Who "Owns" Mars

Atomic

Atomic

Atomic

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I don't know if "own" is the right word, but if America was to land on Mars first would they have the rights to have planet and if there are any valuable resources on that planet would they claim them as theres?
 
Atomic said:
I don't know if "own" is the right word, but if America was to land on Mars first would they have the rights to have planet and if there are any valuable resources on that planet would they claim them as theres?
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Yup.
 
Under international law, no one country can own any planet or moon in our solar system.

It doesn't however mention companies, and there are one or two companies that have "laid claim" to various planets and moons, and are selling plots of land on them. Of course the legality of that has never been tested, and probably won't need to be for another century or two. :)
 
I think there was some treaty years ago that means that planetary bodies can only be claimed for the benefit of mankind as a whole and that individual nations or companies cannnot claim or exploit them.

/EDIT - Better explained above
 
Id say if you can get there, help yourself, until somone else gets there. THEN you make some kind of silly world mining treaty.
 
I thought there was an organisation established to regulate who "owns" objects outside Earth's boundaries. Basically, it will be nobody, although I think you can claim territory.
 
The company that owns the Rights to the mars bar and makes them is Called Master Foods :)

So Mars doesnt even own mars ;)
 
Ok so who picks up the bill should mars get obliterated by a large asteroid or something.

Yeah that put a spanner in the works :p
 
Surely if someone stayed on a Planet or Moon for long enough, you could claim squatters rights :p

/Goes to set off to mars.
 
AFAIK the treaty is a bit like the Antarctic Treaty in that you can claim land and it will be rightfully yours to exercise your own laws there, but equally the treaty allows everyone else to ignore your claim apply their own laws to any of their citizens within someone elses claim.

Make sense to anyone? If it doesn then I've written it wrong.
 
[DOD]Asprilla said:
AFAIK the treaty is a bit like the Antarctic Treaty in that you can claim land and it will be rightfully yours to exercise your own laws there, but equally the treaty allows everyone else to ignore your claim apply their own laws to any of their citizens within someone elses claim.

Make sense to anyone? If it doesn then I've written it wrong.
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Hasnt Antarctica been split up between the countries that have bothered to explore it?
 
Zip said:
Hasnt Antarctica been split up between the countries that have bothered to explore it?
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Nope, they lay claim to various areas but the treaty above stands I think. No-one owns antarctica and no-one (importantly) can claim mineral rights there, although if you look on a map you'll see it divided up between about seven or eight nations because they 'claim' it, or did before th treaty was around.
 
[DOD]Asprilla said:
Nope, they lay claim to various areas but the treaty above stands I think. No-one owns antarctica and no-one (importantly) can claim mineral rights there, although if you look on a map you'll see it divided up between about seven or eight nations because they 'claim' it, or did before th treaty was around.
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Australia claimed about 1/3 :D

We didnt have enough uninhabitable land as it was so we decided to claim a lot of Antarctica :p


Articles of the Antarctic Treaty
Article 1 - area to be used for peaceful purposes only; military activity, such as weapons testing, is prohibited, but military personnel and equipment may be used for scientific research or any other peaceful purpose;
Article 2 - freedom of scientific investigation and cooperation shall continue;
Article 3 - free exchange of information and personnel in cooperation with the United Nations and other international agencies;
Article 4 - does not recognize, dispute, or establish territorial claims and no new claims shall be asserted while the treaty is in force;
Article 5 - prohibits nuclear explosions or disposal of radioactive wastes;
Article 6 - includes under the treaty all land and ice shelves south of 60 degrees 00 minutes south;
Article 7 - treaty-state observers have free access, including aerial observation, to any area and may inspect all stations, installations, and equipment; advance notice of all activities and of the introduction of military personnel must be given;
Article 8 - allows for jurisdiction over observers and scientists by their own states;
Article 9 - frequent consultative meetings take place among member nations;
Article 10 - treaty states will discourage activities by any country in Antarctica that are contrary to the treaty;
Article 11 - disputes to be settled peacefully by the parties concerned or, ultimately, by the International Court of Justice;
Articles 12, 13, 14 - deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among involved nations.
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It seems its not a single countrys rule but its under International law that the UN holds in place.
Which is most likly what would happen to mars.
Unless i read it all wrong
 
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