moon treaty


... ...	... ... Accidental Journey The Observatory The Flag Story Far side Moon Treaty Proviso
		Strohmeyer & Wyman, Full Moon, 1899, stereoscopic photograph [click on the image to progress]
		The moon and any proposed explorations of it are covered by the U.N. Moon Treaty of 1979 (U.N. Resolution 34/68: Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies), related to the U.N. Outer Space Treaty of 1967 and similar to the agreement which covers Antarctica. With the exception of the earth itself, the Moon Treaty also extends to other celestial bodies in the solar system. It is based around the principle of res communis and promotes the peaceful exploration of the moon for the benefit of all humanity. The nature of any explorations and discoveries should be made public and under the terms of the treaty, no state is permitted to appropriate or claim sovereignty over the moon through occupation, use or by any other means. Many of the major players in space exploration, the United States of America, the Russian Federation (or former USSR, given the date of the agreement), and China, as well as Japan and Britain, are apparently not among the treaty's signatories. As resources dwindle on earth, pressures on such treaties will no doubt increase. The principle of res communis is increasingly regarded as an obstacle to progress rather than a moral and ethical approach to the use of the natural environment that underpins the equality of all peoples of the world.



		All works © Tim O'Riley 2009. All photographs © their respective authors.