Real Estate on the Moon and other Celestial Bodies


Throughout our world’s history land has always meant power; so how much power could one posses if one could buy The Moon? Furthermore, is buying the moon even a possibility? It is actually a very valid question. In fact, a treaty has been passed by The United Nations specifically addressing this topic. The treaty prevents any nation from buying land out in space. It has been ratified by 102 countries, including all the ones who have the technology to explore space, but there is one teeny-tiny exploit of this treaty which brings up the subject in question. It bars nationwide ownership, but it says nothing of individuals. Now, in truth, extraterrestrial land has little meaning; however, some people are convinced otherwise.

A man by the name of Gregory W. Nemitz claims that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, (NASA) has “parked” a space probe on an asteroid he owns for over ten years. Thankfully he charges a modest fee of only twenty cents a year; but on a more serious note, is this land his to own? Sadly no, it is not. A group of other men from Yemen took to court another matter involving NASA’s space exploration. They claimed that their people "inherited the planet from [their] ancestors 3,000 years ago" (3 Yemenis Sue NASA). This was done eons before The United Nations ratified the treaty. If this was true, and Ancient Civilizations did allow ownership of celestial bodies, is it fair for the treaty ratified 3,000 years later to take this land from them and dismiss their claims?

There are several real estate salesmen who have their own organizations of real estate in space. This alone provides enough controversy to dismiss this so called “Moon Estate” all together. Each organization claims to have sold millions on millions of acres of land on the Moon, but what if they sold land already claimed by a customer at a different Moon Estate company? Providing even more controversy is the fact that the Moon isn't backed by anything. Unlike houses and land on Earth, which can be owned by any individual, company or bank, the Moon has yet to be explored in depth. So from a realistic viewpoint, the Moon is hardly theirs to sell in the first place; it is not technically on the market.
Dennis Hope, a man responsible for selling large amounts of Moon Estate, is an interesting figure. A man down on his luck and awaiting divorce, he recalled thinking how much better things would be if he only had a little land, and then one night he looked up into the night sky and saw the Moon in its true glory. Dennis immediately sparked a plan to sell land on the moon, and to validate his idea he asked three lawyers whether or not this was a good idea; he recalls: “Two told [me] they didn't know. The third said, ‘Oh, sure, why not?’” (Farnham). Dennis then proudly justified his business, claiming that no extraterrestrial governments have challenged him, nor has the United States government for that matter. Dennis is free to scam the believers as much as he pleases.

To a point mentioned earlier, land out in space has little meaning. It is irrelevant to own today, as our chances of exploring that land are rather slim if not impossible. Many Moon Estates fail to find a better reason to buy these lands other than the awful sales pitch “It's official! Makes a perfect gift for a loved one, or simply a wise investment for the future!”

All things considered, any extraterrestrial land isn’t currently possible to own as it has no legal merits. However, if you are wasteful with money and want to buy a gift that truly just keeps on giving, you may be interested in it. Currently the space market consists of land on Venus, Mars, Mercury and even stars shining millions of miles away. Eventually once we get the technology to explore sights unseen in outer space, maybe it will be possible then. But for now, extraterrestrial land has little meaning, but, a select few individuals will continue believing otherwise.