Fergus Cassidy

United notions

EILEEN COLLINS has the weight of the world on her shoulders right now. On Wednesday she will lead the astronauts of mission STS 114 onto the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Centre in the United States.

On any mission, commander Collins would feel enormous pressure, but flying the Discovery shuttle to the International Space Station and back again is different this time. It's the first flight since Columbia disintegrated in February 2003 while re-entering the Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven on board.

All astronauts risk their lives by trying to outsmart gravity. Along with their achievements, such risk-taking is part of why they are admired by people throughout the world. Even in the midst of a cold-war fuelled race to the moon, our imaginations were captured by the possibility of human footprints on celestial soil.

In those moments following Neil Armstrong's famous footfall, planet earth stood tall with collective joy and pride. That was also a giant leap for mankind.

In the years since Apollo 11, tyre tracks were added to many other footprints and from the moment the eagle landed in 1969 until its final departure in 1972, the United States constantly sought to purpose its mission for all of humanity.

"...And, as we leave the Moon at Taurus- Littrow, we leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind", said Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon. But the use of the word 'mankind' also had political bounty.

During the 1960s, the superpowers had tried to agree on a treaty concerning the use of space. In October 1967, the USA, the Soviet Union and many other countries finally ratified a treaty, of which Article 1 reads: "The exploration and use of outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries, irrespective of their degree of economic or scientific development, and shall be the province of mankind".

Without such a treaty, unfurling an American flag on the Sea of Tranquillity might been anything but peaceful. The Stars and Stripes on the moon have remained remarkably free of its myriad symbolic legacies.

Ten days ago, the internet - the 'for all mankind' project of these times - followed the moon by having the US flag unfurled on it. In a quiet, unannounced manner, the US government suddenly changed its policy toward the internet.

Like the moon missions, the internet has been largely an American project and achievement. When it was opened to commercialisation in the late 1990s, the US set up a not-for-profit private organisation (Icann) to run the domain name system (DNS), the heartbeat of the global internet.

Since then the US government openly and repeatedly announced its intention to divest itself of all responsibility for the DNS by September 2006 and hand it over to Icann. As recently as June 2004, the US government said it looked forward to completing "the transition to independent, private sector management of the DNS".

Ten days ago, the US changed its mind and the planned handover is now a thing of the past. Instead "the foundation of US policy going forward" will see the US maintaining "its historic role in authorising changes or modifications to the authoritative root zone file [DNS]".

Unlike the flag on the moon, the one just unfurled by the US on the internet has no treaty in place. No context exists except governance. "The signals and words and intentions and policies need to be clear so all of us benefiting in the world from the internet and in the US economy can have confidence there will be continued stewardship", said a US spokesman.

In advancing its "shared interest in the ongoing robustness and dynamism of the internet", the US is indicating that it intends to take its seat at the treaty table of internet governance.

The United Nations will shortly produce a major report on internet governance and its World Summit on the Information Society takes place in November.

The nature of the internet and the world as it stands is very different from when previous global treaties like the Moon Treaty or the Law of the Sea Treaty were negotiated. The traditional parties of governments and business have been joined by a third force.

"I see it as an entirely new model where governments and private sector and civil society work together", said Icann's European representative recently. "I think the whole difficulty is that people have no experience with this new model but I think understanding is growing that such a new model is necessary".

One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.