Trump signs executive order on moon mining

The moon's water ice and other natural resources can be mined and used by the United States, according to a new executive order signed by President Trump.

The president on Monday signed the executive order, which has been in the works for about a year, titled Encouraging International Support for the Recovery and Use of Space Resources. The directive stresses that the 1967 Outer Space Treaty allows for the use of space resources on the moon, Mars and elsewhere.

"Outer space is a legally and physically unique domain of human activity, and the United States does not view space as a global commons," the order states.

The view that the moon's resources are there for the taking has been common among government officials for years. In 2015, Congress passed a law specifically allowing American companies and citizens to use moon and asteroid resource... (Read more)

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