Extraterrestrial real estate

of whether they are carried out by governments or non-

governmental entities. The Outer Space Treaty of 1967
has currently been ratied by 102 countries,[3] including
all the major space-faring nations. It has also been signed
by 26 other nations but not yet ratied.[4]
The international Moon Treaty, nalised in 1979 and en-
tering into force in 1984, forbids private ownership of
extraterrestrial real estate.[5] However, as of January 1,
2013 only 15 states have ratied the agreement,[3][6] and
none of these are major space-faring nations. Kazakhstan
has ratied the treaty and is host to the Baikonur Cosmod-
rome. However, the facility is operated through a leasing
agreement by Russia. India, with space missions of its
own, has also signed the treaty.
Whether these two treaties are the last word on the sub-
ject is disputed. The Outer Space Treaty permits states
to withdraw from its terms with one years notication.[7]
The Moon as seen by an observer from Earth. Some people claim
that private ownership of the Moon might be possible.
3 Private purchase schemes
Extraterrestrial real estate is land on other planets
or natural satellites or parts of space that is sold ei- A number of individuals and organisations oer schemes
ther through organizations or by individuals. Ownership or plans claiming to allow people to purchase portions of
of extraterrestrial real estate is not recognized by any the Moon or other celestial bodies. Though the details of
authority.[1] Nevertheless, some private individuals and some of the schemes legal arguments vary, one goes so
organizations have claimed ownership of celestial bodies, far as to state that although the Outer Space Treaty, which
such as the Moon, and are actively involved in selling entered force in 1967, forbids countries from claiming
parts of them through certicates of ownership termed celestial bodies, there is no such provision forbidding pri-
Lunar deeds,[1] Martian deeds or similar. These vate individuals from doing so. However, Article VI of
deeds have no legal standing.[1] this treaty states The activities of non-governmental enti-
ties in outer space, including the moon and other celestial
bodies, shall require authorization and continuing super-
1 History vision by the appropriate State Party to the Treaty. Thus,
while it does not explicitly prohibit such schemes, the
treaty does require they be authorized by the schemers
The topic of real estate on celestial objects has been
government.
present since the 1890s. Dean Lindsay made claims for
all extraterrestrial objects on June 15, 1936. The public The short story The Man Who Sold the Moon by Robert A.
sent oers to buy objects from him as well.[1] Heinlein, which was written in 1949, oers a portrayal re-
garding such plans or schemes, and created the concept of
a Lunar Republic. Heinleins Stranger in a Strange Land
2 Legal issues also makes reference to a space law case called the Larkin
Decision.
The United Nations sponsored 1967 "Outer Space
Treaty" established all of outer space as an interna-
tional commons by describing it as the province of all 4 Ownership of empty space
mankind and forbidding all the nations from claiming
territorial sovereignty.[2] Article VI vests the responsi- Ownership of empty space can be thought of as a dif-
bility for activities in space to States Parties, regardless ferent issue from that of land ownership on extraterres-

1
2 7
trial bodies, because of its emptiness, the diculty of
dening its bounds, and the diculty of keeping any-
thing within it. The United Nations Outer Space Treaty
reserves space out of the atmosphere for the good of
mankind, and eectively prohibits private ownership of
arbitrary parcels of empty space, although governments
which have not signed the relevant treaties may dispute
the UNs authority in this matter.
4.1 Geosynchronous orbits
A space ownership issue of current practical importance
is the allocation of slots for satellites in geostationary
orbit. This is managed by the International Telecom-
munication Union. The 1976 Declaration of the First
Meeting of Equatorial Countries, also known as the Bo-
got Declaration, signed by several countries located on
the Earths equator, attempted to assert sovereignty over
those portions of the geosynchronous orbit that contin-
uously lie over the signatory nations territory.[8] These
claims did not receive wider international support or
recognition and were subsequently largely abandoned.
5 Notable claims
Chilean lawyer Jenaro Gajardo Vera became famous for
his 1953 claim of ownership of the Moon.[1]
Martin Juergens from Germany claims that the Moon has
belonged to his family since July 15, 1756, when the Prus-
sian king Frederick the Great presented it to his ances-
tor Aul Juergens as a symbolic gesture of gratitude for
services rendered, and decreed that it should pass to the
youngest born son.[9]
A. Dean Lindsay made claims for all extraterrestrial ob-
jects on June 15, 1936, and sent a letter to Pittsburgh
Notary Public along with a deed and money for establish-
ment of the property. The public sent oers to buy ob-
jects from him as well.[1] He had previously made claims
on the Atlantic and Pacic Oceans.[10]
James T. Mangan (18961970) was a famous eccentric,
public relations man and best-selling author on self-help
topics who publicly claimed ownership of outer space
in 1948. Mangan founded what he called the Nation
of Celestial Space and registered it with the Recorder of
Deeds and Titles of Cook County, Illinois, on January 1,
1949.[11]
Robert R. Coles, former chairman of New Yorks Hayden
Planetarium, started the interplanetary Development
Corporation[12] and sold lots on the moon for one dol-
lar per acre.[13]
Dennis Hope, an American entrepreneur, sells extrater-
restrial real estate.[14] In 1980, he started his own busi-
ness, the Lunar Embassy Commission.[15] As of 2009
Hope claimed to have sold 2.5M 1-acre plots on the
REFERENCES
Moon, for around US$20 per acre. He allocates land to
be sold by closing his eyes and randomly pointing to a
map of the Moon. He claims two former US presidents
as customers, stating Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan
had aides purchase them plots on the moon.[16][17]
In 1997, Adam Ismail, Mustafa Khalil and Abdullah al-
Umari, three men from Yemen, sued NASA for invading
Mars. They claim that they inherited the planet from our
ancestors 3,000 years ago, before Muhammad.[18] They
based their argument on mythologies of the Himyaritic
and Sabaean civilizations that existed several thousand
years B.C.[19]
Gregory W. Nemitz claimed ownership of Asteroid 433
Eros, on which NEAR Shoemaker landed in 2001. His
company Orbital Development[20] issued NASA a park-
ing ticket for $20.[21]
After purchasing the Lunokhod 2 lunar lander, computer
game designer and astronauts son Richard Garriot jok-
ingly claimed the rest of the Moon in the name of his gam-
ing character, Lord British, under the premise that exist-
ing treaties prohibit governments from territorial claims
to the Moon, but not individuals.[22]
6 See also
Georgism
Land claim
Sale of star names
7 References
[1] Virgiliu G Pop (2009). Who Owns the Moon?: Extrater-
restrial Aspects of Land and Mineral Resources Ownership.
Springer Publishing. pp. 23. ISBN 978-1402091346.
[2] United Nations Treaties And Principles On Outer Space
(PDF). United Nations Oce for Outer Space Aairs.
2002. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
[3] Status of International Agreements relating to Activities
in Outer Space. United Nations Oce for Outer Space
Aairs. 2013-01-01. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
[4] Status of international agreements relating to activities in
outer space as at 1 January 2005 (PDF). United Nations
Oce for Outer Space Aairs. February 2005. Retrieved
2013-06-04.
[5] Moon Treaty. NASA Ames Research Center. 2001-
08-31. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
[6] Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the
Moon and Other Celestial Bodies. United Nations Of-
ce for Outer Space Aairs. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
[7] Hickman, John (JulyAugust 2012). Red Moon Rising.
Foreign Policy. pp. 2021. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
 3

[8] Text of Declaration of the First Meeting of Equatorial 9 External links

Countries. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. 2007-
01-23. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
[9] Tull, D. (1996). The Moon Is Mine. Parascope.
Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved
2013-06-04.
[10] Pop, Virgiliu (2006). Unreal Estate - The Men who
Sold the Moon. Exposure Publishing. p. 17. ISBN
1846850959.
Library of space law
Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of
States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space,
Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies
Moon Treaty

[11] Chicago Man Stakes Claim to Outer Space (May,

1949)". Science Illustrated. blog.modernmechanix.com.
2008-07-10. Retrieved 2013-06-04.

[12] Robert R. Coles Pointing to Moon Map. Corbis. 1955-

11-17. Retrieved 2013-06-04.

[13] W N White Jr., 1985, 'Real Property Rights in Outer

Space', Unpublished academic version. Footnote 79 at
p.41, quoting a Newsweek report of December the 5th,
1955, p. 31. The quotation of the primary source is inex-
act.

[14] Jaggard, Victoria (2009-07-17). Who Owns the Moon?

The Galactic Government vs. The UN. National Geo-
graphic News. Retrieved 2013-06-04.

[15] Lunar Embassy - World Headquarters. 2006-07-17.

Retrieved 2013-06-04.

[16] Meet the Man Who Owns the Moon. USNews. 25

March 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2014.

[17] DENNIS M. HOPE HAS OWNED THE MOON

SINCE 1980 BECAUSE HE SAYS SO. VICE. 11 April
2013. Retrieved 5 April 2014.

[18] 3 Yemenis sue NASA for trespassing on Mars. CNN.

1997-07-24. Retrieved 2013-06-04.

[19] Yemenis claim Mars. BBC News. 1998-03-22. Re-

trieved 2013-06-04.

[20] Orbital Development. August 2007. Retrieved 2013-

06-04.

[21] The Eros Project: Legal Actions. 2004-03-08. Re-

trieved 2013-06-04.

[22] Yans, Cindy (2001-04-13). Lord British, we hardly knew

ye. Retrieved 2013-06-04.

8 Further reading

Virgiliu G Pop (2009). Who Owns the Moon?: Ex-

traterrestrial Aspects of Land and Mineral Resources
Ownership. Springer Publishing. pp. 23. ISBN
978-1402091346.
4 10 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

10 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

10.1 Text
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Arthur Norton (1958- ), Mel Etitis, JIP, Kane5187, Sjakkalle, NatusRoma, ElKevbo, Jehochman, THE KING, Gurch, Wingsandsword,
Bjwebb, DVdm, Ravenswing, The Rambling Man, Rapido, Jimp, AVM, Anomalocaris, Astral, Wangi, Nlu, TheKoG, Pablo2garcia~enwiki,
Allens, Bluezy, One, SmackBot, Prodego, Stie, Yopie, Gilliam, Ohnoitsjamie, Qwasty, Fplay, Dethme0w, Tamfang, Jumping cheese,
Skinnyweed, BayRadioDJ, Eliyak, Stasomat, Robosh, Tktktk, Ckatz, Viifog, Harlekeyn, Virgiliu, CmdrObot, King Richard, Logi-
cal2u, MoonLand, Studerby, LunarLand, DumbBOT, Legis, Thijs!bot, Barticus88, Qwyrxian, Jas public, Davidhorman, Dawnseeker2000,
Phy1729, Gioto, Random user 8384993, Storkk, JAnDbot, Planetary, Struthious Bandersnatch, Hut 8.5, Bongwarrior, Yakushima, Fast-
factchecker, Think outside the box, Kevinmon, Reale, Bharathiya, Glen, Talon Artaine, Kheider, LedgendGamer, Lunokhod, Dmz5,
RenniePet, Infodon, Idioma-bot, Benjiwolf, TXiKiBoT, Qxz, Someguy1221, JRStutler, Matthew9890, Ceranthor, Truthanado, Darth-
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manji, Theblackbadger, Yaki-gaijin, Trivialist, Terrorist96, NuclearWarfare, Qamaster, SchreiberBike, Chaosdruid, HeeferFan, PJPIP,
Kbdankbot, D.M. from Ukraine, Addbot, Nohomers48, Lihaas, Mbinebri, Dayofswords, Simonhorner67, Verbal, Windward1, Luckas-
bot, Yobot, AnomieBOT, Rubinbot, Materialscientist, ArthurBot, Wes.faires, Cekli829, Chips700, RicHard-59, Pinethicket, MastiBot,
Kalmbach, Frederick12345, SeanBrockest, Mean as custard, RjwilmsiBot, EmausBot, WikitanvirBot, Razor2988, Symphonymusic, Sb-
meirow, WJK84, Rangoon11, ClueBot NG, Braincricket, Ernest Eckland, Helpful Pixie Bot, Hallows AG, Cli12345, Achowat, Elleeeeeee,
BattyBot, Pratyya Ghosh, Debouch, Nrifel, Ginsuloft, Moon For Sale, Whomyl, AKS.9955, BenignBeppe, Artemus 40,000, GreenC bot,
Godosz, Bender the Bot and Anonymous: 147

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