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Space junkies ask 'who owns the moon?

news.cnet.com — Within the next 10 years, the U.S., China, Israel, and a host of private companies plan to set up camp on the moon. So if and when they plant a flag, does that give them property rights?

Who dugg this? Made popular Aug 23, 2008

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  • M4v3rIC, on 08/23/2008, -6/+95I thought the Americans already planted a flag?
  • spookycheddar, on 08/23/2008, -1/+83The earth owns the moon. duh
  • npsken, on 08/23/2008, -4/+75Message to Earth:

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  • PSotter, on 08/23/2008, -3/+72"...brought to you by Carl's Jr."
  • cornerback42, on 08/23/2008, -2/+53Damn all this time I thought I owned 2/5ths of it from some Nigerian email I responded to. They said I could buy it for $6,345.00 down payment. Bastards got me.
  • tubbyanimations, on 08/23/2008, -2/+49"The story of lunar exploration started with one man - a man with a dream"
    "One of these days, Alice. Bang. Zoom. Straight to the moon"

    I think I've cleared everything up...
  • swrostmore, on 08/23/2008, -1/+45Holy Jesus! What is that? Somebody call Homeland Security!
  • inactive, on 08/23/2008, -9/+51The concept of property being completely irrational, the only way to really own anything is to prevent others from owning it by fighting anyone who also wants to own it. Or in our case, having an authority that protects your property with a set of rules.

    The people who will own the moon are the ones who will protect it from others.
  • vickers500, on 08/23/2008, -7/+43Do we as humans have to claim every thing we are able to see as ours?
  • tas08, on 08/23/2008, -3/+39You put up a flag, it's yours. Everyone knows that. Just ask the Indians - they thought just cause they lived here for a few generations that was good enough. Well, no flags, no deal suckers!
  • 9bpm9, on 08/23/2008, -3/+35I for one, can't wait for our first war on the moon.
  • Medicamusic, on 10/28/2008, -6/+33Actually, yes. Animals do it and its called being territorial.
  • DifferentAngle, on 08/23/2008, -2/+28Yeah, but someone can pull it out unless you have a gun there protecting it.
  • Koppie, on 08/23/2008, -0/+26Who are these "space junkies" of which you speak? Are you sure they're not just regular junkies?

    The moon is international property. Since 1967. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Space_Treaty

    Story buried for being lame/inaccurate.
  • talonstriker, on 08/23/2008, -1/+25Haha you got ripped off. I own a star which I bought for just 25 bucks. They even named it after me. Now if I can only find the damn thing in the sky....
  • snareguy17, on 08/23/2008, -1/+22"No flag no country!" - Eddie Izzard
  • woodyinthehoody, on 08/23/2008, -0/+20Wait a second..so my purchase of 10 square miles of the Moon on Ebay was false?

    and to think I gave that guy an A++++
  • Yeyui, on 08/23/2008, -1/+20"HERE MEN FROM THE PLANET EARTH FIRST SET FOOT UPON THE MOON JULY 1969, A.D. WE CAME IN PEACE FOR ALL MANKIND " (text of the plaque on the portion of the Apollo 11 Lunar module that remains on the moon, signed: Armstrong, Collins, Aldrin, and Nixon)

    We (being the USA) were pretty clear that we were not claiming the moon with that flag.
  • Erythroxylum, on 08/23/2008, -16/+34America owns it. Next question.
  • zerton, on 08/23/2008, -3/+20I say if you build colonies on it, you can claim a specific region.
  • Frostek, on 08/23/2008, -0/+16Whatever your colonies weapon range is, I guess...
  • CATSCEO2, on 08/23/2008, -1/+17Man. We beat every other creature on this planet by a huge margin.
  • pyronik, on 08/23/2008, -1/+16itll be like Unreal Tournament with the gravity set to low
  • infinityofnever, on 08/23/2008, -0/+14And who owns the earth?
  • Nerys, on 08/23/2008, -6/+20That's his point. Duh. The only thing keeping you from TAKING my laptop I am on right now besides not having a clue where I am is ME pounding you if I catch you.

    IE MIGHT IS RIGHT when it comes to property. Ownership of the moon WILL be determined by who has the most "might" to enforce there "will" over dissenting views. Period. Its sad but true. The ONLY reason no one tries to TAKE united states soil from us has nothing to do with morals or a sense or right wrong or ownership. Our military and or our citizens will beat the SNOT out of anyone who tries... that is the ONLY reason no one DOES try.

    Our Constitution USED to constitute the "might" in the USA backed by law enforcement and the military. Alas this is not the case and has not been the case for quite some time.

    What you actually think you own that house you live in? Ever hear of Fee Simple Title? :-)
  • Medicamusic, on 10/28/2008, -2/+15Pow!! Right in the kisser!! Pow!! Right in the kisser!! Pow!! Right in the kisser!!
  • DoscoJones, on 08/23/2008, -0/+12The go in the Hall of Shame with anyone else that's ever been conned out of their cash.
  • blapierre, on 08/23/2008, -0/+11Sun. duh
  • klitzbtc, on 08/23/2008, -1/+12Welcome to Costco on the Moon .. I love you.
  • DMDekoth, on 08/23/2008, -0/+10We're whalers on the moon..
  • Wolfboy, on 08/23/2008, -3/+12The Russians landed an unmanned craft on the moon first, in the late 1950s. American didn't land anything on the moon, manned or unmanned, until the mid-1960s.
  • archer104, on 08/23/2008, -0/+8Did we mention that it was a poison flag?
  • GordonFree, on 08/23/2008, -1/+9"So animal behavior justifies human behavior?"
    Apparently for NolanRey, it does.
  • idc5, on 08/23/2008, -1/+9What happens to all those people who bought acres of the moon online
  • ligyron, on 08/23/2008, -5/+13So animal behavior justifies human behavior?
  • deherbs, on 08/23/2008, -1/+9Ignignokt and Err own the moon

    now bend over prepare for a moon spanking earthlings (with moonrocks)
  • Nerys, on 08/23/2008, -6/+14We are in fact animals.
  • lulzitsadigg, on 08/23/2008, -1/+9We need to set up a sentry gun.
  • drgreenberg, on 08/23/2008, -5/+12Yes, but we weren't the first to put an "artifact" there. The Soviet Union crashed Luna 2 into the moon in 1959 and soft-landed Luna 9 in 1966 (and then returning moon rocks).
  • reuscel, on 08/23/2008, -0/+7http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHpX5aa5Lz4

    America can, should, must, and will blow up the moon.
  • Nerys, on 08/23/2008, -0/+7If they can enforce that ownership legally and barring that by force then they own it.

    Just like if the gov comes guns drawn and claims your land... who owns it ?
  • WiseWeasel, on 08/23/2008, -0/+7Not if they cut yours first... I predict a big market for cut-resistant oxygen tank cords...
  • judicar, on 08/23/2008, -0/+7Like any piece of land, whoever can defend it .. owns it.
  • CATSCEO2, on 08/23/2008, -0/+6Whalers own the moon.
  • poet, on 08/23/2008, -0/+6Can I get a Starbucks handjob on the moon?
  • rjhomuth, on 08/23/2008, -0/+6Eddie Izzard anyone?
  • whyisntcakesin, on 08/23/2008, -4/+10I'm pretty sure Armstrong licked his finger and touched the moon... that pretty much makes it property of the US right?
  • KielKilla, on 08/23/2008, -0/+6Hey man you got any moonijuana?
  • Yeyui, on 08/23/2008, -1/+7Where do you think it went? I'm pretty sure it's still lying there. Stuff on the moon doesn't move very often.
  • poet, on 08/23/2008, -0/+5We are all monkeys and we try everyday to tell everyone otherwise. We even shave the hair off our bodies in blatant denial of our monkey nature.
    "WHAT WE ARE"
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