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The tiny European [nation / national] of Luxembourg is not well [known / knowing] as a major [play / 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 / nearly] the Earth for water and minerals. Some of the [thing / things] they mine will one day help fuel trips to Mars and beyond. Luxembourg's government is looking at research [to / and] development projects to make sure it is [one / once] of the leading countries in this new industry. Minister for the economy Etienne Schneider said: "Our aim is to open [accessible / access] to a wealth of previously unexplored mineral resources on lifeless rocks [speed / speeding] through space, without [damaging / damage] natural habitats."

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