Lunar government

The idea of a lunar government is based on established theories of a world government on Earth. With existing plans for lunar bases present in European, American, Russian, Japanese, Chinese and Indian mid- to long-term space goals, the prospects of having a sizable lunar research community on both the relatively flat near side and the Radio-sheltered far side is a less distant prospect.

Existing regulations

In 1979 a Moon Treaty was drafted by the United Nations which prohibits military action on (Article 3) and ownership of the moon by signatory states, their corporations or citizens (Article 11).cite web | publisher = Office for Outer Space Affairs | title = UNITED NATIONS TREATIES AND PRINCIPLES ON OUTER SPACE | url=http://www.unoosa.org/pdf/publications/STSPACE11E.pdf | accessdate = 2008-02-05] Non-signatory UN-member states are free to accede to it at any time. Non-UN-member states appear unbound by the treaty, but affected by the customs the treaty represents.

Analogies to Antarctica

The current division of lands in Antarctica could serve as a future model for the moon, where existing Earth-based nations claim areas of the moon which encompass their research stations, though such nations would have to withdraw from the Moon Treaty beforehand. The Antarctic Treaty of 1959, signed by all nations who have claims on or bases within Antarctica, neither recognises nor denies extant claims, but precludes other nations from making any further such claims.

See also

* Moon colonization

References

External links

* [http://www.iasl.mcgill.ca/spacelaw/moon.html 1979 UN Declaration on the Moon] (Moon Treaty)
* [http://www.cato.org/pubs/wtpapers/980815paper.html Martian Law - A CATO White Paper]