Someone is going to militarise it! And drill for oil, gas and coal in our arctic regions, it might as well be us as them. And if it's us? Have them be the plaintiffs pleading for accommodation or agreements.

I see no upside waiting for a less principled nation with a much worse record of human rights abuse doing it. Getting there first!

And as a space race force essential innovation and development, i.e. a practical warp drive that shortens the journey to Alpha Centaurus, to weeks as opposed to centuries.

And allows we humans to get off this overpopulated sphere and migrate to the stars. As an unintended consequence of the militarization of space?
Alan B.

Binoy Kampmark is, as usual, long on rhetoric and short on practicalities. The US passing a law on mining in space is interesting but more of symbolic than practical value. The material may be up there but the cost of getting it down to the earth's surface will be prohibitive. Sure you could give a chunk of iron ore a nudge from orbit and see where it lands (fun!) but the people near where it lands may not see the funny side. This is why no-one has seriously considered mining in outer space outside science fiction, and this is unlikely to change for many decades to come. Musk wants to go to Mars. Okay, but what will he do when he gets there?

Google street view ? Oz 2 room family homes will be $3.5m by then.