If you are intending to buy land, have you ever imagined getting a lot… on the moon? Yeah, this crazy – or brilliant idea, depending on the point of view – is not part of a movie script Science fiction. She ended up in the notary’s office, won website, certified and even famous customers.
But can you really own a piece of the moon? The answer involves international treaties, creative breaches and a guy who decided to become a “interplanetary broker” on his own.
In 1967, 111 nations signed the Exterior space treatya document that establishes the rules of the game when it comes to space. According to him, no country can claim property over any part of the space, be it the moon, marte or any other planet or moon of the Solar system. No lunar lot surrounding, lift condominium Martian or raise mansion overlooking Saturn. At least, not officially.
“The space is for everyone, and everyone is free to explore it,” explained Michelle Hanlon, a space law expert, in an interview with the site Iflscience. She stresses that the idea of the treaty is to ensure that spatial exploitation is peaceful and open, with no fight for territory. Scientific research is welcome as long as data is shared with the world. But a lunar hotel, for example? No one has authority to allow something like this – nor to ban.
How the idea of selling land on the moon came about
It was analyzing this document that, in the early 1980s, a US unemployed named Dennis Hope had a somewhat bold idea. He realized that the space treaty said only that the nations could not be owned by parts of the space. But what about individuals? The text said nothing about it.
Then Hope went to the San Francisco County Registry and did something unbelievable: she recorded the possession of the entire moon. And it didn’t stop there: it also included all the planets of the solar system and their respective moons (except the earth and the sun, because there would be an exaggeration even for him).
According to the “visionary” reports in its websitehe also sent letters to the United Nations (UN) and the government of the then Soviet Union, informing his intention to start selling land on the moon.
As no one answered, he interpreted silence as a “who shuts up.” And so was born Lunar Embassy (Lunar Embassy), a company that sells space land for prices that fit in the pocket of any enthusiastic terraqueo.
On the “Real Estate” website, you can buy a batch on the moon for about $ 35 (less than $ 200). If you want to invest higher, you can acquire the symbolic possession of planets such as Venus, Mercury and even Pluto for values that exceed US $ 200 thousand (more than $ 1.1 million). And all this comes with a very cute certificate (but it is absolutely worth nothing from the legal point of view). It is basically a cosmic souvenir.
What’s more, the lunar embassy also has the “galactic government”, a kind of fictional entity that would charge 10% of profits if you decided to mine your space property. This “government” has its own currency, constitution, congress and even a “patent office.” All created by Hope (which, of course, is the “president”).
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“Interplanetary Broker” has already sold lunar lots to former presidents
In an interview with Deputy In 2013, Hope stated that her clientele includes politicians from around the world. Among them, three US presidents: Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. According to the “broker”, some bought the land, others got as a gift. But what they all took home was a piece of paper decorated with craters and fictitious coordinates.
“These roles do not guarantee any real property rights,” explained Tanja Masson-Zwaan of the International Institute of Space Law, National Geographic. According to her, what Hope sells is purely symbolic. And the outdoor space treaty remains undeniable in saying that no one can become part of parts of space, whether person, company or country.
With spatial exploitation gaining more and more strength, this type of discussion should be more frequent. After all, if we ever want to live on Mars, we will need laws that make everything clear. For Hanlon, the moon deserves special care. “It should be treated as a sacred space, as untouched as possible.”
And while humanity still decides what to do with its cosmic neighbors, at least at the next birthday party, you can already give a little land in Pluto. Just don’t forget to warn that it’s just a certificate to decorate the wall, huh?
