新奇事件簿 卢森堡支持小行星采矿业（在线收听）

The tiny European nation of Luxembourg is not well known as a major player in the space race. However, its government has just made big investments in the future industry of asteroid mining. Private companies will mine asteroids near the Earth for water and minerals. Some of the things they mine will one day help fuel trips to Mars and beyond. Luxembourg's government is looking at research and development projects to make sure it is one of the leading countries in this new industry. Minister for the economy Etienne Schneider said: "Our aim is to open access to a wealth of previously unexplored mineral resources on lifeless rocks speeding through space, without damaging natural habitats."

就太空竞赛而言，欧洲小国卢森堡名不见经传。然而，卢森堡政府将支持太空采矿业。私人企业有望在地球附近的小行星上采集矿产和水资源。这些矿产资源或将为登陆火星，或更遥远行星提供动力。政府正进行研发，确保卢森堡成为该领域先驱。经济大臣埃蒂安·施耐德表示：“我们的目的是要在不破坏自然生态的情况下开发矿产业，这片尚未被开发的太空资源。”

Luxembourg is not the only country to look up to the skies for new places to mine. In 2015, US president Barack Obama signed a law that will let American companies mine space resources. In January, the European Space Agency shared a vision for a research village on the Moon. This would be used as a base for mining companies. The US company Deep Space Industries said space resources will allow greater exploration of the solar system without the need to mine resources on Earth. However, there could be problems ahead for mining companies. The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 says that natural resources in space are part of mankind's 'common heritage'. This means private companies may not be able to mine asteroids.

然而，卢森堡却不是唯一一个支持太空采矿的国家。2015年，总统奥巴马通过太空采矿法案。1月份，欧洲航天局要建“月球村”。它将成为采矿公司的基地。美国公司“深空工业”表示，太空资源将让人类更好地探索太阳系，而无需开采地球的矿产资源。然而，矿产公司也将麻烦重重。据1967年《外层空间条约》规定，外太空自然资源为人类“共同遗产”。这意味着私人公司无权开采小行星。