of the order of 10 times that at the best earth-surface-location." Further: Space-based power plants can be constructed without (a) the need for support against qravity (the principal mass constraint on ground-based structures), (b) design safety factors to allow for once-in-a- lifetime events such as hurricanes, typhoons, tidal waves, or earthquakes, (c) thermal-waste discharges to the terrestrial biosphere, or (d) community concerns about local power-plant siting. 4.2 Legalization of Use of Moon Resources by SPS A SPS has been suggested as a practical way to forward solar energy from geostationary orbital level to the Earth. The effectiveness of such a system may require the use of tangible resources located on the Moon or other celestial bodies. COPUOS has been discussing the terms of a proposed Moon Treaty since 1970. The exceedingly cautious negotiations have produced countless drafts, with the last being the Austrian Working Paper of April 3, 1978. Article 6, paragraph 2, of the draft would allow States bound by the agreement "the right to collect on and remove from the moon samples of its mineral and other substances." The Moon Treaty negotiations illustrate an unwillingness on the part of States to allow tangible and non-renewable resources to be treated as property Ibid. Ibid. A separate study by the United Nations Secretariat contrasted the location of energy collection in space and on the ground. "The constant illumination of the array in space would make the solar cells about 10 times as efficient as an array on the ground." Solar Power Stations in Space, U.N. Doc. A/AC.105 (XIX) CRP, p. 1, June 1, 1976. U.N. Doc., A/AC.105/218, Annex 1, p. 2, April 13, 1978. Ibid. Paragraph 1 of the Article provided that "There shall be freedom of scientific investigation on the moon by States Parties without discrimination of any kind, on the basis of equality and in accordance with international law."
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