If some guy wanted to grow pot on Mars...

[Oregone]

Ok, lets say some rich guy wanted to start a private project whose aim was to shoot seeds on to mars, of various species of plants, to see if they could start a large scale open habitat....

Would he be allowed? What authority would have the right to stop him? Would anyone? Maybe its in the interest of mankind to not fuck around with mars privately.

I just curious...if a private company wanted to jack around with another planet, would anyone care and would anyone have the legal right to do anything about it.

Random thought

[slampoet]

1. Dude, go outside and take a walk. maybe meet some one for coffee at a cafe w/o internet.

[golddigger]

2. Lol

:spray:

[Oregone]

3. Yeah, but what if Monsanto wanted to do it? Use patented lushness to claim Mars

Ok, ok. Maybe the internet isn't the place to go while intoxicated.

But at least I didn't start a topic about eating worms. Im going fishing.

[madinmaryland]

11. Heh. That reminds of this...

[Cleobulus]

4. Well, theoretically no, there is no law to prevent him from doing whatever he wants on Mars...

The Outer Space Treaty prevents governments from claiming extraterrestrial territory. Some scam artist sells real estate on the Moon because of this loophole, but since no one is present, nor any equipment present, on the Moon from this scam artist, his "deeds" have no legal weight.

If someone did shoot off a rocket to Mars, and started some type of development there, it might start a legal challenge on Earth if he attempts to claim the plot of territory his craft or whatnot landed on. I doubt he would win without having a means of defending the territory, possession is 9/10ths of the law, the other 1/10th is being able to defend the possession in question.


ON EDIT: Another thing, Mar's surface would not be able to support plants, even algae at this time, its atmosphere is only 1% as thick as Earth's, the best bet would be building a greenhouse, but it wouldn't be open air.

[eShirl]

12. "Mar's surface would not be able to support plants, even algae at this time"

yep... it would take quite a bit of terraforming before even hemp seeds would "take"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terraforming_of_Mars

[truedelphi]

5. All I know is if some Fortune Five Hundred Oil Company

Knew there was oil on Mars, they would be given the A okay from any government they had the power to influence (Which is to say most of them) and would then be messing around with life on Mars as soon as the rockets were set to go.

The only thing standing in their way would be the feasability of doing it from a technological stand point.

[MicaelS]

6. SF short story from years ago..

Guy wants to go to the Moon, can't get funding. He them persuades the Mob to fund his Moon trip by selling them on the idea of producing hard drugs on the Moon. He ends up on the Moon, and also ends up the head of the mob, and the law can't touch him.

[Fumesucker]

7. The moon would be a great place for a distillery..

All that vacuum.

Oh, wait, you're talking about some *other* hard drugs..

[truedelphi]

10. Luv-ving it. n/t

[Terry in Austin]

8. On being allowed

Interesting (if off-beat!) scenario, philosophically speaking.

Not knowing of much precedent here, I can only offer this very general principle:

"They can do anything they can't be prevented from doing."


(Looking forward to sparking up some of that Martian Red!) :evilgrin:

[Speck Tater]

9. Might makes right. If I was capable of doing it the question is, are you capable of stopping me?

Ultimately, the people with the biggest guns make the laws.