Alex McColgan

So it's worthwhile considering where the minerals building these batteries come from.

Are countries with somewhat sizeable deposits like the US, Canada, Australia and South Africa going to start digging up their backyard to extract them?

Or rather than pollute the earth further in our attempt to go green, is it actually more feasible to get these rare earths off the moon instead?

Rare Earths aren't any more common on the Moon than on Earth, however some deposits have already been identified, and pollution on the Moon would certainly not have any of the devastating environmental and human consequences attached to doing it here.

As demand for these elements inevitably goes up in the coming decades, it could well be that mining for them on the moon becomes economically viable.

And not only that, but a control on the market means control of the market price, and whichever country is in control will have a tremendous advantage.

Will it be China maintaining their position, or will some of the other space-faring countries and companies want a piece of the pie?

Only time will tell.

Which leads on to another curious question.

Who actually has mining rights on the moon?

Well, it's a bit unclear.

The main space treaty, which most countries in the world have signed up to, is called the Outer Space Treaty, and covers things like disallowing weapons of mass destruction in space, disallowing military bases in space, and disallowing claiming any celestial body.

However, it doesn't really cover mining.

Other treaties have been put forward which would cover mining in space, but so far, only non-spacefaring countries have signed up for it.

Right now, it could just be a matter of first come, first served.

So there we have it, a look into the future of what may occur on the surface of the moon.

What do you think?

Can mining on the moon ever be worthwhile, or is it an expensive, dangerous pipe dream?

I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

If you're like me, you've probably spent your life dreaming of a day when humans would travel to distant planets and build life-supporting outposts across the solar system.