WE HAVE yet to set up home on another world. The sheer logistics of such a move are far from understood, and no one knows if we could afford to go anyway. But that didn鈥檛 stop participants at the International Astronautical Congress in Hyderabad, India, last week from discussing how such bases should be governed.
Just don鈥檛 call people living on the moon or Mars 鈥渃olonists鈥�. M. Y. S. Prasad, deputy director of the Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad, says the word 鈥渃olonies鈥� evokes unpleasant memories of European settlers, so Indian scientists prefer to say 鈥渉abitation bases鈥�.
鈥淭he word 鈥榗olonies鈥� evokes unpleasant memories of European settlers in India鈥�
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Democracy should be the political system of choice, and there should be no need for individuals to own property, says William Marshall of NASA鈥檚 Ames Research Center. Marshall proposes a seven-point system for government on the moon. First, he advocates e-voting; second, a jury system; third, an 鈥渦pper house鈥� to consider the long-term needs of lunar society. Fourth, he advocates 鈥渨ikipolitics鈥� 鈥� a method of utilising information gathered from a range of sources to reduce redundancy.
Point five, Marshall says, is the use of analytical politics to ensure rational decisions are made to improve the society; six is the use of historical checks to prevent society from repeating its mistakes. The final point calls for 鈥渇eedback loops鈥� aimed at improving efficiency.
Such a governance system on the moon 鈥渃ould offer tremendous opportunity for political reform鈥�, says Marshall, which could in turn produce 鈥渉uge benefits鈥� if it inspired change on Earth.
Ji Wu, director of China鈥檚 Centre for Space Science and Applied Research in Beijing listed the reasons why China was interested in establishing lunar and Martian bases, including mining natural resources. But finally, he said, it鈥檚 鈥渂ecause we just want to be there鈥�.
Sputnik鈥檚 Legacy 鈥� Learn more about humanity鈥檚 first 50 years in space in our .
