Reporter's Notebook: From the World Wide Web to
the Moon
By Scott Hewitt
Columbian Staff Writer
Vancouver, Wash. 25 December /The
Columbian/
— I got back from vacation and spent what felt like ages
cleansing my inbox of genuinely disgusting e-junk. Thank goodness,
amid the filth was one glittering gem: "You can buy land on
the moon!"
The message and its Internet links
claim that you can buy an acre of the lunar surface for $29.99. If
the moon's insufficiently out there for you, by all means set your
sights higher: A pop-up on the "Planetary Investments"
site invites shoppers to sign up for a notification list for land
on Mars. ("Available soon!")
According to these starry-eyed real
estate brokers, the United Nations Treaty of 1967 banned
governments from owning "extraterrestrial property" but
neglected to mention individuals and corporations. Therefore,
under laws dating back to early U.S. settlers, it's said to be
possible to stake a claim for ground that's off the ground, and
register it with the U.S. government.
And such a quick thinker apparently
was Dennis M. Hope of "The Lunar Embassy," who in 1980
filed declarations of ownership with the United States and Russian
governments and with the United Nations.
Nowadays you can find dozens of Web
sites offering lunar turf for low-gravity prices, even down to $1
for sprawling acreage with a view. (Heck, the Internet will
promise you anything you -- your thinking mind or your hidden id
-- want, as those junk e-mails attest. Somebody must be biting at
those baits, or spam wouldn't be such a growth industry.)
Here's what you get for your
investment, according to the International Astronomical Union, the
body legally authorized to name celestial bodies and features on
them: "An inexpensive piece of paper and a temporary feeling
of happiness." The IAU goes on to suggest you defer payment
until you can take possession of the property.
"It's either a hollow claim or a
fraud," Frans Von Der Dunk, co-director of the International
Institute for Air and Space Law at Leiden University in the
Netherlands, told CNN. According to Von Der Dunk, the 1967 U.N.
treaty, by forbidding nations from appropriating territory in
space, essentially prevents individuals from doing the same.
The treaty said space "was to
remain just like the high seas, free for use by all," he
said. "The rights of private ownership depend on one national
jurisdiction or another."
According to one eager investigative
beaver who's posted his findings on the you-know-what (at www.geocities.com/moonsayles),
the only actual government registration that lunar ambassador
Dennis Hope has made is for "Electronic retailing services,
via a global computer network, in the field of novelty items with
a lunar or space alien theme." In other words, he's peddling
paper aimed at your smile, not at the stars.
And anyway, even if he's sincere,
Hope will have to get in line. Martin Juergens of Germany has said
his ownership of the moon dates back to Frederick the Great, who
bestowed the spherical body on the Juergens family in the 18th
century.
Why drop 30 bucks on the moon, other
than to see how high it bounces? Well, you get a deed and a map
with a nifty red "X" showing the spot that's supposedly
yours.
"The Perfect gift. Great
Long-Term investment. You retain full mineral rights. A great
conversation piece."
I'll go along with the latter,
anyway.
Moontown, anyone?
In fact, let's get the conversation
going right now. I'm with Dennis Hope -- I need a new piece of
turf to project my hopes and dreams. Too often, this poor planet
seems just plain pooped.
If you were developing your own
brand-new neighborhood -- heck, make that civilization -- on the
moon, what would it look like? Given the chance to make a fresh
start in a completely new place even to build a completely new way
of life, if you so choose what would you include? What would you
ban?
I'd love to include a cross-section
of thoughtful responses in a future column.
Here's my one given: Moontown is
protected by a pressurized dome, so air is no problem. You needn't
live in your space suit.
There you go: Plan your Moontown. Let
me know what it's like. Take your favorite hot-button issue and
apply it to the new world for the New Year.
For example, pavement has no place in
my Moontown. People walk everywhere, or maybe pedal moonbikes. To
visit family the next Moontown over for Christmas, they take the
subway, or maybe the bus across the surface (I haven't completely
decided). Point being, there are NO speedy, wasteful, dangerous
single-occupancy vehicles.
Hey, it's my Moontown, and I get to
set the rules. No messing around with democracy here. (Oh, that's
another thing about Moontown ...)
Call me crazy, but that's my vision.
What's yours?
Scott Hewitt still lives on Earth,
still covers neighborhood news in Clark County (Washington), and
can still be reached at 360-759-8017 or scott.hewitt@columbian.com.
Article copyright © 2003 by The Columbian. All rights reserved.
|
