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Follow on Google News | Nternational Experts Agree Laws Governing Space Exploration Need Careful ReviewLegal experts from Russia and the United States of Amer ica have agreed that international legislation is needed to control the exploration of mineral resources in space to avoid a new Wild West
By: ROOM - Space Journal As companies - and countries - start to look to outer space for valuable resources, the idea of human colonies on the Moon, once the province of science fiction, is moving ever closer. But while outer space mining is a growing possibility, no one is quite sure whether it would be legal because international treaties governing commercial activity in space are out of date. At the same time national governments, notably the US, are developing legislation to pave the way for easier exploitation of space resources. Writing in ROOM - The Space Journal (http://www.room.eu.com/) "It is alarming if the freedom of exploration and the use of outer space for peaceful purposes can be disregarded when it comes to national space operations." James E. Dunstan, founder of the Mobius Legal Group (http://mobiuslegal.com/ "[But] contrary to what some commentators claim, there is no 'loophole' that allows individuals to claim ownership of celestial bodies." However, it is clear that more work is needed to ensure clarity and work has started in this area. For example, the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space is beginning to establish a new regulatory regime for the long-term sustainability of outer space activities via a dedicated working group. A series of discussions in the latest issue of ROOM (http://www.room.eu.com/ Our future in space may not be a cloudless or a peaceful one warns ROOM editor-in-chief Igor Ashurbeyli. He said: "The very nature of Homo Sapiens - or even that of Homo 'gambliens' - will not allow us to harness our ancient Earthly instincts. And we will live to see new space cowboys in lunar saloons and on space ranchos." For more on this debate and other issues relating to space exploration visit www.room.eu.com End
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