Prospects for International Cooperation on the Moon: The Antarctic Analogy

Abstract

There has been much recent discussion of analogies between exploration and research in Antarctica and the lunar exploration that has begun. And there are indeed many parallels in the objective for basic research in the geophysical sciences, transportation, construction techniques, search and rescue problems and in program management. In Antarctica and in lunar research the motivation is the pursuit of knowledge; no exploitable economic resources will provide economic benefit in the near future. But no analogy between the lunar program and the existing program in Antarctica is of greater interest than a comparison of cooperation among nations working in Antarctica, especially the Soviet Union and the United States, and the possibilities for similar cooperation on the moon and in lunar research in the decades ahead. Scientific cooperation in Antarctica did not come about quickly or easily. In the lunar case, it cannot be expected to be an immediate development.