by Lance Thompson

When President Kennedy set the course of the United States toward a manned mission to the moon, our nation mobilized its human and technological resources to get there first. We committed, we innovated, we overcame countless obstacles, and we prevailed in that race. Now, after resting on our manned space exploration laurels for forty years, we find ourselves in a race with many more competitors. Winning this new race will require recognition of the principle that frontiers are settled by those who stand to gain from the activity, and who are certain that their interests will be protected by the rule of law..

In a 25 July article for Fox News, Steven Hoffer lists the competitors. In Project Constellation, the United States plans to send four astronauts to the moon to establish a lunar outpost.by 2020, and a manned mission to Mars by 2037.

When President Bush declared Constellation to be a solely American project, the European Space Agency partnered with Roskosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency, to develop the Advanced Crew Transportation System, a manned capsule to be launched from the new Russian spaceport Vostochny in 2018.

The Russians are also working on their own design, the Kliper, a lifting body craft capable of carrying a crew of six. The Kliper would be ready for launch in 2012. The Europeans are also pursuing a separate program to develop a three-person space ferry for shuttle trips to and from low-Earth orbit.

China achieved manned space flight in 2003 and plans an orbital mission and space walk to coincide with the 2008 Olympics. India's Project Chandrayaan is preparing for lunar missions. Japan has established a goal to land astronauts on the moon by 2020 and establish a base by 2030.

So our competitors in the space race include close allies and partners as well as long-time rivals and old enemies. What is the motivation behind this new and worldwide enthusiasm for space exploration?

Certainly, recent discoveries have increased interest. Frozen water on Mars and the possibility of finding the same on the moon means that the most essential components to life may already be awaiting astronauts at their destinations. Water, and its elemental components hydrogen and oxygen, can not only sustain life but also provide fuel for manned outposts.

A generation ago, scientists were theorizing about the possibility of planets orbiting other stars-now astronomers have identified hundreds of planets in other solar systems, some quite similar to Earth. With each new discovery, the potential value of new worlds increases.

It is possible that the other entities engaged in the new space race wish only to expand human knowledge and understanding to benefit all mankind. But that would be a first for Russia and China. It is more likely that for these nations, the high ground of space offers the chance to gain a significant military advantage over the United States. Certainly, there is no reason to believe that the military resurgence of China and Russia would stop as their nations cross the boundary of the stratosphere.

The United States never exploited its lead in the space race, and has abided by the Outer Space Treaty we and other United Nations members signed in 1967. Treaty signers, in part, agree that exploration of the moon and planets shall be carried out for the benefit of all mankind, that the moon and other planets shall not be subject to national appropriation, and that military bases and weapons shall be forbidden on the moon and other planets.

It may be that some of the nations currently engaged in the space race are doing so for the benefit of all mankind. History proves that the United States has certainly adhered to this principle. But it is certain that not all the spacefaring nations share this philanthropic goal. Russia and China have armed our enemies, challenged us militarily, and aggressively expanded their global reach (Russia most recently by claiming large parts of the Arctic, China by continuing to claim sovereignty over and threatening annexation of Taiwan). There is nothing in the history of these nations that indicate that any conquest of new territory will be shared with other nations. There is ample evidence that new territory and the resources obtained there will be eagerly consumed and jealously guarded.

This is the principal reason why the United States must abrogate the Outer Space Treaty. Our government alone does not have the capacity or will to explore and settle the last frontier. Only with the cooperation of private enterprise can the vast promise of other worlds be discovered and developed. But private enterprise will not invest the vast sums required if the profits must be shared among all nations. The reward must equal the risk, and the Outer Space Treaty forbids this.

Likewise, the settling of new worlds cannot occur without the rule of law. It is evident from history that international justice is ensured and enforced only by the military of the United States and our allies. The United States military is the implacable foe of terrorism and aggression, the reliable savior in the face of peril or the wake of disaster, the most self-disciplined and widely trusted force for good on our planet. It is most likely that our military would maintain the same standards on other planets as well.

Many nations, both friendly and hostile, are racing toward the wide open frontier of space. While each nation has a unique agenda, all are certainly interested in enhancing their own positions. Only by abrogating the Outer Space Treaty and becoming the dominant presence on the moon and other planets can the United States be certain that the realm of new worlds will be a peaceful and prosperous one, and not a lawless frontier.