There are multiple steps being undertaken by government agencies that would make us a multi-planetary race. One such step that has been recently proposed by scientists and legal experts involves creating a space nation that would roughly consist of 100,000 individuals.
Called Asgardia, the project aims to foster peace, open up access to space technology and offer guardianship to Earth inhabitants. This new nation will ultimately become a member of the U.N., complete with its own flag and anthem that will be created by the masses through a series of competing events.
Space Nation To Pioneer Space Community
While it's being referred to as a "space nation," it seems that citizens of Asgardia will initially reside on terra firma. The nation's satellite is scheduled to head into space next year, according to the The Guardian.
"Physically, the citizens of that nation state will be on Earth; they will be living in different countries on Earth, so they will be a citizen of their own country and at the same time they will be citizens of Asgardia," Igor Ashuerbeyli, the man spearheading the project, said. Once realised, Asgardia will become a human habitat orbiting the planet literally becoming a "no man's land."
Regulations regarding space activity are also being looked into. Currently, the Outer Space Treaty governing space law indicates nations are accountable for any objects that are launched into space. However, the team behind the Asgardia initiative is poised to set a new precedent, placing liabilities to this new "space nation" itself.
Asgardia To Act As Earth's Guardian
The project's website indicates that any human being living on Earth is free to apply citizenship to Asgardia. The registration form only has four fields to fill in: the applicant's first name, last name, email, and country of origin.
"When the number of those applications goes above 100,000 we can officially apply to the U.N. for the status of state," Ashuerbeyli said. But joining the U.N. will not be as simple as the nation's registration form.
Huge hurdles from U.N. recognition to responsibility and liability are just two of the plethora of obstacles that looms over this initiative. With all these restrictions, Ashuerbeyli remains steadfast that Asgardia will one day come to fruition.
Among the nation's mission is to act as guardians of the Earth, building protective shields against threats like debris, asteroids, and coronal mass ejections of the sun, reported RT News. Ashuerbeyli went on to say that this is a vital step in ensuring humanity's future and they are only starting to lay the groundwork to ensure that the future of the ambitious project is someday realised.
