1. No category

UNOOSA
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs
topics:
 Space Colonization
 Asteroid Mining
Chaired by the Honorable
Chris Iba, Raven Gassis, and Autumn Thelander
S i n c e
HBHS
April 25th, 2015
1 9 7 8
Novice
hbhsmun.webs.com
Huntington Beach High School Model United Nations
UNOOSA
April 25th, 2015
Welcome to United Nations Office for Outer Space
Affairs!
Welcome, delegates, to the 37th Annual Novice Conference at Huntington Beach
High School. My name is Chris Iba and I will be one of the chairs for the United Nations
Office for Outer Space Affairs Committee. I am currently a junior and have been part of
the Model United Nations program here for 3 years. I have recently attended
conferences at UCLA, UCI, and Nationals in New York. I am currently enrolled in 7 AP
classes. I also play the Saxophone in the Academy of Performing Arts and played
basketball here for two years. Outside of school, I also stay involved with my church and
a few charity organizations. I am looking forward to an interesting debate on asteroid
mining and space colonization. Position Papers will be due on April 19, 2015 and
please email them to [email protected]. Good luck in your research!
Hello delegates of Huntington Beach High School’s 37th Annual Novice
Conference. My name is Raven Gassis and I am going to be your co-chair for the
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA). I am a junior at Huntington
Beach High School and have been part of our Model United Nations program all my
years in high school. Outside of MUN, I am enrolled in multiple AP courses and involved
in many activities outside of school. I am very glad to be chairing such an interesting
committee that discusses topics that have feasible applications to the advancement of
humanity through the use of space. I hope you find this committee as interesting as I do
and have fun at our conference. Good luck with your research and preparations have
fun!
Greetings delegates! Welcome to Huntington Beach High School’s Novice 37.
My name is Autumn Thelander and I am so excited to be working with you all in
UNOOSA to discuss the pressing matters of Space Colonization and Asteroid Mining. I
am currently a sophomore at Huntington Beach High School and I have been lucky
enough to be a part of the Model United Nations program here at Huntington for two
years now. Besides that, I am also a part of the Academy for the Performing Arts at
HBHS as a musical theater major and a dance minor. I cannot wait to hear all the
innovative ideas and research you have gathered to represent your delegation in this
most significant assembly. If you have any questions about this committee, please do
not hesitate to email the UNOOSA dais.
Position Papers must be submitted to your Dais’s central email no later than 11:59 PM on
April 19th, 2015 to be considered for a Research Award. Research Awards will be presented
during committee; please be sure to follow the HBHSMUN Position Paper format available on
our website. Your Dais’s central email is: [email protected]
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I. Space Colonization
Topic Background
planet. Almost every single one of the
prospective planets that are potentially
habitable by humans do not have an
atmosphere. This means that a layer of O3
must be created by starting enclosed
greenhouses on the surface. It is also
important to take into consideration that
water might not be in a liquid state, so this
resource must be brought by the
spacecraft.v It is important to note that the
gravity will affect the planet/moon differently
than on Earth, as well. Since the creation of
these projects is very risky, it is dire that an
international effort must be put into place in
order to make this project a success. For
example, the creation of the International
Space Station was only plausible because
ESA (European Space Agency), Brazil,
Canada, Japan, Russia, UK, and US came
together to fund the mission.vi
Although the idea of space
colonization has been only a dream
depicted in science-fiction movies for
centuries, the world has quickly evolved into
a state in which the establishment of
colonies on neighboring planets is plausible.
Space colonization is by definition any
permanent human habitation off planet
Earth. i Currently, space programs all over
the world have been searching for planets
that are potentially habitable, ranging from
Mars, Enceladus (6th largest moon of
Saturn), Europa (6th closest moon to
Jupiter), to our own moon. ii When dealing
with the idea of space colonization, there
are many aspects that must be addressed.
One of the many misconceptions with space
colonization is that a colony must be surface
based. In reality, there are two types of
colonies which include surface based and
spaced base colonies. Unlike a surface
based colony, a space based colony is a
satellite (similar to the International Space
Station) that orbits a moon or planet.iii
Next, it is important to address the
types of transportation. There are currently
two feasible methods of transportation
which include one way and two way. In a
one way spacecraft, pilots would be able to
get to their destination quickly because they
would not need to save energy/resources
for a trip back. The major downside is that
this implies that colonists would live on the
foreign planet/moon for the rest of their life.
On the other hand, a two way travel is
possible, but takes much longer. This is
because this type of spacecraft is mostly
powered by solar energy from the sun. The
upside to this means of transportation is that
this spacecraft may be recycled and can be
reloaded with resources.iv
Finally, it is very important to take
into consideration the biosphere of the
United Nations Involvement
Although there are currently no
citizens of outer space, there are still laws in
place that regulate outer space activities.
Because Space colonization is such a broad
topic, and because there are many
agreements and treaties that the UN has
put in place to clarify the boundaries of
Outer Space Law, it is crucial that each
delegation inspect these documents to
review the legality of their country’s actions.
The first and most overarching of
these is the Treaty on Principles Governing
the Activities of States in the Exploration
and Use of Outer Space of 1967, or the
“Outer Space Treaty.” It essentially forbids
nuclear weapons in space, extends space
exploration rights to all states, and prohibits
nations from claiming any celestial body vii .
Another essential treaty is the “Moon
Treaty” which expands upon ideas put forth
in the OSP, specifically in the context of the
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moon. It declares that the moon “should be
used exclusively for peaceful purposes, that
their environments should not be disrupted,
that the United Nations should be informed
of the location and purpose of any station
established on those bodies.”viii Therefore, if
a country were to colonize the moon, this
would prevent them from dominating an
area without the UN’s knowledge and
approval. As space technology continued to
advance, nations became anxious about
how other countries would react in a crisis
situation,
especially
involving
their
astronauts. Because of this, the Agreement
on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of
Astronauts, and the Return of Objects
Launched into Outer Space was drafted in
1968. This agreement announced that
nations must do as much as they can in a
disaster to rescue and aid all astronauts, as
well as space objects, in their journey back
to their launching state. ix This gave
countries more confidence in sending their
citizens and technology into space, without
fear of them being taken by another country
in a catastrophe. Without this agreement,
the mere idea of space exploration, much
less colonization, would be exponentially
more dangerous. Also, using force to secure
an area would not be acceptable in terms of
exploration or colonization. The Nuclear
Ban Test Treaty of 1963 deals with nuclear
force in space.x It prohibits the use of any
nuclear weapon in space on the premise
that these destructive machines are a
potential threat to humans. Moreover,
nuclear weapons should never take part in
any space colonization. These four treaties,
and other UN documents, supply the
international
community
with
the
fundamental rules of outer space law, which
should be applied to space colonization.
Space colonization is much different
than any other form of colonization the
world has ever seen. However, the nature of
humans and the role of government is still
very similar to that of the past. Therefore, in
order to get a better understanding of the
future of colonization, it is important to
understand the past. The historical event
most similar to space colonization is the
colonization of the New World.
In 1492, Columbus sailed the
Atlantic Ocean to gain easy access to India
and other Southeast Asian countries and
stumbled upon the New World. Though the
land had been inhabited for centuries by the
various Native American tribes and had
been previously discovered by the Vikings,
Erik the Red and Leif Erikson, Columbus
was the first person to open the eyes of the
European powers of the Old World to the
treasures (such as gold) that abounded in
the New World.xi Once they got word of the
New World, they expanded in order to
heighten their country based off the
mercantile system. Because of the fact the
diplomacy was
underdeveloped,
the
countries went into the lands without any
prior
communications,
treaties,
or
conferences.
As a result, multiple
skirmishes occurred as well as a couple of
all out wars. The main offenders were
Spain, England, and France. In King
William's War, Queen Anne's War, King
George's War (started by the War of
Jenkin’s Ear), and the French and Indian
War, the British fought the French (usually
aided by Spain) in wars that resulted in
thousands of casualties on both sides. xii
These wars ended in peaceful negotiations,
but could have easily been avoided if a
conference had been held to set up the
rules and regulations of New World
Colonization.
In addition to European countries
fighting each other, the colonies fought their
European leaders. The most notorious of
these battles was the American Revolution,
in which Britain’s colonies united to fight off
Case Study: Old World
versus New World
Colonization
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its Old World Rulers. xiii After a bloody
revolution,
American
gained
its
independence from Britain through the
Treaty of Paris in 1783, seven years after
the Declaration of Independence was
issued. Thereafter, the new nation struggled
to form itself into what it is today. It
discarded its original constitution (the
Articles of the Confederation), fought off the
native inhabitants, fought off the Europeans,
and dealt with many more travails.xiv Years
after the American Revolution, other New
World colonies began to rise up against
Europe with the help of the Monroe Doctrine
and the Roosevelt Corollary, thereby
changing the map of the New World to what
it is today.xv
When dealing with the idea of space
colonization, one must take into account
New World Colonization. It is up to the
UNOOSA to enforce to ground rules of
space currently put in place and update
them in order to ensure that wars due not
break out over space colonization like they
did with New World colonization. It is also
up to the UNOOSA to decide how the
governments of the space colonies will be
set up, if they should have full autonomy or
limited autonomy, and how the global
economy will work with them. One motive
for the British colonies starting a revolution
was that Britain was over 3,000 miles away;
imagine a government trying to control a
colony 140,000,000 miles away (distance
from Earth to Mars). xvi In brief, all the
problems with old world colonization could
very well recur on a magnified scale in
space unless we move to understand the
past in order to prevent it from reoccurring.
II. Asteroid Mining
Topic Background
The idea of mining these asteroids is
a popular topic in the space community.
Companies like Planetary Resources and
Deep Space Industries are working on
developing low cost machinery that can
efficiently harvest the natural resources
found in asteroids. xxi However, the initial
costs of the mining programs have hindered
their launches, yet both companies still
intend to launch their programs within the
next few years. Once they allocate the
funds needed, the question still remains
how these companies will go about mining.
The most plausible method of capturing the
asteroids that have strayed close enough to
Earth is to use robotic space crafts to
stabilize the asteroid and propel it into
Earth’s Orbit where human miners can then
extract the resources. xxii A much simpler
method is just picking up chunks of the
asteroid that have broken off.
The resources extracted will depend
on what type of asteroid is retrieved. There
There are currently 7.3 billion people
on Earth; that staggering number grows
every day. Unfortunately, this large
population is confined in a relatively small
and fragile place, Earth. All of the people on
Earth require a large amount of natural
resources that the Earth tragically cannot
provide. xvii However, entrepreneurs and
astronomers like Eric Anderson and Peter
Diamandis see hope for the future of
humans. xviii To resupply Earth’s depleting
natural resources, they look to the vastness
of space for help, specifically the mineral
rich asteroids of the Asteroid Belt located
between Mars and Jupiter. xix Though the
Asteroid Belt is much too far for it to be a
realistic source of resources, studies done
by the Near Earth Object (NEO) Program
point out that asteroids come within a
reachable distance quite frequently.xx
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are 3 types of asteroids: Type C, Type S,
and Type M. xxiii Type C asteroids are the
most abundant and contain the most
valuable resource known to humanity,
water. Mining these asteroids will bolster the
mining business because water allows for
human life in space colonies and is used to
create rocket fuel. xxiv Type S and Type M
are both mostly made up of iron and nickel
as well as other metals. All the asteroids
also offer promises of precious metals such
as gold and platinum, which can sell for very
large prices back on Earth.xxv
Though asteroid mining is not yet in
action, it will be very soon (NASA’s Asteroid
Redirect Mission is currently set to launch in
2019, only 4 years away). Before that day,
the rules and regulations of asteroid mining
needs to be set up in order to ensure that
conflict does not arise. xxvi The feuds
regarding Earth’s natural resources could
recur in space, hindering the overall
progress of humanity. Therefore, it is up the
United Nations Office for Outer Space
Affairs to decide the laws that will govern
asteroid mining.
and use of outer space, including the Moon
and other celestial bodies, shall be carried
out for the benefit and in the interests of all
countries, irrespective of their degree of
economic or scientific development, and
shall be the province of all mankind. Outer
space, including the Moon and other
celestial bodies, shall be free for exploration
and use by all States without discrimination
of any kind... and there shall be free access
to all areas of celestial bodies.” Also, it
proclaims that “outer space... is not subject
to national appropriation by claim of
sovereignty, by means of use or occupation,
or by any other means.”xxviii A great debate
has arisen from the text of the OST:
whether or not asteroid mining is legal
under international law. Some argue that
the extraction of raw materials from
asteroids is part of the “use” of celestial
bodies; others argue that no company nor
state may partake in asteroid mining
because it breaks international code.
Clearly,
countries
must
take
into
consideration these two aspects of this
international agreement, which has now
been ratified by 103 nations, if asteroid
mining is to be a part of the earth’s future.xxix
United Nations Involvement
Case Study: Arctic Trade
Routes
Considering the fact that asteroid
mining has not yet been accomplished, the
UN has not had to deal with this issue
largely. However, as technology improves,
the likelihood of asteroid mining taking place
increases each year, and with that the time
draws nearer for the UN to take up the case
of asteroid mining.
One document that has made
entrepreneurs, scientists, and lawyers alike
question the legality of this situation is the
Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities
of States in the Exploration and Use of
Outer Space of 1967, otherwise known as
the “Outer Space Treaty,” which gave the
international
community
the
basic
foundation for outer space law. xxvii
Specifically, it states that “the exploration
The arctic trade route dilemma can
be taken into deep consideration when we
refer to the topic of asteroid mining which
deals with unclaimed zones. Previously, the
arctic was a large land mass of about 7.2
million square kilometers, but with the
increase of global carbon emissions, the
climate change has led to the thawing of the
arctic north and a net loss of about 3.4
million square kilometers of ice xxx . The
conflict that this brings is not only on the
environmental level, but on the economic
level, as well. New trade routes have
opened in these areas which have put
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the Nordic Council’s headquarters both
reside in Norway, this overlap has led to a
partnership between these two very similar
establishments.xxxiv
In order to further explore the topic
of asteroid mining, it is important to take into
consideration the past events of the arctic
trade controversy. In this situation, nations
were fighting over oceans that did not exist
30 year prior. Luckily, they were appointed
to an international law. Unfortunately, with
asteroid mining, there is no framework that
has been set to cover this issue. This will be
tough to deal with because asteroids move
so fast that they do not stay in a designated
area for a long time. Finally, although
developing and undeveloped nations do not
have the capabilities to perform these
projects, it is important to take into
consideration that they will eventually be
eager to join this market. This means that
developed nations will not be able to
monopolize the industry and international
negotiations must take place.
nations such as the US, Canada, Russia,
Norway, and Denmark into large quarrels
over how routes should be distributed. In
order to settle the dispute, the International
Maritime Organization referred the conflict
to the United Nations Convention on the
Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). xxxi This
document which was written in 1982, set the
framework for oceanic based controversies.
It states that all economic zones of
countries stretch up to 200 miles offshore
while all set territorial zones stretch only
twelve miles offshore.xxxii The United States
has recently ratified the document 12 years
after its creation which showed that they
were open to comply with its operatives. In
order to further show the commitment that
the Arctic Council has to the document, they
reaffirmed UNCLOS under the Ilulissat
Declaration. xxxiii Also, the Arctic and
Northern Oceanic Community has shown
much progression with their addition of
India, Italy, China, Singapore, South Korea,
and Japan as observer nations to the
council. Finally, since the Arctic Council and
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Questions to Consider
Space Colonization:
1. Does your country have a government-run aerospace program? If so what projects have
been executed on the topic of space colonization? If not, how would colonies on other
planets give an unfair advantage to your country?
2. What characteristics make a planet plausibly habitable?
3. Are there private run space programs that reside in your country?
4. How would land be divided on a colonized planet?
5. How much autonomy would a fully developed colony have from its nation on Earth?
Could they establish their own government? Laws?
6. What does your country think is the most viable method of space colonization?
7. Does your country believe that the world should look to space as the future of the human
race, or should the UN focus their attention on the current problems that plague the
world?
Asteroid Mining:
1. What is your country’s policy on asteroid mining? Note that if your country is not very
involved in space affairs it may be hard to find information regarding their position in
space. If so, what are your country’s allies’ policy regarding asteroid mining?
2. How will borders be determined regarding asteroids which are constantly moving?
3. How can developed and developing nations negotiate so that the global economy can
grow as a whole?
4. Is the net worth of these projects positive or negative taking into consideration how
expensive the construction of a spacecraft has been in the past?
5. Will asteroid mining be legal for private corporations or reserved for governmental
institutions?
6. What environmental effects can arise from this method of resource extracting?
ii
http://www.space-settlement-institute.org/meaning.html
http://www.space.com/26603-interstellar-starship-colony-population-size.html
iii
http://www.permanent.com/space-colonization-orbit.html
iv
http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/sts_overview.html
v
http://www.biodiversidad.gob.mx/v_ingles/planet/whatis_bios.html
vi
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/what-is-the-iss-k4.html
ii
vii
http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/SpaceLaw/moon.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/421810/Nuclear-Test-Ban-Treaty
ix
http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/SpaceLaw/index.html
viii
x
http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/SpaceLaw/rescue.html
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xi
http://www.coursenotes.org/US_History/Notes/The_American_Pageant_13th_Edition_Textbook_Notes/Chapter_8_Am
erica_Secedes_from_the_Em
xii
http://www.coursenotes.org/US_History/Notes/The_American_Pageant_13th_Edition_Textbook_Notes/Chapter_6_The
_Duel_for_North_America
xiii
http://www.coursenotes.org/US_History/Notes/The_American_Pageant_13th_Edition_Textbook_Notes/Chapter_1_Ne
w_World_Beginnings
xiv
https://www.boundless.com/u-s-history/textbooks/boundless-u-s-history-textbook/theexpansion-and-crises-of-the-colonies-1650-1750-4/the-colonial-wars-49/the-colonial-wars-3029392/
xv
http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/imperial-rivalries/resources/early-europeanimperial-colonization-new-world
xvi
http://io9.com/8-things-we-can-do-now-to-build-a-space-colony-this-cen-1631995142
xvii
http://science.howstuffworks.com/asteroid-mining.htm
http://www.planetaryresources.com/asteriods/composition/
xix
http://news.discovery.com/space/asteroids-meteors-meteorites/could-asteroid-mining-drive21st-century-space-industry-130204.htm
xx
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130129-asteroid-minings-peculiar-past
xxi
http://www.planetaryresources.com/asteriods/#asteroid-prospecting
xxii
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/space_20/2014/10/asteroid_mining_and_sp
ace_law_who_gets_to_profit_from_outer_space_platinum.2.html
xxiii
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2011/oct/31/six-natural-resourcespopulation
xxiv
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/ca/
xxv
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/asteroids/overview/index.html#.VPfZpfldWSo
xxvi
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2005/mar/30/environment.research
xxvii
http://www.rawscience.tv/mining-the-asteroids-who-decides/
xxviii
http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/SpaceLaw/outerspt.html
xxix
http://www.vox.com/2014/9/11/6135973/asteroid-mining-law-polic
xviii
xxx
http://www.cfr.org/arctic/thawing-arctic-risks-opportunities/p32082
http://www.imo.org/About/Pages/Default.aspx
xxxii
http://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf
xxxiii
http://www.arcticgovernance.org/the-ilulissat-declaration.4872424.html
xxxiv
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/16/world/europe/arctic-council-adds-six-members-includingchina.html?_r=0
xxxi
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