[whylo]

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.

[RapidFire]

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]

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.

[koheripbal]

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]

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.

[koheripbal]

My point only applies to a colony that is functionally independent.

[jonplackett]

> 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!

[hidden-spyder]

> I agree that any Mars colony should very quickly become independent.

Why do you think so? Wouldn't it be better for them to be Earth dependent?

[ncallaway]

> Wouldn't it be better for them to be Earth dependent?

Mars very likely would be dependent on the Earth for trade and resources for a long time. It will be a long, long time before it becomes totally self-sustaining.

But, in terms of their government, I generally believe broadly in the principle of local self-determination. I think that will and should apply to Mars, once the population is sufficient.

[oblio]

For them? Probably not. When has anyone else made big decisions for you than you made for yourself?

[93po]

Mars will be independent until they discover vast deposits of space oil, at which point George W Bush's son will continue his family's war mongering and invade

[willis936]

Does history have any footnotes about self sufficiency?

[koheripbal]

Guns don't kill people. Holes in domes kill people.

[gambiting]

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]

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

[sschueller]

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.

[CivBase]

> 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.

[toxik]

If a bit of sci-fi in your ToS makes people actually read them, what’s the harm?

[rthomas6]

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.

[wmf]

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]

That treaty in and of itself is basically a joke because laws only apply to places you have force to enforce them.

[spamtarget]

what downvotes? i can only upvote

[sv123]

Once you reach 500 comment karma you can downvote on HN.