ABSTRACT
We live in an unprecedented era of development in science and technology and the expansion of our society beyond Earth is within reach. Utilisation of space resources will enable amongst other things our ability to establish human communities on the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Thus, we have a new set of challenges in terms of the regulation of such resource extraction beyond Earth, as well as the systems according to which communities living beyond Earth may manage themselves and their resources. Here, technologies enabling off-world exploration are analysed, from advent to current state of the art. In the context of human habitation, categories of resources, infrastructure and society are considered in each of the environments of Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and the Asteroid Belt, and off-world economics based on efficient resource management discussed.
