No One Owns The Moon Says Scientist ! --- But Haven't We Already Claimed Rightful Possession?

No One Owns The Moon Says Scientist ! A planetary scientist has said there is a case for developing a United Nations treaty about the moon, which currently states it cannot be owned.

But isn't is possible that we have already made claim to rightful possession?

It has occurred to me on more than one occasion that NASA, which operates as an agency of the Dept. of Defense, has probably already built a very strong legally binding dossier/case file in secret, using secret courts and lawyers, that not only outlines, but legally defines the United States of America as sole owner of the moon. Of course, this kind of law is entirely new and has yet to be tested on the international stage, but that won't be the case for very long, and you can be sure that the US has already instructed other nations on the status of the US government's recently created territorial claims regarding outer pace as a whole, and of sole rights to ownership of the moon in particular.

In fact, this might just have been one of the primary reasons for the Moon landings - faked or otherwise it doesn't really matter. I can assure you that when that American flag was seen -by at least a billion viewers around the world - being firmly planted on the moon - that was the defining moment. That action alone probably is all that's necessary for the USA to have staked out a legitimate claim of ownership - the legal paperwork being a mere formality.

The new legal framework for all this would have been based on existing maritime law, and on international geographical discovery precedents - based on existing territorial claims made by so many world famous discoverers and explorers throughout the centuries.

By Claire Carter - 12:19PM GMT 10 Jan 2014
No one legally owns the moon but there is a case for developing the law as space exploration continues, a planetary science professor says. Under current UN law, member states are "prohibited from appropriating the moon."
But Ian Crawford, professor of planetary science at Birkbeck College, said there was now a case for developing the treaty to include private companies that may want to exploit it for its minerals.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he thought space tourism was more likely to take place before the moon started to be mined for minerals. He said there was far more scientific study to be done before it could be determined if there are any economically valuable materials on the moon.

“Nobody owns the moon,” he said

This has to be one of the most misunderstood things in space exploration. The US planting a flag on the moon was NOT a claim of ownership. It was a political statement during the cold war.

No one owns the moon because the UN Outer Space Treaty of 1967 prevents any nation from owning a celestial body. The US was a supporter of the treaty and over 100 nations signed it.

Under this ‘Space law’, claiming of any region of space or celestial body – Moon, asteroid etc – is expressly forbidden, as is the use of these objects for any military purposes. Countries are also asked to be responsible for their actions, ensuring nothing they do threatens the peaceful exploration and operation in space of others.


"All these worlds are yours except Europa."
"Use them together."
"Use them in peace."

reply to post by JadeStar


(raises paw) Technical question..since you sound well researched on this topic?

Does the Space treaty on ownership work anything like the Antarctic treaties? I had thought the land beneath an occupied station or I guess it would be a colony on the moon, is considered national territory, but only as long as people are actively at the site?

A nation may not be able to lay claim to the moon, but what is stopping an ordinary citizen or corporation claiming it?

Quarles
A nation may not be able to lay claim to the moon, but what is stopping an ordinary citizen or corporation claiming it?

If that's the case,

I call dibs!

So who owns the mineral rights?
How does that get managed?
Who gets what and how much?
This is a good one!

reply to post by ExoPatriotico


first nation with weapons on the Moon will possess it, until another nation with stronger weapons takes is back, and so on...
as soon as it is profitable...

I have thought about this before and think any nation or corporation who can establish a base up there should be able to claim a said area around the base somthing like 500 square miles.

reply to post by JadeStar


JS,,,,did you actually read the full content of my post. It seems that you have not, and if you really did it seems that you have not understood what I was saying. To gain a better insight as to what is going on regarding this important topic - please read the enclosed article(s) - Thank you:

The United Nations notwithstanding, there is an extreme amount of very serious and very competitive jockeying going on by other nations and by private corporations, and private individuals for a piece of the action with regard to territorial claims on the moon. This includes claims of ownership.

The USA could care less about the United Nations (non-binding) resolutions. They (the US) have invented their own courts, and their own law in the same manner as their constitutionally illegal secret FISA courts. The USA does whatever if damn well pleases despite what other international bodies and/or nations have declared.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — A new game of "Solar System Monopoly" www.space.com... is under way, and the United States is losing, commercial space entrepreneur Robert Bigelow said today (Oct. 19).
"Solar System Monopoly"

China Will Own the Moon, Space Entrepreneur Worries
- See more at: www.space.com...

Partial text from the article..............

The first prize, ownership of the moon, is up for grabs, and China will likely snag it, Bigelow said here at the 2011 International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight.
Bigelow's Las Vegas-based company, Bigelow Aerospace, is constructing private inflatable space modules that it hopes to rent out to government and commercial customers. The firm is even working on a series of labs for a human lunar colony.
- See more at: www.space.com...
But by the time the America gets into gear to build its own moon base, large swaths of lunar territory may already be claimed, Bigelow said in a talk that the firebrand entrepreneur warned the audience would be "controversial."
"Americans are still basking in the lunar glory from 40 years ago," Bigelow said. "But we don’t own one square foot of the damn place. NASA is a shadow of the space agency it once was in the 1960s and 1970s."
In contrast, he argued, China has the motivation and ability to win the next space race and claim ownership of much of the moon. Bigelow argued that international law would allow a nation to make such a claim, especially if it were able to enforce it through continuous human lunar presence. [Photos: China's First Space Station]

- See more at: www.space.com...

Think someone already beat china to the moon.
Lunar Real Estate Agent Has 'Sold' 7.5% of Moon
www.space.com...

Wrabbit2000
reply to post by JadeStar

 

(raises paw) Technical question..since you sound well researched on this topic?

Does the Space treaty on ownership work anything like the Antarctic treaties? I had thought the land beneath an occupied station or I guess it would be a colony on the moon, is considered national territory, but only as long as people are actively at the site?

The way the treaty works is that nations, may operate on celestial bodies but they have no right to claim exclusive ownership of them.

The habitat a nation (say the US, or China) builds on the moon would be their property however the ground underneath that habitat belongs to everyone on Earth. You, me, everyone.

Quarles
A nation may not be able to lay claim to the moon, but what is stopping an ordinary citizen or corporation claiming it?

A citizen of a nation is bound by the laws, statutes, conventions and treaties of the nation they are a citizen of. A corporation which operates within a nation, has its business license in a nation is also bound by the laws, statutes, conventions and treaties of the nation they are registered in.

Same as in maritime law basically.

Whether there are mineral riches or not the moon would have to be the jump off point for other future space exploration.The thought of the Chinese colonizing it first would be a national tragedy I believe would haunt us for a long time.

Fisherr
Think someone already beat china to the moon.
Lunar Real Estate Agent Has 'Sold' 7.5% of Moon
www.space.com...

Those are scam artists, just like the "International Star Registry".

You don't actually own a piece of the moon, you own a piece of paper if you're dumb enough to fork over money to them.

reply to post by JadeStar


Yeah, those scams always reminded me of the legitimate "buy a brick" campaigns. Disney has had them with bricks at the parks bearing people's names.

Just go try and claim your brick.

Didn't actually buy a brick, huh? Just, like you say, a piece of paper saying it's yours on paper. At least disney has a real brick to see.

I think the first country to build a base and house some poor sole will be the first to claim "ownership" since they will be considered "settlers".

Then you have the Lunar revolution, the Lunar fight for independence, the Lunar civil war, and eventually a bunch of Lunar states fighting over mineral rights.

Given the complexities of the task, this may involved 6 or 7 people. Obviously family lines may end up getting crossed. Brother marries sister, nephew kills off Uncle/Dad for control of Lunar territories.

Kind of like Game of Thrones in space.

Wrabbit2000
reply to post by JadeStar

 

Yeah, those scams always reminded me of the legitimate "buy a brick" campaigns. Disney has had them with bricks at the parks bearing people's names.

Just go try and claim your brick.

Didn't actually buy a brick, huh? Just, like you say, a piece of paper saying it's yours on paper. At least disney has a real brick to see.

If I was malicious (which I am not) I have the ultimate space scam idea and it would be perfectly legal under the Outer Space Treaty too.

boncho
I think the first country to build a base and house some poor sole will be the first to claim "ownership" since they will be considered "settlers".

Then you have the Lunar revolution, the Lunar fight for independence, the Lunar civil war, and eventually a bunch of Lunar states fighting over mineral rights.

Given the complexities of the task, this may involved 6 or 7 people. Obviously family lines may end up getting crossed. Brother marries sister, nephew kills off Uncle/Dad for control of Lunar territories.

Kind of like Game of Thrones in space.

Sounds more like a bad sci-fi movie premise.

Given the plethora of resources on the moon and near Earth asteroids there would be no reason to fight over them. No one nation would ever be able to extract and exploit all of them even in 1,000 years.

Wars and squabbles over resources happen on Earth because of scarcity (real or perceived). Once you're able to get to the Moon or Mars the scarcity of resources evaporates.

The mere technology of being able to get there, settle there and exploit the resources means you now have abundances of everything from hydrogen and oxygen, to precious metals like titanium and platinum and so will the next person, company, nation...

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Our smart furry little friend once again hits on the key of ownership, possession. This is why you have seen all the major players have a continuous presence there. As for the moon we own it until such time until someone actually moves to have a presence there.
Then as with the poles you will see the major players insist on being part of it. Wars will eventually be fought over the resources of space.

Remember the saying possession is nine tenths of the law.

He who possesses owns by default.

The Bot

dlbott
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

Our smart furry little friend once again hits on the key of ownership, possession. This is why you have seen all the major players have a continuous presence there. As for the moon we own it until such time until someone actually moves to have a presence there.
Then as with the poles you will see the major players insist on being part of it. Wars will eventually be fought over the resources of space.

Remember the saying possession is nine tenths of the law.

He who possesses owns by default.

The Bot

And yet, no one possesses the moon. Nations have sent things and people there. Like Antarctica.