fundamental UN treaty foundational to these questions is the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space , including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies , or simply the “ Outer Space Treaty .” It was ratified in 1967 , largely based on a set of legal principles the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs ’ ( UNOOSA ) general assembly accepted in 1962 .

The treaty has several major points to it . Some of the key ones include :

• Space is free for all nations to explore , and sovereign claims cannot be made . Space activities must be for the benefit of all nations and humans . ( So , nobody owns the moon or other planetary bodies .)

• Nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction are not allowed in Earth orbit , on celestial bodies or in other outer-space locations . ( In other words , peace is the only acceptable use of outer-space locations ).

• Individual nations ( states ) are responsible for any damage their space objects cause . Individual nations are also responsible for all governmental and nongovernmental activities conducted by their citizens . These states must also “ avoid harmful contamination ” due to space activities .

website states :

Science fiction writers have long featured terraforming , the process of creating an Earth-like or habitable environment on another planet , in their stories . Scientists themselves have proposed terraforming to enable the long-term colonization of Mars . A solution common to both groups is to release carbon dioxide gas trapped in the Martian surface to thicken the atmosphere and act as a blanket to warm the planet .

However , Mars does not retain enough carbon dioxide that could practically be put back into the atmosphere to warm Mars , according to a new NA- SA-sponsored study . Transforming the inhospitable Martian environment into a place that astronauts could explore without life support , is not possible without technology well beyond today ’ s capabilities .

In the end , Musk ’ s call to “ Occupy ” and “ Nuke ” Mars could easily be described as typical “ American exceptionalism ” and supreme arrogance . His ambitions are mega-terrestrial and he seems to not understand how dangerous his ideas ( like launching 10,000 nukes to Mars ) really are to those of us still trying to survive on Earth , and to anyone who would be foolish enough to venture to Mars after such a mad scheme had taken place .

It is time for the adults in the room to sit the out-of-control and

Space Education & Strategic Applications Volume 2, Number 1, Fall 2020/Winter 2021 | Page 25