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- Connector.
Meet The Martians ... We are All Mankind
Who are The Martians?.. that’s us … and anyone who cares to join us here in our peace mission.
That’s right… we DO come in peace.
So, if you would love to own a huge chunk of land on Planet Mars and save the Outer Space Treaty … then do something amazing and JOIN our communal claim to land on Mars!
* CLICK HERE TO JOIN US AND STAKE YOUR CLAIM TO LAND ON MARS *
Our peace mission?… to give the UN (COPUOS) a mighty wake up call and sting them into rescuing the Outer Space Treaty (OST) with a limited new ‘top-up’ Treaty… COPUOS is the UN committee that drafted the OST way back in 1967. Despite meeting every year, it hasn’t managed to make much impact since then.
This treaty (OST) is the cornerstone of all space law and the only thing preventing the nuclear weaponization of Earth’s orbit. The trouble is, it doesn’t just deal with weapons. It covers a lot of other issues in a manner that is quite outdated. It is becoming ever less fit-for-purpose. It is viewed as being bad for business (it doesn’t accommodate space mining or space settlement very easily). Thus, as countries now want to weaponize space (“peaceful” weapons, just to protect space assets!) and exploit celestial lands (that WILL happen within 10 years), the OST will become progressively marginalized. If we do not get an additional treaty, the OST is a ‘gonner’ … and aggressive space weaponization will result.
There are plenty of other things that we’d like to see in a top-up treaty to the OST; like restrictions on space debris production (also debris removal plans) plus a business-friendly framework for exploitation of resources and controlled appropriation of land. We would like this limited treaty to lead on to the creation of a nimble, savvy, business friendly space council to provide light touch governance on exploitation, plus regulation on waste and debris. However, that might be too greedy. Realistically, we just want ‘hard space law’ to remain relevant and respected, across all domains, such that weaponization of space is restricted to a minimal level (surveillance, guidance and communications only… no strike weapons… and that goes for Earth based space weapons too).
So our primary goal is to jolt the UN into building some new hard law (a ‘top-up treaty’) upon existing space law (OST) such that aggressive space weaponization (especially nuclear weapons) does not easily happen. So come on, ‘@JOIN THE MARTIANS’ and give Space Law a miracle makeover. We can save the Outer Space Treaty… and in turn, save the Earth.
So, how might a well developed claim to land on Mars (a pan-multinational communal claim including people from ALL nations) sting the UN into strengthening the laws of space? Well, the fact that we can genuinely boast a factual possession of Mars for almost 12 years (this is agreed by independent legal experts), means we will now be able to attract considerable national/international media attention (from Summer 2021 onwards). At every encounter with fascinated media, Dr Philip Davies (Founder and Director) will raise the matter of the OST’s plight and the imminent weaponization of space. Such media focus may wake humanity (and state governments) to the fact that we are sleepwalking to a near future with aggressive strike weapons (maybe even NUKES) sitting 350 km above our heads, pointing down. But, there is also the possibility that the construct of the proposals intertwined with our Mars Land Claim might be seen as advantageous for peaceful but vibrant space commerce. It is an unfortunate truth that nations are motivated more by greed than by a desire for peace… so we can gain leverage from that universal greed. We must ‘show them the money.’ Not only does the full realisation of our claim/proposal result in smooth and vibrant space business (mining etc), it also solves the dichotomous problem that lies within Article I OST … that being ‘exploitation with mandatory sharing.’ Mining corporations will retain all profits minus a ground-rent payment. Such predictability will be invaluable to commerce. Responsible exploitation will be managed by a savvy pro-business space-user group, membership of which is only available to space-faring nations who have ratified the new ‘Top-up Treaty.’ Independent expert legal opinion suggests that there is moral and political weight in our proposal. Read on to see how we plan to ensure peace for the future years of space exploration and exploitation… - Connector.
Background
Weaponization of space is imminent…FACT!
All the major space faring nations are prepping for this.
They’ve all practised their ASAT capabilities (India is the latest to kill a satellite).
Soon we will see “peaceful weapons” in orbit…just protecting national assets.
That, of course, leads to an aggressive arms race (the UN’s biggest fear).
Satellites will be dodging ever more weapons and debris.
A mistake?.. an accident?.. malevolence?.. conflict will ignite.
And what of NUKES?… how long before they’re lurking 400km above our heads?
For over 50 years the Outer Space Treaty has protected us from all this… but…
The Treaty (OST) is starting to crumble. It’s viewed as bad for business…outdated.
New national space exploitation (mining etc) laws are great news for space biz…
But they do damage the OST… its strength is now reduced.
OST states that space is for peaceful uses only … so what does that mean?..
It means nations will launch only “peaceful weapons” into space (no kidding).
This further discredits the OST. Once weapons are used, the OST is toast.
With the OST reduced, there’s nothing in law to stop nuclear weaponization.
Nukes in orbit are even more dangerous than nukes in submarines…why?..
It’s all about the overwhelming military advantage of an anonymous first strike
GAME OVER! - Connector.
Revolution Resolution
So, what can we do?… where do we start?
Well, we want to prevent any weapons with strike capabilities from getting into space.
So we start with raising awareness… but national and international media dont sense any urgency on this matter.
They are wrong… we are running out of time on this … once strike weapons are up there… they’re not coming down.
So if we can’t stop nations from wanting to weaponize space, can we strengthen the law to stop them?
The only thing stopping aggressive weaponization (and especially nukes) in space is the 52year old OST.
UN-COPUOS is the committee in Vienna that crafted the OST. We’ve been lobbying it (>10 years) to update the OST.
COPUOS has not been able, in over 53 years, to build on the OST with any new space laws for the modern age.
The committee works by 100% consensus. If only 99% of nation states are happy with a proposal, it wont happen.
That sort of committee needs a massive jolt (like the Cuban [nuclear] Missile Crisis in the lead up to the OST drafting).
So how might we jolt COPUOS into updating OST so that it works for space biz and stays strong against weapons)?
If the imminent threat of space weaponization can’t jolt COPUOS into action, what will?.. we’ve got a plan…
An elegant plan!.. after much research and discussion with top scientists and lawyers expert in international law.
We’ve crafted a legitimate claim to ‘Factual Possession’ of celestial land (Mars)… but it cannot yet be converted into owned property.
For nearly 12 years we have targeted Mars with powerful laser beams (causing a very small but beneficial influence over time).
Together with copious admin/governance planning, the high power laser activities will support our claim of possession.
We’re gathering people from EVERY nation (195+1) to join us in the claim. Now onwards to an international court!
We’ve arrived with credibility, via the UK High Courts, at ECtHR. We aim to compel the UK Gov to present our claim to the UN
We do not expect victory via ECtHR … but its good to try. There are plenty of other routes to our target UN Commitee (‘COPUOS’).
We will start lobbying each state delegation (@ COPUOS) so that all become aware of the beneficial construct of our claim/proposal.
We will generate media focus on the need to update space law. This might even JOLT the UN from their sleepwalk towards space weapons
The construct of our claim’s associated proposals may appeal to COPUOS members sufficient to influence a favourable change in the law.
Even if we fail to influence legal changes ourselves, we are sure that space law will evolve towards tolerating celestial land ownership.
In such a situation, our expert legal advice states that our valid claim should be first-in-line for consideration (but not guaranteed to win).
We must maximize the strength of our claim: huge membership (aim > 5 Million) and ‘Space Studies’ scholarships for members’ families.
If successful for registration of ownership, the Martian Legal Land Title goes to All Mankind (to be held in trust by a UN committee).
In this situation the beneficial ownership title goes to all our co-claimants (or their family descendants). The land is held as ‘common land.’
A pro-business Space-User group governs all responsible exploitation. Mining companies pay ground-rent to the claimants/beneficiaries.
Claimants are from all 195 nations in equitable numbers. The ground rent is part-shared between all beneficiaries ( Art I OST is satisfied).
Mining companies retain all profits and a new ‘Top–Up Space Treaty’ secures a safe and prosperous future for Martians and all Humanity.
Note: although we have great ambitions to implement all the possible benefits that may result from the legal propagation of our claim, in truth we will initially be super satisfied to raise public awareness of the fragility of space security and jolt the UN into updating and strengthening the space laws. Within those updated laws should be strong clear limitations to space militarization and a plan for effective surveillance/inspection of space traffic. If a need arises for a celestial/orbital police force, it should wear UN blue hats! Hopefully that will be enough to keep us all safe from strike weapons in space, especially nuclear weaponry. - Connector.
Executive Summary: The Martians' Peace Mission
THE MARTIANS’ PEACE MISSION IS BIPHASIC:
PHASE ONE:: CONSTRUCT A LEGITIMATE CELESTIAL LAND CLAIM(s).
The Mars Claims are a bundle of three discrete claims (1. Land 2. Resources 3. Geo-spatial Slots on surface of Mars).
If Claim 1 (land) succeeds, then the further two claims need not apply.
The claims are pan-multinational communal claims (thus involving people from EVERY NATION in equitable numbers).
They are communal claims of actual possession of Mars land, seeking international registration (title or priority rights) when law permits.
The OST suggests that space is a benefit and responsibility of/for all mankind… perhaps even owned by mankind), the OST text does not bar any communal, multinational, shared ownership of celestial land (our claim proposes legal title goes to ‘All Mankind’ and beneficial title goes to our multinational co-claimants)… but we acknowledge that the interpretation of OST, within Customary International Law, does currently bar the progression of our claim from factual possession to title ownership. This is because the law, as it stands now, cannot facilitate private celestial land ownership, no matter how multinational or representative of humanity, without incurring national appropriation. There is a pathway to solve this, but it requies the motivation of most space faring nations.
Nevertheless, independent expert legal opinion does confirm that our actions are legal and our claim of possession is valid. It also confirms that should space law evolve to tolerate/encourage celestial land ownership (as we have no doubt that it will … in maybe 150 years), our claim should rightly be first-in-line for consideration. That’s a big statement and puts us in pole position. At this stage we can further strengthen the claim by adding to the size of our membership. It is currently 180, 000 and we aim for more than 5 Million.
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So we have engineered a legally robust claim to possession of land on Planet Mars … NOT another silly spurious claim to celestial land. It is a very serious and detailed effort, faithfully based on the norms of international law (and private law).
It took months of discussions with world expert space lawyers. It required mathematical verification and the persistent targeting of Mars using lasers of enormous power and accuracy. That’s right, lasers… VERY powerful class 4 lasers.
In terms of the earliest steps towards terraforming Mars, our sustained use of powerful lasers does provide a very small benefit (a non-zero amount) to the land & atmosphere of Planet Mars (CO2 sublimation and other effects). Together with a wealth of admin/governance planning, this activity is commensurate with the modest levels of proof required to satisfy the legal definition of ‘actual possession’ (=effective occupation) of difficult, distant and rather barren land. Mars is certainly difficult, distant and pretty barren. Sure, its strategically more important than “equivalent” barren land on Earth (a major issue certainly, which we explore below in the ‘Legal Self-Assessment Document’) … but existing customary law, based on physical quality, does support our claim of possession. Thus, using the existing (and still current) model for land acquisition on the basis of physical quality (geographical & geological), our actions should prove competitive in justifying our claim of actual possession over Martian land. Under this model, we DONT have to settle on Mars to reasonably possess it.
Now ‘actual possession’ is the most accepted method (in modern international and private laws) for acquiring new land ownership rights. Space law (OST) blocks the ‘full’ appropriation of celestial land. It prevents nations from acquiring ‘dominion’ of celestial lands (sovereignty / National Appropriation). It also prevents nations from indirectly acquiring sovereignty via claims made by non-governmental nationals. Such nationals (companies or individuals), under customary law derived from OST articles II and VI plus subsequent state practice, are barred from gaining property rights to celestial land from their parent nation (i.e. the normal route to property rights via a national registration process is barred).
There is nothing in law to prevent the state delegations at UN agreeing to form a celestial registry and facilitate the international registration of celestial land title… allowing for some limited private property rights whilst still maintaining a prohibition on national appropriation. Our claim might prove appealing/acceptable in that the legal title is to be held by a UN committee (held in trust for ‘All Mankind’), whereas it is only the beneficial title which goes to the claimants. We aim to effectively lobby the UN-COPUOS delegations using the substance and associated proposals of our claim. We aim to gain their understanding and appreciation. At the same time we still maintain the actions consistent with possession (including the use of powerful lasers) and build up our membership (strengthening the claim and raising vital funds). Legal experts have confirmed that our actions are legal and can be argued to represent ‘Factual Possession.’ Such factual possession itself is not illegal unless it is unequivocally permanent.
PHASE TWO:: TAKE THE CLAIM TO UNITED NATIONS (COPUOS) AND WORLD MEDIA.
Phase two is all about our efforts to access international appraisal via COPUOS (or even UNGA). We have been running with the ‘Save the Space Treaty Campaign’ and the ‘Mars Land Claim’ in parallel. At this point they now come together.
Once we have the audience of the COPUOS delegations, we will also have the ear of the world’s media. Hopefully we can jolt the delegates from their sleepwalk towards space weaponization, and maybe sting them into cohesive action towards a much needed ‘Top-Up Space Treaty.’
Even if our initial impact falls on deaf ears, the ultimate propagation of our claim may still save the day. The construct of our proposal is overtly favourable to those who seek vibrant space commerce with peace and stability. The text of the Outer Space Treaty is honoured through the realisation of our claim and the biggest problems currently facing space commerce (Articles I and II OST) are elegantly solved. In order to propagate our claim to its full realisation, there needs to be willingness of a majority of space-faring state delegations and some procedural alterations to facilitate the international registration of limited private property rights, whilst still maintaining the bar on national appropriation. This is certainly feasible and would permit a most elegant result.
If realised, our claim would deliver legal celestial land title to ‘All Mankind’ (held in trust by a UN committee). Our co-claimants receive the beneficial ownership title. A pro-business space-user group provides governance over responsible land exploitation. Representation on that user group is afforded only to space-faring nations that have ratified an appropriate ‘Top-Up Treaty’ which facillitates space commerce, protects against aggressive weaponization, and manages/mitigates space debris. The co-claimants (=beneficiaries) come from all nations in equitable numbers. Thus, when a mining company sets up an installation, it pays ground-rent to the affected claimant(s). These claimants will part-share that payment will all other claimants, such that all nations/nationals gain benefit from the commercial activity. The mining company retains all profits (less tax to the parent nation).
In this manner, the propagation of our claim can deliver vibrant, responsible space commerce with peace and stability for all (Martians and Humanity). Ultimately, responsible space commerce should be vital to help preserve the geo-atmosphere and biodiversity of planet Earth. - Connector.
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