I'm not sure to whom I ought to direct the following out-there questions, or how I'd go about finding out the answer. The subject is for realistic fiction.

Say an American independently built a rocket ship, flew into space, landed on the moon (or an asteroid, or Mars, or any astronomical body), and wanted to build their own little dome or interstellar Wendy's or whatever.

1) With what national or international bodies on Earth would they need register their claim for it to be legitimate?

2) Who's laws would govern the habitat/gas station/whatever?

3) Would taxes be owed to anyone for anything involved in the property?

Same questions if it were a transnational corporation instead of an individual citizen of a government.

Short story in progress. Research needed, but not sure who to ask.

2/11/2008 9:42:34 PM

i didn't read that.

2/11/2008 9:43:55 PM

Quote :

"INSERT CREATIVITY HERE"

2/11/2008 9:49:33 PM

please guys, I have a match tonight

2/11/2008 9:51:46 PM

You don't ask anybody. You take that shit and if anybody tries to encroach on your property you come out with guns lasers blazin'.

DA MOON RULEZ #1

2/11/2008 9:54:12 PM

There is a UN treaty that has most of the answers you are looking for but I can't think of a way to search for it. Wiki maybe?

2/11/2008 9:55:05 PM

Quote :

"1) With what national or international bodies on Earth would they need register their claim for it to be legitimate? 2) Who's laws would govern the habitat/gas station/whatever? 3) Would taxes be owed to anyone for anything involved in the property?"

1) technically you cant claim space from that treaty or whatever
2) see #1...no country's rules or laws are vaild
3) see #1...good luck collecting taxes on property that is beyond your sovereignty

2/11/2008 9:55:23 PM

its that billy bob thornton movie

they'd shoot your ass down before you got out of the stratosphere

2/11/2008 9:55:45 PM

Nation's can't claim space as far as I know, so you can drop down anywhere on the moon and plant your flag.

There really isn't a legal apparatus in place for this at the moment.

2/11/2008 10:11:18 PM

^ I'm hoping that's the case. It'd be fun to write. I can already see possibilities where nations war over resource-rich areas on the moon.

I'm thinking it probably works like Aficionado is saying for (2) and (3). I'm pretty sure an answer to (1) probably exists somewhere in the archives of the UN.

The Outer Space treaty is the relevant UN treaty that the US is party to (though there exists a Moon Treaty, only 12 nations ratified) and so far, everyone's right about nations having no right to claim territory. But...

That doesn't address my original question. If a private citizen (like the Virgin billionaire guy), or a transnational corporation question, wanted to set up shop in a crater and instead of planting a flag, planted a corporate logo or a photo of their own ass...what framework to address it exists?

2/11/2008 10:17:58 PM

Ask Oprah

2/11/2008 11:04:54 PM

There's a body in Montreal, Canada (not looking it up right now, you can google it) that sets all the regulations on air and space travel for anything non-domestic (and they even have domestic regs, too, if you want to be part of the international community). Pretty much everything that goes on is regulated by them, and they are a branch of the UN, I think. You can try looking on the McGill University website to find more information. They offer one of the world's only graduate specialties in Air and Space Law. There are a handful of people who study this stuff and they get bank when they get their degrees. The reason I know this is because my best friend is up there right now studying to be a space lawyer.

That should give you enough info to start your search.

2/11/2008 11:27:47 PM

Quote :

"Who's laws"

2/11/2008 11:29:36 PM

l
o
l

2/11/2008 11:31:12 PM

g00gle

2/11/2008 11:35:47 PM

squatters rights!!!

2/11/2008 11:37:19 PM