Category Archives: Moon Colonization

Recent news accounts suggest the race to go to Mars has begun in earnest, with two of our countrys richest men, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, competing with each other to take the lead.

Jeff Bezos Blue Origin spaceflight company launched a rocket into space last month and returned both the rocket and an empty crew capsule safely to earth. By 2024, Bezos hopes to send astronauts to the moon, which he sees as a necessary stepping stone to a Mars flight. Musks Space X company just returned four astronauts safely from the International Space Station. He hopes to land humans on Mars by 2026.

The Red Planet has long fascinated humans, and scientists have long wondered whether there might have once been water on this large barren rock. This new interest in Mars by the private sector seems to be motivated more by ego and monetary concerns than by scientific ones.

At first glance, it might seem odd for billionaires to spend money on space exploration when we have so many problems on our planet they could address with their excess funds. But I think that misses the point.

Isnt it understandable that, given the growing problems we have sustaining ourselves on earth pollution, overpopulation, war, climate issues, extensive poverty and disease the worlds two richest men might think it is time to escape before earth collapses into warfare over resources, especially if they can make some money on the way out?

If we could find some underground sources of water on Mars and figure out a way to exist in the thinner air there, we might have a place to go once we have drained all the aquifers here on earth in an attempt to stay alive and beat the heat that is coming.

The problem with this thinking is that while climate change is certain to cause enough death and destruction to make the COVID-19 pandemic really seem like the flu, there is nothing we might do to colonize the moon or Mars in time to prevent massive loss of life on Earth.

Bezos and Musk both worry about carbon emissions, but they want to use technology to capture carbon rather than the simpler solution of reforestation or planting crops that sequester carbon in the soil. Many scientists question the idea that we can use technology alone to save our planet (Sam Snead, CNBC 4-19-21).

But we humans tend to reject the idea of sacrificing our comforts by limiting ourselves or our enjoyments. We would rather invent our way out of problems by creating something to collect pollutants rather polluting less in the first place. We will buy an electric car to reduce carbon emissions while also tearing up land a chuck in Idaho to mine the lithium to power electric car batteries. Driving less or car-pooling is not nearly as glamorous as impressing your friends with an expensive new Tesla.

There are many good scientific reasons for space exploration, and even for learning more about Mars. But what Musk and Bezos do in space, with government support, can distract us from the more serious and immediate problems facing our planet which cannot be solved by settlements on Mars 50 years from now. Neither technology nor colonization of other planets can prevent the disasters that could be caused this century alone by climate change.

Some nave liberals like myself might say that space exploration is morally questionable in the face of a climate disaster that could end our species.

Jeff Bezos net worth floats between 175 and 200 billion dollars. Musk is not far behind. How many COVID vaccinations could we distribute with some of this money and that of other very wealthy people and foundations? How much birth control could we dispense to ease planetary overcrowding? How much could we use feed and house victims of war in the middle east? How many trees we could plant to reduce carbon emissions with just a small portion of what these men have? Pick and choose.

Ill bet we would still have a few coins left to build a colony or two on the moon in the next century after making things better on earth in this one.

Ken Wolf is a Democrat and a retired Murray State University history professor. He speaks here as an individual and not as a representative of either of these organizations. He can be reached at wolken43@gmail.com.

Link:
Should we go to Mars? | Opinion | murrayledger.com - Murray Ledger and Times

China has made it to to Mars, becoming only the second country to puta rover to the red planet. Its a breakthrough scientifically, economically andpolitically for a country increasingly focused ontechnological self-reliance. Beijings first such attempt, an orbiter launched by piggybacking on a Russian spacecraft in 2011, failed. A decade later, it hasdone a lot more and achieved it alone.

Thepropaganda value of a landing on another planet, as the Communist Party prepares to celebrate its centenary, is not lost on Beijing. Reaping the soft power benefits abroad, though, will requiremore than headlines. Timely, plentiful shared technical and scientific information from its Mars missionwill go a long way toward building credibilityand towarddefusing some of the tension around overlapping civilian and military usethat have made collaborationin space so fraught.

So far, Beijing appears to have chosen not to release possibly imperfect early images from the actual landing. It may still be awaiting the deployment of thesix-wheeled Zhurong rover. Its alsojust the sort of openness that has impact. The lesson fromCovid-19 vaccines was clear: Prestige and trustcomes with transparency and so too does scientific cooperation of the sort that China and the rest of the world badlyneeds.

After a series of major launches in 2020, Mars has been a hive of activity. The United Arab Emirates Hope craft, aimingto study weather and climate systems, arrived in Mars orbit in early February, joining others already studying the planet.Tianwen-1, Chinas mission, followed. NASAs Perseverance rover landed on Mars surfacein mid-February, with the Ingenuity helicopter probe. Its not all aboutElon Musk-styleambitions of colonization, though: Scientists hope the planet most similar to Earthcan answer questions about the evolution of our own home.

Talk of a race is misleading, but China, with bigambitions andan annual budget estimated at around$9billion, the second-largest globallyafter NASA, is clear on the scientific benefit and economic necessity of space prowess. It landedChange-4on the far side of the Moon in 2019 a first and saw the first seeds sprout. Its agreed to team up with Russia for a permanent lunar base and last month, it launched the first module of its planned space station. And now, Mars.

In recent years, China has cemented its position as a major space power

Source: CSIS Aerospace Security Project

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Not everything has been perfect.Aprils launch of themodule for itsfuture space station had the worldfretting after the rocket made an uncontrolled re-entry, eventually splashing into the Indian Ocean. We dont know exactly how much of the technology is homegrown, even with Chinas pushto avoid relianceon Western inputs.Yet Tianwen-1 is already an impressive mission, giventhe immense technical challenges of landing on Mars, explainsKatarina Miljkovic of Curtin University in Australia. Thats because ofthe existence of an atmosphereand the need to use parachutes to slow the descent, unlike on the Moonnot to mentionthe fact that landings have to bedone autonomously,because of the communications time lag with Earth.

But thequestion is not so much whether Beijing, which has made huge strides since putting itsfirst man in space in 2003, can succeed. Unquestionably, history points in Chinas favor, with its deep pockets, steadfast political commitment and a massive internal market for satellites and more. Already, the International Space Station is agingjust as Beijingbuilds its own version, perhaps leavingChina with the only sustained human presence in orbit.

The question is whether that success can be shared and amplified for the common good, or whether Chinas inward-looking push for self-reliance, its opacity andWestern worries about technological transfer dictate the opposite. David Flannery at Queensland University of Technology, who has been working with NASAs Mars 2020team, says Chinas mission reflects the scientific goals of the wider community. He points out information from the Moon mission was shared, so there is an encouraging precedentbut theres room for more.Thats true even if getting to NASA-levels of disclosure say, live-streaming launches will be challenging for Beijing to accept.

China is certainly clear that there arebenefits, offering up Moon samples and the ability to place experiments on its space station. It can go a lot further.

Theres room for the West to act, too. TheU.S.can provide encouragement by reconsideringtight limitson collaboration. Excluding China hasnt worked. The rules wereintended tocounter espionage,but have dented multilateralism,fueled Beijings ambitions and not aided Washingtons.

That would give us even more reason tocheer Tianwen-1.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

To contact the author of this story:Clara Ferreira Marques at cferreirama@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:Howard Chua-Eoan at hchuaeoan@bloomberg.net

Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal.

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China's Mars Landing Will Be a Greater Feat With the Release of More Data - Bloomberg

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China has made it to to Mars, becoming only the second country to puta rover to the red planet. Its a breakthrough scientifically, economically andpolitically for a country increasingly focused ontechnological self-reliance. Beijings first such attempt, an orbiter launched by piggybacking on aRussian spacecraftin 2011, failed. A decade later, it hasdone a lot more and achieved it alone.

Thepropaganda value of a landing on another planet, as the Communist Party prepares to celebrate itscentenary, is not lost on Beijing. Reaping the soft power benefits abroad, though, will requiremore than headlines. Timely, plentiful shared technical and scientific information from its Mars missionwill go a long way toward building credibilityand towarddefusing some of the tension around overlapping civilian and military usethat have made collaborationin space so fraught.

So far, Beijing appears to have chosen not to release possibly imperfect early images from the actual landing. It may still be awaiting the deployment of thesix-wheeled Zhurong rover. Its alsojust the sort of openness that has impact. The lesson fromCovid-19 vaccines was clear: Prestige and trustcomes with transparency and so too does scientific cooperation of the sort that China and the rest of the world badlyneeds.

Also read: What Cyclone Tauktae tells us about Arabian Sea & why the coast is seeing more severe cyclones

After a series of major launches in 2020, Mars has been a hive of activity. The United Arab Emirates Hope craft, aimingto study weather and climate systems, arrived in Mars orbit in early February, joining others already studying the planet.Tianwen-1, Chinas mission,followed. NASAs Perseverance rover landed on Mars surfacein mid-February, with the Ingenuityhelicopter probe. Its not all aboutElon Musk-styleambitions of colonization, though: Scientists hope the planet most similar to Earthcan answer questions about the evolution of our own home.

Talk of a race is misleading, but China, with bigambitions andan annual budgetestimatedat around$9billion, the second-largest globallyafter NASA, is clear on the scientific benefit and economic necessity of space prowess. ItlandedChange-4on the far side of the Moon in 2019 a first and saw the first seeds sprout. Its agreed to team up with Russia for a permanent lunar base and last month, it launched the first module of its plannedspace station. And now, Mars.

Not everything has been perfect.Aprils launch of themodule for itsfuture space stationhad the worldfretting after the rocket made an uncontrolled re-entry, eventually splashing into the Indian Ocean. We dont know exactly how much of the technology is homegrown, even with Chinas pushto avoid relianceon Western inputs.Yet Tianwen-1 is already an impressive mission, giventhe immense technical challenges of landing on Mars, explainsKatarina Miljkovic of Curtin University in Australia. Thats because ofthe existence of an atmosphereand the need to use parachutes to slow the descent, unlike on the Moonnot to mentionthe fact that landings have to bedone autonomously,because of the communications time lag with Earth.

But thequestion is not so much whether Beijing, which has made huge strides since putting itsfirst man in space in 2003, can succeed. Unquestionably, history points in Chinas favor, with its deep pockets, steadfast political commitment and a massive internal market for satellites and more. Already, the International Space Station is agingjust as Beijingbuilds its own version, perhaps leavingChina with the only sustained human presence in orbit.

The question is whether that success can be shared and amplified for the common good, or whether Chinas inward-looking push for self-reliance, its opacity andWestern worries about technological transfer dictate the opposite. David Flannery at Queensland University of Technology, who has been working with NASAs Mars 2020team, says Chinas mission reflects the scientific goals of the wider community. He points out information from the Moon mission was shared, so there is an encouraging precedentbut theres room for more.Thats true even if getting to NASA-levels of disclosure say, live-streaming launches will be challenging for Beijing to accept.

China is certainly clear that there arebenefits, offering up Moon samples and the ability to placeexperimentson its space station. It can go a lot further.

Theres room for the West to act, too. TheU.S.can provide encouragement by reconsideringtightlimitson collaboration. Excluding China hasnt worked. The rules wereintended tocounter espionage,but have dented multilateralism,fueled Beijings ambitions and not aided Washingtons.

That would give us even more reason to cheer Tianwen-1.-Bloomberg

Also read: This 16-year-old Star Trek-Star Wars fan from Pune has captured epic, viral image of Moon

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The following is a list of books for adults and for young readers focused on the history, culture, survival, and contemporary lives and storytelling of Indigenous peoples.

Return to the main feature: Retelling the History of Indigenous People.

ADULT:

ATRIA

From the Ashes: My Story of Being Indigenous, Homeless, and Finding My Way

Jesse Thistle, June

The Mtis-Cree authors memoir of overcoming trauma, prejudice, and addiction as he struggles to find a way back to himself and his Indigenous culture.

BISON

Black Snake: Standing Rock, the Dakota Access Pipeline, and Environmental Justice

Katherine Wiltenburg Todrys, June

Spotlights four leadersLaDonna Allard, Jasilyn Charger, Lisa DeVille, and Kandi Whiteand their fight against the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline that made world headlines in 2016.

BLACK PRIVILEGE

State of Emergency: How We Win in the Country We Built

Tamika D. Mallory, out now

An in-depth, intersectional look at America's history of colonialism and systemic racism, offering a hopeful look to the future and tangible solutions for dismantling white supremacist structures.

CELADON

Brothers on Three: A True Story of Family, Resistance, and Hope on a Reservation in Montana

Abe Streep, Sept.

Follows a high school basketball team on a reservation in the American West along with their teammates, coaches, and families, as they balance the pressures of adolescence, shoulder the dreams of their community, and chart their own individual courses for the future.

COMMON NOTIONS

Feminicide and Global Accumulation: Frontline Struggles to Resist the Violence of Patriarchy and Capitalism

Edited by Silvia Federici, Liz Mason-Deese, and Susana Draper, Aug.

Gathers stories, memories, and experiences of struggles against the murder and assassination of women and violence in all its forms, based on the first-ever International Forum on Feminicide among Ethnicized and Racialized Groups.

HARPER

By the Light of Burning Dreams

David Talbot and Margaret Talbot, June

Uses exclusive interviews, original documents, and archival research to explore critical moments in the lives of a diverse cast of iconoclastic leaders of the twentieth century radical movement, including Russell Means and the warriors of Wounded Knee.

The Taking of Jemima Boone: The True Story of the Kidnap and Rescue That Shaped America

Matthew Pearl, Oct.

Explores the kidnapping of legendary pioneer Daniel Boones daughter and the dramatic aftermath that rippled across the nation.

HARPER PERENNIAL

Horse Girls

Halimah Marcus, Aug.

An essay collection that smashes stereotypes and redefines the meaning of the term horse girl, broadening it for women of all cultural backgrounds, including "Unconquered," an essay by Braudie Blais-Billie about how horses bridged a connection between her Seminole and Quebecois heritage.

HENRY HOLT

Ridgeline: A Novel

Michael Punke, June

An account, based on real people and events, of the violence and horror of a Wyoming massacre that presaged the Battle of Little Big Horn.

HERALD

The Land Is Not Empty: Following Jesus in Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery

Sarah Augustine, June

The author, a Pueblo (Tewa) woman, reframes the colonization of North America as she investigates ways that the Doctrine of Discoverya set of laws rooted in the 15th century that gave Christian governments the moral and legal right to seize lands they discoveredcontinues to devastate Indigenous cultures, and the planet itself, as it justifies exploitation of both natural resources and people.

HIGHWATER

Splxm: A Weaving of Recovery, Resilience, and Resurgence

Nicola I. Campbell, Sept.

The authors memoir as an intergenerational survivor of Indian Residential Schools, and her journey of overcoming adversity and colonial trauma to find strength and resilience through creative works and traditional perspectives of healing, transformation, and resurgence.

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT

When Two Feathers Fell from the Sky: A Novel

Margaret Verble, Oct.

In 1926 Nashville, Two Feathers, a death-defying young Cherokee horse-diver on loan to Glendale Park Zoo from a Wild West show, must get to the bottom of a mystery that spans centuries.

INHABIT MEDIA

What I Remember, What I Know: The Life of a High Arctic Exile

Larry Audlaluk, out now

The author describes his familys struggle to survive following the High Arctic Relocation of the 1950s in which Inuit families were relocated by the Canadian government to Grise Fiord, one of the coldest inhabited places in the world. Juxtaposed with excerpts from official reports that conveyed the relocatees plight as a successful experiment, he describes broken promises, a decades-long fight to return home, and a life between two worlds as southern culture begins to encroach on Inuit traditions.

The Man of the Moon

Gunvor Bjerre, illus. by Miki Jacobsen, July

Published in English for the first time, a collection of Greenlandic myths and legends that have been passed down orally for generations, featuring young protagonists.

IVP

First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament

Terry M. Wildman, Aug.

A dynamic equivalence translation of the Creators Storythe Christian Scripturesfollowing the tradition of Native storytellers' oral cultures, capturing the simplicity, clarity, and beauty of Native storytellers in English, while remaining faithful to the original language of the New Testament.

MICHIGAN STATE UNIV.

Bkejwanong Dbaajmowinan / Stories of Where the Waters Divide (Makwa Enewed)

Monty McGahey, out now

A collection of stories from the elders of Bkejwanongformerly known as Walpole Island, Ontariowho understand the importance of passing on the language to future generations to preserve the legacy of the community. With English translations, this resource is essential for Anishinaabemowin learners, teachers, linguists, and historians.

The Founding Mothers of Mackinac Island: The Agatha Biddle Band of 1870

Theresa L. Weller, Aug.

A comprehensive history of the lineage of the seventy-four members of the Agatha Biddle band in 1870, which began as a small handful of unrelated Indian women joined by the fact that the U.S. government owed them payments in exchange for land given up in the 1836 Treaty of Washington, D.C.

Louise Erdrich's Justice Trilogy: Cultural and Critical Contexts

Connie A. Jacobs and Nancy J. Peterson, Oct.

A collection of essays focusing on the three novels that comprise Erdrich's justice trilogyThe Plague of Doves, The Round House, and LaRosewhich are set in northern North Dakota, where small towns and reservation life bring together a cast of characters whose lives are shaped by history, identity, and community.

MILKWEED EDITIONS

Peyakow: Reclaiming Cree Dignity

Darrel J. McLeod, Aug.

Following up his award-winning debut memoir, Mamaskatch, which portrayed a Cree coming-of-age in rural Canada, the author confronts how both the personal traumas of his youth and the historical traumas of his ancestral line impact the trajectory of his life.

MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Naadamaading: Dibaajimowinan Ji-Nisdotaading

edited by Anton Treuer, illus. by Jonathan Thunder, Aug.

Together with their other friends and family, Makoons and her friend Nigigoons go berrying and fishing, and listen to the stories of the elders. Created to encourage learning Anishinaabemowin, the language of Ojibwe people, these original stories are written in Ojibwe and a monolingual text presented only in Anishinaabemowin.

The Good Berry Cookbook: Harvesting and Cooking Wild Rice and Other Wild Foods

Tashia Hart, Sept.

The author, an ethnobotanist, follows the Anishinaabeg people of the Great Lakes region through seasons and spaces to gather wild foods and contemplate connections among the people and their plant and animal relatives.

The Cultural Toolbox: Traditional Ojibwe Living in the Modern World

Anton Treuer, Oct.

Provides the personal stories of one Ojibwe family's hunting, gathering, harvesting, and cultural practices and beliefswithout violating protected secrets.

Voices from Pejuhutazizi: Dakota Stories and Storytellers

Teresa Peterson and Walter LaBatte Jr., Oct.

Stories, from five generations of the family of Tasina Susbeca Win, that bring people together, transmit traditions, teach how to behave, and deliver heroes, especially those who do not appear in school or history books.

NIMBUS

I Place You into the Fire: Poems

Rebecca Thomas, out now

The first poetry collection from the Mi'kmaw spoken-word poet and former poet laureate of Kjipuktuk (Halifax), Nova Scotia.

NORTH ATLANTIC

Afrikan Wisdom: New Voices Talk Black Liberation, Buddhism, and Beyond

Edited by Valerie Mason-John, July

A spiritual, political, and interdisciplinary anthology of wisdom stories from today's Black liberation thought leaders and teachers, including an essay reflecting on the author's African and Native American ancestry, mapping the erasure and oppression of both groups and the socially complex history they shared.

PRINCETON UNIV.

After One Hundred Winters: In Search of Reconciliation on America's Stolen Lands

Margaret D. Jacobs, Oct.

Confronts the harsh truth that the United States was founded on the violent dispossession of Indigenous people and asks what reconciliation might mean in light of this haunted history.

The rest is here:
New and Forthcoming Titles on Indigenous Peoples - Publishers Weekly

Photo: Toshifumi Kitamura (Getty Images)

A Japanese fashion magnate, who has booked an all-civilian SpaceX flight round the moon for 2023, has now announced that hes also making an earlier trip this December to the International Space Station. On Thursday, billionaire Yusaku Maezawa tweeted: Going to the ISS before the Moon . Sounds perhaps slightly more action-packed than the 2023 moon trip, which will consist entirely of orbiting a rock where nothing happens, and gazing at the Earth, a location where everything happens. Perhaps ponder the fact that money is no good on the moon, and then go home.

The trip is facilitated by space tour agency Space Adventures, which has arranged space tours for a handful of monied clients, primarily tech entrepreneurs, including billionaire engineer Dennis Tito, Mark Shuttleworth, and Anousheh Ansari. Maezawa will board the Russian Soyuz MS-20 from Kazakhstan and spend 12 days in space accompanied by a cosmonaut and his personal production assistant.

In a statement published by ABC News, Maezawa said Im so curious, Whats life like in space? So, I am planning to find out on my own and share with the world. He can tweet about it while hes up there.

Maezawa has also famously arranged the 2023 SpaceX mission dearMoon, aboard SpaceXs Starship rocket, a commercial civilian space flight. Maezawa has solicited the public for eight creatively-minded people to join, all expenses paid (applications are now closed). They expect to circle the moon, which will take six days in total.

I want to be reminded of how small, how insignificant I am, Maezawa said in a mission trailer. In space, I think I will realize anew how small I am, how much more I have to experience.

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But his star may fade after SpaceXs first all-civilian mission, to launch later this year, for nobody remembers space travelers unless they did something first up there. My colleague Tom McKay might urge Maezawa to cement his relevance as the first man to blow up the moon, which is madness, but would at least head off the inevitable global moon colonization Cold War.

Read this article:
Japanese Billionaire Making a Stop on the ISS Before His Big Trip to the Moon on Elon's Rocket - Gizmodo

The Telegraph

Moroccan MPs on Wednesday admitted the country had waved thousands of migrants into Spain as part of an attempt to exert political pressure on Madrid. Rabat was outraged by Spanish authorities' agreeing to treat the leader of the Polisario Front, a pro-independence movement it has long fought in the Western Sahara, for coronavirus. Brahim Ghali, 71, was hospitalised in Spain under an alias earlier this month. The EU on Wednesday said it would not be "intimidated" by Moroccan blackmail in response to the mass influx into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta of around 8,000 people, including some 1,500 children, as local security forces watched on. However, it appears Spain has in fact buckled to the pressure, with Madrid now pushing ahead with a prosecution of Mr Ghali for alleged war crimes. On Tuesday video emerged showing Moroccan border guards opening a gate in the security fence that surrounds Ceuta, and shepherding a line of young migrants through the gap. On Wednesday morning, Spanish soldiers in combat gear and police officers were escorting some swimmers directly back to Morocco, while Moroccan police drove hundreds of young man away from the border fence.

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Spectacular early morning eruption of Mount Etna - Yahoo News

In Nasas bravest decision since the start of the Apollo project in the 1960s, on Friday (16) the American space agency selected the SpaceX spacecraft to enable the transportation of astronauts to the lunar surface in its Artemis program. This made the trip to the moon a bold all or nothing.

Two other proposals were submitted, one from Blue Origin (Jeff Bezos company, owner of Amazon, backed by heavyweights like Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman) and one from Dynetics (in partnership with Sierra Nevada). SpaceX, as usual, was the cheapest and least conventional with a single-stage vehicle to land and take off from the moon.

Under the contract, the company will have to make two flights: a full test of the Starship system for unmanned student landing and the first manned demonstration flight. At the time the proposal was made, the first astronaut landing on the moon would be in 2024, but NASA is reviewing the program and the date is unlikely to be maintained although the impossible with the SpaceX bet has only become unlikely.

This is because the company is relatively advanced in the development of the spaceship and is expected to conduct the first orbital test later this year. On the other hand, its an extremely innovative (and therefore risky) project. The fact that NASA selected him is a tremendous vote of confidence.

The $ 2.9 billion order is a bargain. In contrast to what NASA spent on its own high-performance rocket, the SLS, and its capsule for flights to the moon, Orion: the agency spends the same amount in just one year, and its development has been going on for more than a year. An Orion has even made a single flight, and the SLS has yet to make its first launch, which could happen this year.

NASA intends to maintain all of this architecture initially. When landing on the moon, the spaceship is put into orbit, refueled in space and then put into orbit. There he and the crew would be coupled to an Orion launched by an SLS that would descend on the spaceship to the surface of the moon and ascend with him to a new encounter with Orion that would bring them back to Earth.

Now nobody can forget that SpaceX planned the spaceship so that it leaves Earth already manned and can return in this state. This means that if the system becomes reliable, the expensive SLS-Orion duo loses its function. Nor does it hurt to remember that the spacecraft was designed by Elon Musks company to promote the future colonization of Mars something SLS and Orion could never do.

In essence, NASA will fund the maturation of an inexpensive, reusable vehicle that can open the doors to the occupation of the solar system. Or you lose the moon without being able to land there in the next few years. Pure boldness.

This column is published in Folha Corrida on Mondays.

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NASA signs a $ 2.9 billion contract with SpaceX to take astronauts to the moon KSU | The Sentinel Newspaper - KSU | The Sentinel Newspaper

Elon Musk has set his sight on Mars err, the moon. The Tesla CEO and SpaceX boss who has been obsessed with colonizing the red planet has now set his eyes on a different celestial body: The moon. But it may not be all literal, and it may be the result of the billionaires personal vested interest in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Dogecoin. Elon Musk has an obsession with the two cryptocurrencies The billionaire SpaceX CEO and Tesla boss every so often post something about the Internets favourite meme cryptocurrency that drastically shoots up the price every time he tweets about it. And it seems his obsession and enthusiasm isnt dipping anytime soon.

Late on Saturday, Musk posted a vague tweet, going to moon very soon. While this seems ordinary enough, crypto enthusiasts will know it is actually part of an original phrase that bitcoin miners and cryptocurrency nerds often use when talking about the prices and value of the cryptocurrency, for example, Were taking Bitcoin prices to the moon! And whether Musk may not have meant it about cryptocurrency for a rare change, but prices of Bitcoin still jumped up all the same.

Bitcoin surged above $60,000 for the first time since March, approaching record highs on Saturday, according to Business Insider. As of 9:00am eastern time on Sunday, the currency was at $59.604.06 on the Bitstamp exchange. The cryptocurrency is up over 700% from a year ago when a single bitcoin was below $7000. This year, bitcoin is up over 100% after a February rally brought the cryptocurrency over $50,000 for the first time.

Could Musks tweet be the reason?

Probably. This isnt the first time Musk has done this. This isnt even the second. (At this point were losing count.)

On April 1, Musk shared a tweet that read, SpaceX is going to put a literal Dogecoin on the literal moon. While the cryptocurrency is invisible, and not a real-life object you can physically touch, the literal bit may be debatable. What Musk could imply would be either putting a representation of what Dogecoin is on the moon, in the form of a statue, or art installation, or a visual representation of the cryptocurrency with the Shiba Inus face. It could alternatively mean, he would somehow set up a computer or platform to trade the cryptocurrency out of, on the mooon. Musks tweet didnt clarify.

Musk in February had posted a Twitter poll, asking his 45.8 million followers to choose the future currency of Earth. He gave two options: Dogecoin to the Moooonn or All other crypto combined.

The poll resulted in 71.3% of the 2.4 million voters saying that Dogecoin to the Moooonn would be the future of currency. Looks like Musk plans on actually ensuring it.

Read all the Latest News and Breaking News here

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Elon Musk's Mars Colonization Plans May Have to Wait, He's Going to the Moon 'Very Soon' - News18

In this era of climate crisis, space mining is a topic of increasing relevance. The need for a net-zero carbon economy requires a surge in the supply of non-renewable natural resources such as battery metals. This forms the background to a new space race involving nations and the private sector.

Read more: How business is taking the space race to new frontiers

Canada is a space-faring nation, a world leader in mining and a major player in the global carbon economy. Its therefore well-positioned to actively participate in the emerging space resources domain.

But the issues arising in this sphere are bigger than Canada, since they involve the future of mankind on Earth and in space.

On Earth, attempts to address global warming include switching to a net-zero carbon economy through mass rollouts of electric vehicle fleets and investments in large-scale renewable generation infrastructure. Doing this successfully would require vast quantities of battery metals (lithium, cobalt, nickel), critical minerals (copper) and rare Earth elements so much so that market analysts have warned of a potential metals supercycle. In a supercycle, demand wildly outstrips supply, relentlessly driving up prices.

For this reason, the mining industry is actively looking towards new frontiers in mining. These include the circular economy (recycling and enhanced mine waste management), deep sea mining and space mining. Space mining holds the potential for rich rewards, but also comes with robust challenges.

One of the most serious challenges is the lack of a cohesive regulatory framework for governing mining in outer space. While the 1967 Outer Space Treaty has been signed by all space-faring nations and is widely considered to be the constitutional document of outer space law, it has interpretation gaps.

Importantly, it determines that no nation can claim any celestial body (such as the moon) for itself but its silent on whether derivative resources can be owned.

Earth lawyers contemplating space-mining projects are likely to look at four aspects: security of tenure, the fiscal regime, the bankability of the project and the projects feasibility. Lets break them down.

In mining terms, security of tenure means having secure and stable rights throughout the mining cycle. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty is unclear on who would own any extracted resources, and interpretations vary.

So far, Luxembourg and the United States have enacted domestic legislation that favours the possibility of claiming extracted resources, thereby bringing security of tenure to space mining companies located in those jurisdictions.

This issue refers to the payment of taxes, royalties or the like. Here, the 1979 Moon Agreement comes into play. Only two space-faring countries are party to it: India and Australia.

Read more: Australia has long valued an outer space shared by all. Mining profits could change this

Theres disagreement on the role that the Moon Agreement should play in outer space law. Some argue that its not pertinent to non-party countries; others point to its language and suggest parallels with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Both instruments refer to the common heritage of mankind.

UNCLOS has set up an international regulatory body, the International Seabed Authority, to licence mining in the deep sea on a royalty payment basis. Royalties are then to be distributed equitably among all nations on Earth. Some argue for a similar system to apply to outer space.

The third issue, project bankability, concerns the capacity of the project to attract funding.

To a large degree this will be determined by the prior two issues: security of tenure and the applicable fiscal regime. This again demonstrates the need for agreement on a clear legal framework before rushing into action.

The last issue, has several facets. Technical feasibility is currently enjoying a lot of attention, with much research and development going into the advanced robotics and automated systems that would be needed for space mining operations.

Read more: Made in space: tangible reality or daydreaming?

Technological breakthroughs to date include the discovery of water crystals on the moon and on Mars, and the harnessing of 3D printing technology in space for manufacturing purposes. These make space mining more viable.

With the worlds two wealthiest people now both engaged in the space race Jeff Bezos with Blue Origin and Elon Musk with SpaceX we can expect rapid technological acceleration.

Economic feasibility means that space mining would have to make financial sense. The looming shortage in non-renewable natural resources coupled with technological advances and the mind-boggling mineral wealth present in even a single asteroid may well make it so.

Theres an additional reason why international agreement and co-operation in the outer space domain is crucial: the peaceful use of outer space, as required by the Outer Space Treaty.

In October 2020, eight countries signed a NASA-led initiative called the Artemis Accords. These included the United States, Canada, Australia and Luxembourg. Notably absent were Russia and China, who have since agreed to collaborate with each other on space initiatives.

Legal issues about the ownership of space resources must urgently be addressed to avoid space wars over natural resources between superpowers like the U.S., Russia and China. This includes the legal status of the Artemis Accords. Ideally, it should be done before space mining starts.

Finally, space mining raises certain ethical questions, such as whether the moon could be considered a legal person, if space mining would entail a new form of colonization and how the common good of mankind could best be served through mining in space.

Read more:
Space mining is not science fiction, and Canada could figure prominently - The Conversation CA

Books of My Life

Q and A with Stacey Boden, who we are pleased to announce is Rosslands new Library Director.

Many patrons will remember Stacey from her time as Interim Director just over a year ago. Stacey comes to us with an impressive resume of library - related experience, most recently at the Trail Public Library. Staceys volunteer contributions to Women Against Violence Against Women as well as the Downtown Eastside Womens Centre in Vancouver shaped her interest in a career in public service and honed her keen interest in the importance of providing welcoming, safe, community spaces. Stacey lives in Trail with her husband and two wonderful children and loves to read as much as possible. When not reading, Stacey enjoys camping and is learning to appreciate winter sports.

What is your favourite childhood book?

My favourite childhood book is The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It is such a heart wrenching tale of loss, friendship, compassion, and the overall goodness of humanity. It is a great reminder that there is a huge capacity for good in each of us, plus the many beautiful editions and artwork that have graced the covers and pages over the years.

What book did you most enjoy in school?

The book I liked the most in school was Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. I was blown away by the alternate take on Jane Eyre from the perspective of Rochesters first wife and without giving too much away, its a short novel about colonization, relationships, and mental illness that Ill never forget.

Name one classic youre embarrassed to say youve never read.

In spite of being a long-time fantasy genre lover, I have never finished Lord of the Rings. I get about halfway through the first one and while Tolkien is the master of description, a person can only read about a forest for so long before it is easier to just be in one. Peter Jackson did such a phenomenal job with the films that I feel all right about this.

Name a book youve pretended to have read.

I never made it all the way through Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and skipped through the book for school. Ive tried a few times to get through the entire thing but the characters that fascinated me the most got the least amount of development and so I read other books like Wide Sargasso Sea to fill in those gaps and never quite made it back to Jane Eyre. I made sure to get the Cliff Notes for school projects and managed to pass any classes that covered it but havent actually read it. Ill keep trying!

What book do you read over and over?

I have completely lost count of the number of times I have read A Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Theres nothing better for lightening a mood than the humour of Douglas Adams, closely followed by watching old episodes of Monty Pythons Flying Circus. The tongue in cheek exploration of humanitys highs and lows are such a fun read and who cant relate to Arthur trying to save the universe in his house coat equipped with a towel and a rag tag group of friends to help him along the way?

Name the last book that made you laugh.

Untamed by Glennon Doyle made me laugh, cry, and feel inspired. Her candid way of writing her latest memoir provides great insight into her life and her sense of humour shines through in every chapter. Theres a good reason why it was at the top of the bestseller list for most of 2020.

Name the last book that made you cry.

This has to be Refugee by Alan Gratz. Gratz takes historical happenstance and weaves it into a compelling and interesting young adult novel. It follows three children in three different time periods all connected through stories of being forced to leave their homes and endure harrowing journeys to safety. Refugee is so relevant for current events today and it was great to read it with my children and discuss the bigger picture issues that are raised.

Name one book everyone should read.

Everyone should absolutely read 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act by Bob Joseph. This short book dives into the Indian Act in a way that history hasnt always made clear and provides insights and offerings that we can all take to heart to create a better future for Canadians everywhere.

Name an author / book that changed your life.

Reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer changed the way I think about food and where it comes from, and is something Ive carried with me ever since.

(A great companion is The Omnivores Dilemma by Michael Pollan). Foers investigative and biographical approach makes for a great read and the subject matter is so thought-provoking.

What are you reading now?

I have a few books on the go right now and they are all very good!

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice is a beautifully written, post-apocalyptic tale with a real undertone of heaviness as it deals with subjects of loss, survival and colonization. Its only a little over 200 pages so its a quick read and Im looking forward to the discussion that will follow in an Indigenous Authors Book Club I belong to. Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown is another book club read and Im enjoying that its written from two perspectives, a modern-day woman and a 1950s housewife who wrote recipes left behind for someone else in the house to find. The writing is fast-paced, and the story is so intriguing! I am curious to see how their lives intersect and what mysteries unfold!

RPL Announcements and Information

Annual General Meeting

The RPLA Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 14th at 7 p.m. via Zoom. To participate, email info@rossland.bclibrary.ca

If you are interested in becoming a Trustee, pick up an application form and information package at the front desk.

RPL Book Club

RPLs April Book Club meeting is at 7:00 PM on Thursday, April 29th, via Zoom, and features The Overstory by Richard Powers. The Overstory interweaves the lives and unique relationships between people and trees and was short-listed for the 2018 Man Booker Prize and won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. To participate, register at ravenreadsbookclub@gmail.com.

Kootenay Library Federation Book Club

The April KLF Book Club features Birds Eye View by Elinor Florence. This novel chronicles the life of a young woman from Saskatchewan who joins the air force during World War II and travels to England where she is trained as an aerial photographic interpreter. In June 2016, Birds Eye View was listed as a Canadian fiction bestseller in The Globe and Mail and Toronto Star. To register and obtain a copy of the book, email kootenaylibrariesprogramming@gmail.comThe meeting is also on April 29th but at 6:30 PM.

Art

Sue Deanes Hemlock now hangs behind the front desk. Please come in to view this beautiful painting.

Kobo

The library has one Kobo reader to loan. See front desk staff if you are interested.

Staff and Patron Recommendations

Are displayed at the front entrance. Librarian Sabine recommends the 2007 novel The Shack by Canadian author Wm. Paul Young. Originally self-published, this novel became an international best-seller and was made into a movie in 2017. The Shack, wrestles with the question: Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain? as a father struggles in the aftermath of the kidnapping and murder of his young daughter. According to the author, the shack is a metaphor for the places you get stuck, you get hurt, you get damaged ... the thing where shame or hurt is centered.

Former library student page Diego recommends bestseller Red Rising by Pierce Brown, a 2014 dystopian science fiction novel set on planet Mars of the future. Red Rising is the first of five books in the series by the same name.

Libby

You can easily access hundreds of magazines from your Libby app. On the main page click on Library, then Whats Available. You will find a description of books, audio and magazines. Click on Magazines and scroll through the list of titles.

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Here's what's happening at Rossland Public Library - Rossland Telegraph