Moon Law

Throughout history, people have looked up at the moon. Most of us just look up in awe and wonder. Some people look up and the biggest chunk of unclaimed real estate in history - and see themselves as the first man clever enough to claim it. We discuss a few of these claims, and how they don’t have a legal leg to stand on, and how you can buy Pluto (in it’s entirety) for $250 million dollars.

Kris and Alan discuss what your legal options would be if Aliens from Outer Space came to your farm and stole your cow. How would you prove it? Who could you sue? We attempt to answer these questions, and more.

This week it’s all about anniversaries. Kris discusses the history and accomplishments of Voyager 1 and 2, which were launched 40 years ago. Alan tells us all about the Outer Space Treaty, which has helped ensure that space remains a peaceful place for nearly 50 years.

What happens when you commit a crime outside of any jurisdiction? As far as we know, nobody has committed murder in space (yet), but it has happened in Antarctica. Alan discusses two murders that occurred in the antarctic, and Kris tries to bring some logic to conspiracy theories.

We follow up on the results of the auction for the moon dust encrusted Lunar Sample Return Bag previously discussed in Moon Law #3. Then, Alan explains the legal concept of “Terra Nullius”, and how it does (or doesn’t) apply to space colonization. Kris discusses the history of Sealand, a micro-nation which has used a claim of Terra Nullius as the basis for their independence for nearly 50 years.

Kris explains some of the math and science behind Solar (and Lunar) eclipses, and why they’re visible from some parts of the Earth but not others. Alan then discusses how this once-in-a-century solar eclipse has affected the local economies of different U.S. states in the path of totality: Some businesses take advantage of the tourism at the expense of customers, and a few towns have embraced the coming darkness, encouraging everyone (especially tourists) to enjoy this once in a lifetime experience.

Chris Hadfield is arguably the coolest guy who ever went to space. Kris and Alan gush over his cover of David Bowie’s Space Oddity and explains how the only music video recorded in space was created. Afterwards, Kris challenges Alan to explain how copyright laws MIGHT work in space. Unfortunately, it’s a field of law that barely exists and has little in terms of legal precedent to fall back on. But hey, it’s fun to speculate.

Selling space relics is not an easy task. In fact, the government may consider it downright illegal. We follow the case of one Californian grandma who was humiliated in a parking lot while trying to sell a moon rock and why she can’t recover her rock but can still sue the government. Kris then talks about possibly the only piece of space dust that can legally be sold. NASA made an inventory mistake and now you can own a piece of history…assuming you win an auction.

The Soviet Union had a space program. But space ships don’t just disappear after the space program is cancelled. Kris retells the life and times of two Buran ships and how companies kept failing to actually own a spaceship. Alan then explains how salvaging satellites would potentially work in space by comparing it to the salvage of a giant treasure trove of Spanish silver and gold.

J. William Middendorf, US ambassador to the Netherlands in 1969, presented a “Goodwill Rock” to then Dutch Prime Minister Willem Drees. Turns out that it may have been no moon rock…We examine the authenticity of this relic and how it fooled the scientist who placed it in a museum. We then talk about a case involving military leaders, refrigerated trucks, and a sting operation. It turns out many countries have a habit of losing moon rocks for some reason.