But perhaps before we do, we should think about how we do it

Is it time to save the Moon

canada goose jacket outlet I have always found the first words spoken on the surface of the Moon a little disappointing. All the leap stuff sounds a bit contrived and, strangely, underwhelming. I much prefer the last words, spoken by Apollo 17 Commander Gene Cernan on 14 Canada Goose Online December 1972. canada goose jacket outlet

goose outlet canada just like to record that America challenge of today has forged man destiny of tomorrow, he cheap canada goose uk said. leave as we came, and God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind, he concluded. Then he climbed up the ladder, shut the hatch and headed home. Here was a man who could really string a sentence canada goose outlet together. goose outlet canada

canada goose outlet black friday Cernan still exudes a straight talking confidence, and when I last interviewed him a few years ago, another phrase of his sticks in my mind: are we going back? Until recently, it did not seem likely that we ever would. Over the last few years, the established agencies have lacked focus, ambition and, above all, cash but now the competition to return to the Moon is heating up. canada goose outlet black friday

canada goose black friday sale Twenty six teams are currently competing to land a robot on the Moon surface for the Google Lunar X Prize, US company Space Adventures is urging multi Canada Goose Parka millionaire adventurers to sign up for its mission to circumnavigate http://www.canadagoosejacketoutlett.com the Moon, and China is talking about building a permanent base. If even a fraction of these ambitions are realised, could the Moon become canadian goose jacket a free for all: a final frontier, with no rules, no laws and all a long way from home? After all, no one owns it. canada goose black friday sale

canada goose outlet in usa Moon is meant to be the common heritage of all humanity, suggests archaeologist and anthropologist Kathryn Denning from York University, canada goose coats on sale Toronto. nobody has jurisdiction. Nobody is calling the shots, and when nobody calls the shots, everybody is calling the shots. research covers a fascinating realm, taking in human endeavours canada goose in interstellar travel and the search for extraterrestrial life. Knowing what she does about human behaviour, Denning has become increasingly concerned about the future of the Moon, from its landscape to its heritage. canada goose outlet in usa

canada goose outlet toronto factory Don tread on meheritage on Earth doesn necessarily protect it that well, says Denning. simply drives up the value, increases tourism and can increase looting. The surest way to make something very valuable is to tell someone they not meant to own it. would certainly Canada Goose sale be a shame if Cernan steps were scuffed or a bit of Apollo hardware was damaged. But a few bootprints or the odd discarded Moon buggy are not Denning main concerns. I think [these sites] are doing is creating a territorial claim, she says. you have sites that are enshrined as being the earliest occupation sites on the Moon, canada goose factory sale then that gives a sense of priority. although America may have claimed the Moon all mankind that does not necessarily mean we are all entitled to share it. Whoever gets there first could exploit the Moon for tourism, mining or perhaps use it as a staging post to the planets. canada goose outlet toronto factory

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canada goose outlet store we looking at here with the move to private space exploration will be private resource exploitation, says Denning. ask said you can do that? and the answer will be no one said that we couldn And canada goose store I have a fundamental problem with that. is a good parallel. Protected by international treaty since 1959, there would be an outcry if any nation started to exploit the continent uk canada goose mineral resources, let alone if a corporation began drilling for oil Canada Goose Jackets in the Ross Sea. Is the Moon another vast shared wilderness any different? canada goose outlet store

canada goose outlet nyc There is, at least in theory, a United Nations Moon treaty or signed by such spacefaring nations as Guatemala and Romania but not, conspicuously, by Russia, the United States or China. It bans militarisation, uncontrolled exploitation and ownership. But, really, canada goose uk shop it is just a bit of worthless paper and is widely considered a failure (unless Guatemala does indeed have a burgeoning space programme that I have somehow missed). canada goose canada goose uk outlet outlet nyc

canada goose outlet jackets Which leaves us with the Moon waiting to be surveyed, claimed, mined and exploited. A lot of people will not have any problem with that. And do not get me wrong, I love the idea of humanity going back to the Moon and reaching Canada Goose online beyond to Mars and the outer planets. But perhaps before we do, we should think about how we do it. canada goose outlet jackets

official canada goose outlet When we return to the canada goose uk black friday Moon, our first priorities should be to explore, investigate and preserve. We have canada goose coats managed to trash the Earth, so, as Denning suggests, should we start acting now to save our Moon? official canada goose canada goose clearance sale outlet

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