Artist's impression of a space colony. Source: NASA Ames Research Center
The second International Extraterrestrial Liberty Conference met in South London on the 12th to 13th June this year to discuss the political and economic considerations required for the first extraterrestrial government. Its focus was on the freedom of citizens within a space colony, most likely one on Mars. Scientists and political philosophers studied the constitutions of the United States, as well as those of Japan, Iceland, and Mongolia.
With space exploration becoming the estate of private companies as well as state organizations, a bill of rights for future Martian colonists will soon be a necessity. Several enterprises are aiming to put a permanent human colony on Mars, including NASA, Mars One (within the next ten years), and SpaceX.
The US Constitution could be a a good model to start from. But living in space will have new challenges to any document beginning "We, the people of Mars..." Astrobiologist Charles Cockell, organiser of the conference, had this to say:
“If somebody gets control of oxygen, they could very well have control over the whole population and could threaten dire consequences in return for extraordinary levels of power.”No matter the differences between the US and the small, isolated population of the first extraterrestrial colony, the emphasis on liberty is paramount, and any consortium drafting the blueprint for a Martian government would do well to check out the US Constitution, one of the most comprehensive of modern constitutions designed to safeguard the freedom of its citizens.
