Document Type

Article

Disciplines

International Law

Abstract

The desire to conquer space is irresistible. Most frontiers on Earth have been reached, and eventually, there will be no more terrestrial mysteries to solve. Yet, outer space is still there-reminding and tempting us to pursue that journey of discovery. We are presently in a new age of exploration. When humanity entered outer space for the first time, the Cold War was raging and only two nations enjoyed access to the secrets beyond our atmosphere. Now, a new age of commercialization is propelling humanity's entry into space. Once again nations are returning to this vast frontier. Beyond the United States and Russia, other nations including India, Israel, Canada, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, and several European nations are pushing the boundaries of the known into the unknown. While most present efforts concentrate on deep space probes, it is only a matter of time before crewed vessels enter the race. However, once crewed voyages to Mars and beyond occur, humanity will face a unique kind of terror for the first time in centuries. To understand what this terror is, it is vital to appreciate the significance of space travel. "The goal of space exploration is clear - to generate knowledge." But this knowledge will not be obtained easily and will be tied to "operations in areas that offer the prospect of providing goods, improved services, a unique work environment for research, and anything else that visionaries and entrepreneurs see as an opportunity for profit." Could there be a situation that challenges all principles of space law, and even perhaps, all notions of law? Space law expert Michel Bourely noted that humanity's activities in outer space would require rapid development of law. Bourdly understood that behind these activities there was a moral element. He would have agreed that difficult circumstances will arise or be inescapable simply because exploration exists inextricably from adventure or law.8 And these voyages of exploration will be different. No longer associated with the mercantile age of looting artifacts or other valuable possessions, the new space age will be for those seeking innovative scientific discoveries. "To be sure, all we plan to do now is to explore our own immediate surroundings in the universe, the infinitely small place that the human race could reach even if it were to travel with the velocity of light." There is an unavoidable outcome associated with these expected voyages. Even if qualified by humanity's limited technology, our world will be left behind and along with it, all that is known to our senses, beyond our imagination, and into a new reality.

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