The colonists do not need a charter to make property claims. That has always been an individual right since the beginning of history. The charter just sets out an orderly means of making claims to set a legal precedent and reduce disputes. It sets a standard with terms that all can agree follow and allows all members to support the position of each member. It is a contract.
Space Settlement Charter
A claim shall be defined as one square kilometer surrounded by a perimeter road. A registry shall be established of surveyed claims adjacent to each other and sharing perimeter roads. Colonists will make only one claim from this registry in an orderly manner by possession and with no preference of one colonist above another. A mechanism should be established to mitigate disputes. The colonist shall immediately receive title to their one claim and are free thereafter to sell any or all of their property as they wish. All parts sold must be on the perimeter road or have access to it from an interior road.
A company may make 1000 claims under the following terms. Each claim must be surveyed and in the registry. The company claim must identify the unique individual claim that authorizes the company claim. The unique individual claim under the terms above must be from a colonist they have transported to the surface under the following terms. The company will transport a colonist alive to the surface with 1000 kg of supplies (including the mass of the colonist in space suit.) The colonist will choose and pay for their own supplies but it will be transported for free. Transportation and life support with be provided by the company to the colonist up to landing at no charge including a free space suit which becomes the colonists personal private property. For example, if the company transports a dozen colonists they may claim 12000 sq. km., but only after the colonists have made their own individual claims. After landing the colonist is responsible for their own life, but the company has the incentive to see them live long enough to make a claim.
=============== END OF CHARTER ===============
Why 1000 claims per colonist transported? Because the company can break even if half acre plots are sold for as little as $100 each. Property has no value until possessed. It grows in value as it and the land around it is developed and traded. The more colonists transported, the faster the value of land grows; which helps all the transport companies and the colonists, benefiting millions directly and many multiples more indirectly.
How might land be developed and traded? It is possible that governments may not immediately recognize legal title, but over time they will be forced to because of circumstance and the fact of history. The OST can even be used to establish that only claims made in accord with this charter are legal since no signatory nation may make any claims (which means they have no regulatory or statutory authority which is itself a claim.) Even without that immediate recognition investors will still be able to speculate and trade title to this property. Chain of title establishes ownership. All chain of title begins with an initial claim. All claims will be recorded. As governments begin to acknowledge legal title to this property the value of the property will tend to increase. Developed land should go up in value in line with the cost of development.
How does this affect wealth? Traded property becomes an additional asset increasing overall wealth for the whole of humanity. Stock in companies pursuing economic activity in space also becomes an additional asset. All wealth is the result of trade.
Isn't one kilometer per person too far apart? The colonists are free to trade plots to live where ever they like. It is assumed they will form towns this way. The value of land, as it has always been, is determined by location, location, location. Initially all land will be worth about the same (close to nothing) but over time will acquire value at different rates. This is life. Life is not fair. Deal with it.
Is 1000 kg of supplies per person enough? Not for the first colonists. The transportation company will have a strong incentive to preposition supplies for the colonists because they may only make claims after the colonists have made theirs. In time an established colony will have enough supplies for all the colonists that later arrive. The colonists will have a strong incentive to not agree to terms that do not prepare the way. Each developed half acre plot will have life support for 3 to 4 including power and water (enough to provide all the air they need) and a Zubrin 50 m. hobby farm (feeds 3 to 4.) They are of course free to purchase other ISRU supplies from other colonists. The first colonists will develop their own habitats (initial temperary habitats will take days to complete. Permanent habitats may take months.) Later colonists will purchase plots with habitats already built, so they may move in on arrival providing a profit to earlier colonists.
Colonists will have assets to allow them to pursue their dreams. 1000 kg of supplies will consist of three things: consumables to keep them alive for a short time (after which the local economy will provide these things) tools of their particular trade skills (which makes them valuable to the economy) anything left (perhaps 400 kg?) would be trade goods (valuable items the colony has yet reached the industrial level to produce) worth potentially many millions even before counting the one square kilometer of land they will claim. Assuming the parameters of a lander are $190m for 2500 kg of supplies then all supplies from earth come with a $76k/kg surcharge. Just multiply the surcharge by the amount of extra mass and you have an idea of it's value. In a free trade economy this should be able to purchase and home and provide for life support for the rest of their lives. This is what allows them to pursue their happiness beyond just staying alive.
The colony will start out small and is self governing. They are not slaves to the transport company or any other government. People forming the colony or colonies can be from any origin. They may choose their own destiny. This is known as liberty and freedom.
Puckett’s Law of Celestial Environmental Impact.
No comments:
Post a Comment