The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
    we are stardust's picture

    Selling Moon Plots; Now with Beach-Front Locations!

     

     

    (Just joshin' about the Beach-fronts...) But:

     

    An Indian company called Lunar Embassy has been selling Lunar property for the past 29 years.  The company's website details its right to do so:  Its owner, Dennis M. Hope filed for the rights with the U.N., the Russian and US governments to declare ownership of Lunar property.  None have disputed his claims, ergo:  Hope's company is entitled to sell the plots on the Moon and Mars.  Prices range from $4 to $20 per acre; the company claims to have about 3 and a half million members. 

    While the International Moon Treaty, written in 1979, and in force since 1984 (ratified by only twelve nations) prohibits nations from owning the Moon, it is silent on individuals being able to own parcels.  None of the twelve signatory nations has so far contested Lunar Embassy's claims or sales.

    Discovery of water on the Moon has created a rush for sales: (*All offers subject to change without warning. The Lunar Embassy does not accept any liability arising from any inaccuracy or omission in the information on this website)

     

     

    According to Wikipedia:

     

    The Agreement governing the Activities of States on the Moon and other Celestial Bodies, better known as the Moon Treaty, is an international treaty that turns jurisdiction of all heavenly bodies (and orbits around the bodies) over to the international community.  Thus, all activities must conform to international law (notably this includes the UN Charter.

     

    In practice, it is a failed treaty since it has not been ratified by any nation which engages in self-launched manned exploration or has plans to do so (e.g., the US, EU, Russian Federation, People's Republic of China, Japan, and India) since its creation in 1979, and thus has a negligible effect on actual spaceflight.

     

    The US and 99 other countries did sign and ratify the Outer Space Treaty in 1967; it prohibits the placement of nukes on or near the Moon and other celestial bodies or in the orbit of the earth; it does not limit conventional weapons.  It exclusively limits the use of the Moon and other celestial bodies to peaceful purposes and expressly prohibits their use for testing weapons of any kind, conducting military maneuvers, or establishing military bases, installations, and fortifications.

     

    Let us know what you think:  Will the Moon become a source of Global Cooperation or Just Another Empire Wet Dream?  Go on, now; have some fun!