Have your say! - Who owns the Moon

In connection with the topic, I'm so excited I'm visiting NASA's

Kennedy Space Center in Florida for my next birthday! 

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From: Carlos Honrado
Date: Tue, Dec 12, 2017

Article

Recently, Trump's administration has put a spotlight on the Moon again, many years after the Apollo missions.  It seems that as Mars deadlines approach the US government has realized that there are many things to be tested before, and the Moon it's a perfect place: a stepping-stone to Mars.

The other major space agencies, ESA and Roscosmos, which have long been interested in the Moon over Mars, have now a new ally.  The main collaboration purpose is to stablish a colony on the moon or at least a manned base.

The article I bring here is about a topic that drew my attention while attending a Moon Seminar: the outer space law. No country has legal ownership on the Moon. However, should you make a rocket, get it launched with you inside, land in the Moon, and then build your happy place there in bare land, you would be de facto the owner of that place.

The Moon is believed to be rich in Helium H³ and hold rare-earth elements. Rare-earth elements are used today in many electronic components such as televisions, mobile phones and solar panels. We currently have got plenty of rare-earth elements but the vast majority are in China. From a political point of view, no western country wants China controlling the world's market of this minerals. Given this, being the first company to find a deposit and mine the Moon grants an extremely lucrative business.

I think that it is going to take a long time to have such a necessity on Earth which should make moon mining profitable. However, as the article points out, countries signing and ratifying the Moon Agreement is essential in order that private companies don't misuse the Moon and its resources.

P.S.:  You can visit https://www.google.com/moon/  to see the landing sites of the Apollo missions which organizations want to preserve as a World Heritage site.