How the Division of Space Would Work
Introducing Blockchains, Space Surveillance, and Inter-Planetary Politics
This article was originally featured on http://www.jonathanpaulwood.com/how-to-divide-space-12-30-2016.html
Recently I wrote an article on how to divide the spoils of space, and concluded that ownership of the resources should formally be divided among every living human, to do with as they see fit. If you want to know why I consider that to be the best and most ideal solution to managing the spoils of space, check out that first article here. In this article though, I look into the practical mechanics of how such a plan could be implemented.
Under this plan, every individual could exploit their very own asteroid cluster or piece of Mars, or sell such rights to someone else. They could also rent the territory, or split equity of the minerals within an asteroid with a company in exchange for help mining the minerals.
While this would allow every person to benefit from our shared inheritance, it leaves open the question of how such ownership would be documented. How would we keep track of the billions of pieces that would constantly be shifting ownership? What if someone sells just part of their property, or leases it for only a short while? The paperwork could very quickly add up. Would one company or nation keep track of it all? No, such an arrangement would be burdensome. This seems like an immense challenge, however there is an elegant solution.
Introducing the Internet 2.0 — Blockchain
There is today a technology that is specifically designed to track the ownership of billions of items across the world, even as they are being bought, sold, and gifted directly between anyone. This technology keeps a public record of every transaction, so everyone can see when an item is sold, who owns it now, and verify that the sale was valid. This technology is called
Blockchain, and it is an ideal solution to tracking global assets.
A blockchain is simply a public record of transactions. It is powered by a network of computers, which can be located anywhere in the world. Blockchain is most famous for supporting the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, but it is also being used to keep track of stocks, real estate, and more. While the internet was designed to transfer data, blockchains are designed to transfer assets.
Anyone can connect their computer to the blockchain network, and dedicate their processing power in exchange for the money generated from transaction fees (these are very cheap because of the network’s design, which is how you can transfer thousands of dollars for cents with Bitcoin).
With the ownership of space resources recorded on a blockchain, everyone would get their very own account. All they would need is their password and an internet connection, then they would have complete control over their piece of space real estate. They could sell or buy all or part of their holdings at any time, and only pay a few cents compensation to those who provide their
computers to review and verify those transactions.
Other Issues: What is There to Divide?
While blockchains take care of the problem of managing ownership of resources, we still have the problem of assigning those resources? What determines whether I get part of Venus or part of Ceres (the largest body in the Asteroid Belt)?
This would have to start with surveying all the parts of our solar system which we will be able to reach in the near future. This likely includes everything within the Kuiper Belt (the region beyond Neptune’s orbit).
The Good News: We’re Already Looking in Space
We’ve actually done a lot of this already, and the pace of satellite surveillance is only set to intensify. We already know the orbits of all 8 major planets and their many moons. We know the paths of many comets and asteroids, both within the asteroid belt and scattered across our system. We even have a good idea of the likely composition of each of these bodies. In the coming years we
will only develop an even better understanding of our own system.
With this knowledge, we can assign approximate dollar values to each body orbiting our Sun, and can split these bodies into 8 billion pieces, each worth about the same. We could then randomly assign one piece to each person on Earth.
This approach, while simple, is a logistical nightmare. First, we’d have to agree on where all of the asteroids, comets, and other space bodies are. Then we’d have to come to agreement on what resources each have, and agree on an estimated value of each resource. This includes somehow estimating
the value of asteroids that have been mapped but not yet studied close enough to figure out what they’re made of.
Everything Worth Doing is Difficult
Of course, all of that is quite possible. Will it be a technical challenge? Yes. Will it create controversy and debate over how to value resources millions of miles away? Yes. Will there be contention over who gets to value the resources? Of course. This is indeed a challenge, but it is possible. And of
course, anything worth doing is hard.
I believe that although difficult, the mapping and valuing of our solar system will soon happen. It might be by a national or international coalition seeking to better understand our solar system, or track objects in an attempt to prevent collisions with Earth. It might be by companies seeking to
identify profitable ventures. However it will be done, the incentives are too large to ignore. The question is simple what to do with that information. Dividing ownership among everyone is certainly an
option.
Let’s put a face to the process: Who’s doing all this?
But who would assign the parcels of property to every human? Once the property is assigned, it can be managed by a blockchain, but the initial distribution must be administered by someone. If it were done by any corporation or nation, others would allege bias or special interests. The truth is that whoever allocates ownership of our solar system will have immense incentive to skew the results. The only real body that currently exists which might have the authority to divide the solar system is the United Nations.
In the UN resolution by the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), it states that the solar system “shall be the province of all mankind”. Further, it is agreed that “Outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, shall be free for exploration and use by all States without discrimination of any kind” (see full resolution here). The UN however, is simply a name that encompasses countless bodies, initiatives, and programs. There will likely be a new temporary program created, or UNOOSA’s duties will be expanded. This program, however, will be run by real humans, and will be tasked with the biggest allocation of wealth in all of human history. How to ensure it is done well?
The key will be transparency. Every parcel of space that is cataloged must be done openly. The process must be known to everyone, and carried out before all. The code (it can’t be done randomly by humans) to match people to parcels of space must be robustly developed and tested as open source, so that it may be scrutinized by all. This won’t be easy, or even simple, but it is possible.
A Does of Reality for a Moment: This will be HARD
To be clear, the very idea of dividing the entire solar system, and allocating it to all humans, is a bit out there. It won’t ever be easy, or simple, or straightforward. It will be fraught with debate, and constantly run in to public disputes over the methods and results. However, think of the implications. Suddenly, every human alive truly will be heir to the vast wealth of our solar system. With ownership comes control. Control, in this case, of a piece of space, the resources in it, and the ability to profit from it. Granting everyone
ownership will incentivize exploration and exploitation, and avoid any tragedies of the commons (When no one owns it, everyone over exploits it, such as how we are driving species of fish to extinction, because no one
has an incentive not to overfish).
Enforcement: Who Has the Firepower?
Another issue is how to enforce this historic allocation of wealth. What if some company decides to mine ore from your asteroid without your permission? In the early days this could be blocked by simply embargoing that company, preventing them from selling that ore on Earth. But they might still be able to use it in space, where global laws have no reach. Worse, if they instead harvested Hydrogen illegally from the atmosphere of Jupiter, it could easily be sold to refuel other ships in space. The company profits off of illegal activity,
all outside the reach of Earth. How can this be avoided?
In all honesty, by the time any serious resource extraction has begun in our solar system, nations will have begun to develop military might in space. Whether it is orbital platforms, Lunar missile silos, or drones arms
with rail guns, space will have weapons. The entity with the most guns in space will be the one most able to enforce any laws outside of our atmosphere. Although they probably won’t have a monopoly on space military might,
the entity with the most guns is likely to be America, which means their support will be critical in enforcing any international mandate.
One Last Challenge: Identity
Even assuming all of this will be done, there is one last challenge. How do we figure out who a person is? If we, say, limit the land distribution to all humans aged 18 or older as of January 1st, 2030, who does that include? Developed nations have plenty of means of identifying their citizens, but in many parts of the world, nations lack complete and accurate databases of everyone living there.
Progress is being made in this area. India has been embarking on a bold initiative to register all of its citizens using biometrics, and has been largely successful thus far. Similar efforts are underway in several other countries. However around the world there are countless different methods used to verify an individual’s identity. This need not continue. We can create verifiable, digital, unique identities for every person on Earth. And we can do it in an internationally standardized way.
We have the Technology (Blockchain, again)
Again, the answer is blockchains. Several companies have been working on developing ways to allow individuals to record and verify their identities using blockchains. These public records of identities will soon be a common and useful way to quickly and easily verify yourself, no matter where in the world you are.
There is some debate about what exactly such a blockchain would record. Some think basic information (Name, Biometrics, Date of Birth), would suffice. Others think it would be useful to have every action you ever took to be recorded anonymously, with you having control over who gets access to what parts of your identity.
Regardless of the form it takes, such a blockchain of identities will be able to truly be a global record of people, validating who will inherit the bounty of our solar system.
What does all this Mean?
So there you have it, an actual way in which the wealth of our solar system might be spread among all humans. In the coming decades, we will be validating everyone’s identities on a public, global blockchain. During that
time, Nations, research agencies, and companies will be incentivized to survey and value the resources of space. An international body, most likely the UN, will verify and catalog those findings. Using code that is thoroughly tested and open source, this body will transparently distribute those parcels of space to all living humans, based on their digital identities. Using those validated identities, everyone will then be able to control their personal corner of space.
Everyone will be free to explore, buy, sell, trade, rent, or give away their space resources. Everyone will have a chance to profit from space, and everyone will have the opportunity to benefit from the largest bounty of our century. The resulting gains won’t be equal, and the process certainly won’t be easy, but the goal is giving every human the opportunity to profit from space, and that is certainly worth pursuing.
Jonathan Wood is an Entrepreneur, Economist, and Computer Scientist seeking to provide opportunity and knowledge to others. See more of his work at www.jonathanpaulwood.com. If you want to be the first to read more ideas like this, consider signing up to his email list, sent every week, but only when there’s something really worth sharing.
