Lunar Embassy, the Ambassador to Lunacy: An Update On the Moon

When I first wrote about men colonising the moon, I did not realize that someone had already thought of it.  It seems that back in 1980, Dennis Hope found a loophole in the 1967 U.N. Outer Space Treaty which allowed him to claim ownership to parts of the moon and other celestial bodies.  He established his company called Lunar Embassy and is now selling plots of lunar real estate.



(Would you believe HIM?)

According to CNN.com:

In addition to their lunar plot, buyers receive a deed, a site map, a copy of the lunar constitution bill of rights and a copy of Hope's declaration of ownership filed with the U.S. government. There's also a 30-day money back guarantee.

Nonetheless, other speculators have laid claim to the moon as well. One in Texas that peddles moon plots suggests buyers book a ride into orbit aboard the space shuttle and hitchhike the remainder of the way to the moon.

Mr. Hope assures his buyers that they will not get a fake Rolex at twice the price.  This is hilarious.

IT'S ALI-I-I-VE, EEEET'S ALIVE!!

Scientists discovered a "significant" amount of water- 25 gallons of it--on the moon when the Lcross satellite crashed into a crater near its south pole making a large hole 60-100 ft wide.  The water "gives future settlers something to drink, but could also be broken apart into oxygen and hydrogen. Both are valuable as rocket fuel, and the oxygen would also give astronauts air to breathe."(NYTimes)  It's sad that the moon has to be wrung dry now.  What is the future of our moon? The stray astronaut will go there for a drink of water, the space station will exploit it, and we will have all these probes making more craters on the moon.  The sea of tranquility will become like the Chicago Wal-Mart on Black Friday of 2008.

And then, the moon will be colonised.  People will fight for rights to explore it.  They will fight for the water, and our wars will reach the boundaries of our solar system. Or a new order of pilgrims will make their way there, endure the bitter, harsh realities of the moon and on the Thanksgiving days they will "cook" water. Sigh!