10 ms·

Interesting snippet from the terms of service: > For Services provided on Mars, or in transit to Mars via Starship or other spacecraft, the parties recognize M

by whylo 6y ago

Interesting snippet from the terms of service: > For Services provided on Mars, or in transit to Mars via Starship or other spacecraft, the parties recognize Mars as a free planet and that no Earth-based government has authority or sovereignty over Martian activities. Accordingly, Disputes will be settled through self-governing principles, established in good faith, at the time of Martian settlement.

sschueller 6y ago
So whom ever gets there first makes the rules? However if this is not suppped to be a joke then this is absolutely insane. There is no way humans, other then maybe a few austranouts will make it to mars in the next 20 years by which this service will be obsolete or no longer exist. Edit: If HN is still around in 20 years I will be asking you to reconsider your down votes.
- toxik 6y ago
  If a bit of sci-fi in your ToS makes people actually read them, what’s the harm?
- rthomas6 6y ago
  Applicability aside, how else could it even work, other than colony self-governance? Otherwise what's to stop one country from just claiming the whole planet when they get there? You could still have colonies ruled by certain countries, the way I read the sentence.
- CivBase 6y ago
  > However if this is not suppped to be a joke then this is absolutely insane. I'm not sure how to interpret it as anything other than a joke. Humans might make it to Mars in the next 20 years, but the idea that we will have established a colony there along with an array of Starlink satellites to provide internet service and, presumably, a means of connecting the Martian internet back to Earth's... well, that's over-ambitious even by Musk's standards.
- spamtarget 6y ago
  what downvotes? i can only upvote
  - sv123 6y ago
    Once you reach 500 comment karma you can downvote on HN.
- wmf 6y ago
  It's basically a joke because the Outer Space Treaty has already defined rules for planetary colonization and they don't allow Mars to be a "free planet".
  - koheripbal 6y ago
    That treaty in and of itself is basically a joke because laws only apply to places you have force to enforce them.
RapidFire 6y ago
History tells us it is far better to let Martians govern themselves. The colonies would eventually rebel regardless; might as well embrace it and let them dictate their own laws. That being said. Guns on mars! GUNS ON MARS!!! They have a rIGHt to hunt space deer!
- ncallaway 6y ago
  I agree that any Mars colony should very quickly become independent. However, I think we should wait until there are enough people on Mars that there can be a small representative government (or other form of government that they would choose). Mars shouldn't be independent when the first 10 people land on the surface of the planet. This tos item has always been my biggest complaint about Starlink. I shouldn't be forced to take a position on premature Martian independence just because I hate Comcast.
  - jonplackett 6y ago
    > I shouldn't be forced to take a position on premature Martian independence just because I hate Comcast. We really do live in the future!
  - koheripbal 6y ago
    This is someone semantics anyway since there will be no enforcement mechanism in the beginning from Earth to Mars. People on Mars will just do whatever they want.
    - ncallaway 6y ago
      That doesn't seem accurate to me. Let's say you're in the _first_ colony ship that lands on Mars. 12 people disembark from the vessel. There are resources available for 5 years on the planet from prior cargo runs. All future cargo will be launched from Earth, and very likely from territory controlled by large and powerful governments. All those flights require mission approval to launch and resupply. Are you _sure_ there's no enforcement mechanism that Earthbound authorities can apply to the Martian people? I actually think independence for Mars quickly (but not immediately) is important exactly _because_ the Martian people will be able to be so easily held hostage by the whims of a few Earthbound governments.
gambiting 6y ago
I mean, I'm pretty sure that Elon added this to potentially establish his own governance over Mars(or his descendants) but yeah, I think good luck with that.
- jonplackett 6y ago
  Yeah I think he'd be a shoe-in for Presidente of Mars.
buggythebug 6y ago
Kuato will decide.

by whylo 6y ago

sschueller 6y ago

So whom ever gets there first makes the rules? However if this is not suppped to be a joke then this is absolutely insane. There is no way humans, other then maybe a few austranouts will make it to mars in the next 20 years by which this service will be obsolete or no longer exist. Edit: If HN is still around in 20 years I will be asking you to reconsider your down votes.

toxik 6y ago
If a bit of sci-fi in your ToS makes people actually read them, what’s the harm?
rthomas6 6y ago
Applicability aside, how else could it even work, other than colony self-governance? Otherwise what's to stop one country from just claiming the whole planet when they get there? You could still have colonies ruled by certain countries, the way I read the sentence.
CivBase 6y ago
> However if this is not suppped to be a joke then this is absolutely insane. I'm not sure how to interpret it as anything other than a joke. Humans might make it to Mars in the next 20 years, but the idea that we will have established a colony there along with an array of Starlink satellites to provide internet service and, presumably, a means of connecting the Martian internet back to Earth's... well, that's over-ambitious even by Musk's standards.
spamtarget 6y ago
what downvotes? i can only upvote
- sv123 6y ago
  Once you reach 500 comment karma you can downvote on HN.
wmf 6y ago
It's basically a joke because the Outer Space Treaty has already defined rules for planetary colonization and they don't allow Mars to be a "free planet".
- koheripbal 6y ago
  That treaty in and of itself is basically a joke because laws only apply to places you have force to enforce them.

RapidFire 6y ago

History tells us it is far better to let Martians govern themselves. The colonies would eventually rebel regardless; might as well embrace it and let them dictate their own laws. That being said. Guns on mars! GUNS ON MARS!!! They have a rIGHt to hunt space deer!

ncallaway 6y ago
I agree that any Mars colony should very quickly become independent. However, I think we should wait until there are enough people on Mars that there can be a small representative government (or other form of government that they would choose). Mars shouldn't be independent when the first 10 people land on the surface of the planet. This tos item has always been my biggest complaint about Starlink. I shouldn't be forced to take a position on premature Martian independence just because I hate Comcast.
- jonplackett 6y ago
  > I shouldn't be forced to take a position on premature Martian independence just because I hate Comcast. We really do live in the future!
- koheripbal 6y ago
  This is someone semantics anyway since there will be no enforcement mechanism in the beginning from Earth to Mars. People on Mars will just do whatever they want.
  - ncallaway 6y ago
    That doesn't seem accurate to me. Let's say you're in the _first_ colony ship that lands on Mars. 12 people disembark from the vessel. There are resources available for 5 years on the planet from prior cargo runs. All future cargo will be launched from Earth, and very likely from territory controlled by large and powerful governments. All those flights require mission approval to launch and resupply. Are you _sure_ there's no enforcement mechanism that Earthbound authorities can apply to the Martian people? I actually think independence for Mars quickly (but not immediately) is important exactly _because_ the Martian people will be able to be so easily held hostage by the whims of a few Earthbound governments.

gambiting 6y ago

I mean, I'm pretty sure that Elon added this to potentially establish his own governance over Mars(or his descendants) but yeah, I think good luck with that.

jonplackett 6y ago
Yeah I think he'd be a shoe-in for Presidente of Mars.

buggythebug 6y ago

Kuato will decide.