Who owns the moon, planets and sun?

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Reply 1

datr

Well, I own an acre of the moon. :p:

Edit: Just looked up my deed apparently I own area E-5 in quadrant Foxtrot.

Reply 2

Vohamanah

There's supposedly a loophole that means whoever stakes a claim owns them. Hence some guy that has made a pot of money by claiming the moon as his own (by informing US government, NASA etc and receiving no objection) and is selling it off as novelty gifts.

I think it is very doubtful he could actually stake a legal claim over it, say to live on or something.

Reply 3

dh00001

i claim the sun. im selling houses there. takers?

Reply 4

KPeh

Under customary international law the US, having landed there has by far the greatest claim, even if it is still (in absolute terms) a poor one. In practice, and if more nations were spacefaring there would be a treaty giving it a similar status to the Antarctic.

pink: I've heard about that, and albeit I know no details, but it sounds like international law is being completely disregarded and so has no legal or quasi-legalesque status at all :tongue:

Reply 5

silverbolt

i own it all......

seriously i dont think that anyone has a claim to it at all. Im waiting for someone to blag (cough british gas cough) owning the sun and then charge us for using its light

God.

Google. Or Tesco?

Tesco. Or Microsoft. If those two ever get together we are ****ed.

Reply 9

Cyril Sneer's Nose

Galactus. Put his deposit down two million eons ago.

Reply 10

teh_samby

My dad will own an acre of the moon soon, got him a gift pack thing for his birthday :-P

Reply 11

sonicboooom

The title of this thread made me laugh when i read it, good one.

Reply 12

L i b

KPeh

There is - the Outer Space Treaty of 1967. Which basically concludes that it cannot be owned. For the record, this is signed and ratified by all significant and spacefaring nations, including the United States, Russia and our very own United Kingdom.

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Article I

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 all mankind.

Outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, shall be free for exploration and use by all States without discrimination of any kind, on a basis of equality and in accordance with international law, and there shall be free access to all areas of celestial bodies.

There shall be freedom of scientific investigation in outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, and States shall facilitate and encourage international co-operation in such investigation.

Article II

Outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means.

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Art 2 is how those 'I'll sell you a bit of the moon' companies try to evade the treaty since it only refers to countries. However, as my highlighted passage in Art 1 shows, that's a load of *******s - it cannot be owned, as ownership by definition is a right to exclude the enjoyment of use of land by persons other than the owner.

Reply 13

NickNack

there was a UN treaty or something back in the 60s/70s, which outlined that no nation can claim sovereignty over any natural body in space. However it never forbid private ownership, thats how normal people can 'buy' rights to land on the moon

Edit: nm, libertin beat me, and his answer was better :frown:

Reply 14

L i b

KPeh

Under customary international law the US, having landed there has by far the greatest claim

Actually, that's not exactly true either. While you may have a point in relation to the occupation of land, itself a principle first properly embodied in Roman law, I can go back to the same source of law and point out that by custom landownership on the ground went (by custom) from the centre of the earth extending up into the Heavens. So effectively whatever is 'above' you is owned by you.

Unfortunately (but rather obviously) in Britain, this principle has been usurped by the likes of the Civil Aviation Act etc even before we ratified the Outer Space Treaty.

Reply 15

Clubber Lang

TML

God.

Thats prob not the answer he wants to hear given his stance on religion. :wink:

Reply 16

Melancholy

Hehe

I know.

Reply 17

73337

Two words:

Bob Geldof.

Reply 18

Vohamanah

KPeh

pink: I've heard about that, and albeit I know no details, but it sounds like international law is being completely disregarded and so has no legal or quasi-legalesque status at all :tongue: