the fox has announced that if the crow says the grapes taste pretty decent, actually, its because the crow is a unilateralist international-law breaking cowboy crow.

      1. I thought the crow were Indians?

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