NationStates Jolt Archive

On Monday morning, I submitted to the UN a proposal entitled “UN Space Consortium". I urge all UN Delegates to review and endorse this proposed resolution:

UN Space Consortium

Whereas the nations of the world wish to unify their efforts at space exploration, and

Whereas, no nation can claim title to the Moon,

Let it be resolved, that an agency to be named the United Nations Space Consortium (hereafter referred to as “U.N.S.C.”) is hereby created. The purpose of the U.N.S.C. shall be to establish a permanent Lunar Base capable of furthering the exploration of space for knowledge and resources.

The U.N.S.C. shall be incorporated under the charter of the United Nations and entirely funded through the sale of stock to any desiring nation, regardless of their affiliation to the United Nations. Non-participating nations are free to pursue their own space objectives, but would not reap the rewards of the investors. No taxing authority shall be created by the passage of this resolution.

A Provisional Board of Directors (“Provisional Board”) shall be composed of a representative from each nation participating in the U.N.S.C. immediately following the passage of this resolution. The Provisional Board will then proceed to elect a permanent Board of Directors (“Board”). No sale of stock shall occur before the seating of the Board.

Full operational control, design, development, priorities, and administration will be assigned to the Board whose service will remain subject to the will of the stockholders, as provided for in the Articles of Incorporation.

Let the nations of the world move forward together to a new frontier.


This proposal breaks new ground for the UN and brings it more in line with what should be its mission: to further the progress of mankind by the voluntary action of its members and non-members alike.

Recent resolutions have forced nations to conform internal policies to the will of the majority. This proposal takes a new approach. It permits nations to voluntarily invest their resources in a space program designed to propel humans into the Solar System and beyond. Those that do not wish to invest are not required to, while those that do will be doing so by free will, looking forward to a return on their investment.

A great place to start into space is the moon! It can be a base from which the rest of the universe can be explored and used for the benefit of the nations: colonization, new sources of energy, engineering and production breakthroughs, and new products made possible by the resources and unique environment of outer space. It can be the moon where we are able to experiment and produce new technologies to go further than we ever have.

I realize some nations have moved their nations to regions called "moon" or something similar. I urge these Nations to be first in line to join the consortium and help the rest of us learn the ropes! We would remind all that no one “owns” the real world chunk of real estate we all inhabit. Regions can be created with similar names. How many regions have been created for the northern half of the western hemisphere? USA, America, North America, Canada, etc, etc. The UNSC will be another lunar region, like Texas is another region of North America.

Please give every nation the opportunity to discuss and vote on this important proposal by adding your UN Delegate endorsement to the list of forward-thinking delegates.

Thank you for your consideration.

Hon. Rix Wax
President of the Republic of Rixtex

RixTex, I wish you had incorporated an aspect of your commentary into your actual proposal. We would have supported this, with the following alteration:

"Whereas, no nation can claim exclusive title to the Moon or any of the other planets or moons in our Solar System,


We're also listed your categorization, just to point out that Free Trade is pehaps the best of several bad choices available for this proposal:

A resolution to reduce barriers to free trade and commerce.
Category: Free Trade
Strength: Significant
Proposed by: Rixtex

We'd also like to point out that, as usual, this can't and won't apply to non-UN nations, and one or more of them could legally and easily claim ownership of the moon. Oh well, not much we can do about that in any case.

Thanks for your constructive criticism, Frisbeeteria.

We believe the the proposal meets your criteria, without the additional words. "No nation can claim" seems pretty tight.

And, we hope that you can support a resolution you are philosophically in agreement with, even if you believe it may not be perfectly worded.

I appreciate you listing the category and effect. It was a hard choice!

And, the beauty of this proposal is that a non-UN member can participate! All investors would be welcome.

We believe the the proposal meets your criteria, without the additional words. "No nation can claim" seems pretty tight.
Just the same, if you don't make quorum this time, we'd like to see a more inclusive change the next time through. And if it doesn't make it this time, there ought to be a next time. It's a good proposal.

If Frisbeeteria makes the investment and the effort to fund our own space program (advertising supported or otherwise), we'd like the ability to legally establish the Frisbeeterian Free Lunar Colony as sovereign territory. Under this proposal, we can't claim so much as a Quonset hut as our own without leaving the UN. There's a lot of cubic up there, more than enough for territorial claims. It seems churlish to deny the investors some semi-guaranteed return on their investment.

In any case, you have our best wishes for passage, with or wiithout our support.

Frisbeeteria, I believe you would be able to do as you wish with an independent program, with or without UN membership, for the same reasons that regions called "Moon" can still exist with this proposal. For that matter, it does not preclude you from having an independent program and being an investor. In the end, you have freedom of choice!

Momentum is building for this important proposal.

I urge all UN Delegates to add their endorsement to this growing list.

Gov. Jebediah Getzandaner
Free State of Buffalo Creek

How about a limitation on the size of how much territory you can have based on what percent of the planet/moon's population is ruled by your nation?

FA: You have a colony of 1,000 on the moon, and nobody else is there yet. Therefore, you own all the moon. Then, after getting your permission, another nation sends a colony of 500. They own a third, and you own the rest.

Naturally, things would fill up quick.

I have changed my position, based on the following new information (http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=124420)
the moon was griefed this morning.

it was griefed by an invader, who's been sitting there for quite some time

today, he ejected the last remaining two natives, and he and his endorser left.
Obviously, the moon needs UN protection to prevent this sort of wanton region-destruction. Or perhaps the destruction was triggered by discussion of this very proposal. In any case, it's time for a UN presence.

Frisbeeteria Approves.

OOC: This appears remarkably similar to another proposal that was on the forum a few minutes ago. I replied to a posting but the whole thread has now disappeared...

Anyway.

I'm content with this proposal so long as it's not possible for nations and corporations to exploit it. I'm an advocate of the philosophy of non-ownership when it comes to extraterrestrial bodies.

One happy thought for would-be lunar colonists: we won't be arguing about climate change.

Sax Russell
Speaker for Science

How about a limitation on the size of how much territory you can have based on what percent of the planet/moon's population is ruled by your nation?

FA: You have a colony of 1,000 on the moon, and nobody else is there yet. Therefore, you own all the moon. Then, after getting your permission, another nation sends a colony of 500. They own a third, and you own the rest.

Naturally, things would fill up quick.
As far as I know, the moon is empty.

Naturally, things would fill up quick.
You're thinking in terms of the Earth, which has only inhabitable surfaces. The most efficient method of lunar habitation would be underground, insulated from the variables of heat, cold, and vacuum. As the prime natural resource of lunar habitation would likely be lunar rock itself, it only makes sense to transform drilling tunnels into sealed habitats. Therefore, successful occupation of the moon would be troglodytic in nature. There is far more cubic available than surface, ample for all nations.

"Ask not to put a colony ON the moon. Ask to build your colonies IN the moon!"

"Think Spherically"

MJ Donovan, CEO, Frisbeeteria
Committee Chair for development of Frisbeeterian Lunar Advanced Mining and Exploration. Inc. (FLAME)

I have changed my position, based on the following new information (http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=124420)

Obviously, the moon needs UN protection to prevent this sort of wanton region-destruction. Or perhaps the destruction was triggered by discussion of this very proposal. In any case, it's time for a UN presence.

Frisbeeteria Approves.

Why should the moon get UN protection before we start talking about the UN protecting any humanitarian aid that is sent to hostile nations?

While my nation too has decided that it is in our genetic modification interests to explore space and would be thrilled to join any UN venture, the idea of UN protection seems so ... well young.

We've protected prostitutes, minorities, and the politically under represented in the past. Many of us stood by while UN Protected people were slaughtered.

And now we are talking about protecting the moon? I suggest we talk about cooperation and international stewardship on the moon before talking about protection and the granting of any rights. If anything another hastily written UN proposal / resolution will only serve for some loop-hole loving tryant to justify putting Elvish execution centers on the moon. The last thing my nation wants to see is some other nation get to the moon and turn it into another industrialized nation dumping ground.

I'm an advocate of the philosophy of non-ownership when it comes to extraterrestrial bodies.

Sax Russell
Speaker for Science

I agree! The Confederation of Mikitivity not only considers it illegal to own human bodies, but also finds the idea of owning aliens to be against the same spirit of many of the UN resolutions that prohibit human trafficing and slavery.

E.T.s have rights too!

Even should they turn out to be hostile, we have plenty of glasses of water to be used for defensive purposes only.

10kMichael

Server's in fine form...

Erm. While I concur with most of what you say, I was actually referring to bodies like the moon, Mars, etc....

Apologies if you realised this and were having a justifiable dig at my clumsy phrasing.

Erm. While I concur with most of what you say, I was actually referring to bodies like the moon, Mars, etc....

Apologies if you realised this and were having a justifiable dig at my clumsy phrasing.

Oh, my apologies. We are talking about rocks and dirt again. Well, my nation certainly agrees with your position on those as well.

And for the record, I think it would be a cold day in Miervatia before I would not address this subject with the seriousness that it deserves! ;)

Now if you'll excuse me, the national snowboarding team is about to perform.

Given that the economy of Sophista is highly-dependent on space-based research and development, we will gladly support this proposal. This would lead to significant economic growth within our nation, and likely spur new interest in the science of the stars.

I will, however voice a concern with the ownership principle included with this proposal. Unfortunately, there is no body to administer the claims process, meaning any nation could lay claim to the entire moon and so long as they proved they'd done it first the rest of the world would be simply out of luck. Even if the claims are based on who gets there first, nations without developed space programs would be permanently denied from a lunar colony of their own. This isn't that big of a problem for us, though, because Sophista has the capability to launch a lunar mission with only a few months notice.

The nation of Sophista would be interested in heading an administration of such claims and mediating any disputes, should such a thing arise from this proposal, but that bridge can be crossed when we get there. Until then, we happily support this proposal and the greater idea behind it.

Sincerely yours,
Daniel M. Hillaker
Minister of Foreign Affairs

Minister Hillaker, Chairman Donovan, Speaker Russell, and 10kMichael, Etal:

I appreciate everyone's feedback and support on the U.N.S.C. proposal.

It was written so that the Board of Directors could have the flexibility to address these and all the other issues that are bound to arise. I do believe that none of the concerns mentioned so far cannot be solved under the rules and practice of NationStates.

I call it K.I.S. or Keep It Simple. This, of course, is a variation of the diplomatically incorrect K.I.S.S. My Momma always told me never to call anyone "stupid", and we all know what Forrest's Mom says.

Thank you
President Rix Wax

I support this idea and place my endorsment.

RixTex, I wish you had incorporated an aspect of your commentary into your actual proposal. We would have supported this, with the following alteration:

"Whereas, no nation can claim exclusive title to the Moon or any of the other planets or moons in our Solar System,


We're also listed your categorization, just to point out that Free Trade is pehaps the best of several bad choices available for this proposal:

A resolution to reduce barriers to free trade and commerce.
Category: Free Trade
Strength: Significant
Proposed by: Rixtex

We'd also like to point out that, as usual, this can't and won't apply to non-UN nations, and one or more of them could legally and easily claim ownership of the moon. Oh well, not much we can do about that in any case.

I totally agree, and my opinion about the proposal is that it is praticly socialism. And I want to ask the person that proposed the resolution, are you a socialist?

I totally agree, and my opinion about the proposal is that it is praticly socialism. And I want to ask the person that proposed the resolution, are you a socialist?
Excuse me, but what portion of what I said had anything at all to do with socialism? If you're going to quote me, try to make some relevant comment based on what I said.

As I see nothing whatsoever socialist about this proposal, I'd just as soon not have my name associated with your reply.

While My nation is very young, We would support a joint effort towards a moon base, and future Space exploration, as long as it would remain a UN effort, so any one nation could not lay claim to any scientific or technological discoveries.

The Rogue Nation of Greenspoint is still trying to see the 'Socialism' in the proposal. We're looking closely, but we seem to still be missing something.

James Moehlman
Asst. Manager ico U.N. Affairs