Right now, Moon government or governance is pretty minimal.

Sort of-kind of overseen by the UN, there's been some wild claims and hopes otherwise, but the Moon is basically governed by just the 1967 Outer Space Treaty (all four pages or so of it):

The 1967 Outer Space Treaty

Meanwhile, private companies are going to be doing business up there in three years or less, and it's a entire continent-or-two's-worth of land.

At some point, there's going to be a need for more governance over this new frontier. It'll probably look more like a territorial government (like the ones Lewis and Clark each governed over after their mission; Upper Louisiana and Missouri, respectively) than, say, the United States of the Moon, but I feel like something more than what exists now should be developing.

I always feel like this quote from John Adams is inspiring:

"It has been the will of Heaven that we should be thrown into existence at a period when the greatest philosophers and lawgivers of antiquity would have wished to live... a period when a coincidence of circumstances without example has afforded to thirteen colonies at once an opportunity of beginning government anew from the foundation and building as they choose. How few of the human race have ever had the opportunity of choosing a system of government for themselves and their children? How few have ever had anything more of choice in government than in climate?” -John Adams essay, from David McCullough's biography

What do you think? Is the status quo for the Moon good enough, or is there an opportunity to be had here? Should the U.N.---or a new body of some kind---do more to settle the future of the Moon? Or should the Moon remain relatively lawless, like the old frontiers?

When do you think we might see some kind of government for the Moon? (Or do you even want to? :) )

by: Nick A.

Monday Dec-03-2012