RESHARED POST FROM WINCHELL CHUNG

“For example, colonial entrepreneurs centuries ago formed the forerunners of today’s corporations. These were private entities chartered to do things that the government wanted to do anyway. You could argue there are parallels to exploring space. The aerospace industry isn’t exactly a free market, after all.”

“You could also point to Spain and Portugal going to the Vatican, the United Nations of its day, to split up the Americas in a 1494 treaty, and compare that to today’s debates about space treaties.”

Winchell Chung originally shared this post:

Mr. Mann draws some interesting parallels between Planetary Resources and Columbus in 1492.
Science fiction authors take note.

Ask an Expert: 1492’s lessons for asteroid miners

Asteroid miners beware? We ask Charles Mann, author of 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created, to discuss lessons from the past.