Orange Spaceman Bad

Donald Trump signed an order authorising future mining activities in space.

This is a very bad thing, apparently, because something something colonisation.

Imagine suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome so severely that you’re upset about space exploration.

Worse, imagine being concerned that the space exploration might upset other countries and this prompts them to do something hostile.

Really?

What other acts of human endeavour and exploration should we avoid due to the possible and imagined sensitivities of third parties?

Should we stop seeking a cure for cancer, investigating fusion energy, fixing the connectivity issues with Microsoft Teams, etc.?

Bill’s Opinion

The term terra nullis has a bit of a chequered past in places such as Australia, but it’s fairly safe to use it wth regards to the Moon, Mars and passing asteroids.

The idea that President Trump is being a warmongering meanie for suggesting the USA might go into space and mine some useful minerals is bordering on delusional.

Not least because the USA is the only country with a realist chance of actually being capable of doing it on a sustainable basis.

I look forward to hearing about the Peruvian, Nigerian or Cambodian space programmes in the comments.

We went to the moon, and you know what we got?

Bored.

Left a car up there with the keys still in it. Why? ‘Cos we’re the only ones going back there.