[JTHomes]

If we had an international treaty stating that extraplanetary land and resources can be claimed by any private person or company, or country for that matter, who personally claims and stakes the territory, we’d create free market incentives to go to mars and other places. As it stands, the treaties don’t allow this.

[Crazieman]

We are committing a slow suicide

[r9etb]

If we had an international treaty stating that extraplanetary land and resources can be claimed by any private person or company, or country for that matter, who personally claims and stakes the territory, we’d create free market incentives to go to mars and other places. As it stands, the treaties don’t allow this.

Look at reality, though. What private company or consortium is going to spend tens of billions, with no reasonable expectations for a bunch of useless land on Mars, for which there is no reasonable expectation for a "timely" (i.e., under 50 years) return on investment?