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The treaty explicitly forbids any government from claiming a celestial resource such as the Moon or a planet, claiming that they are the Common heritage of mankind.
[Article II] of the Treaty states that ‘outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means.’
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The Outer Space Treaty, of which the United States is a signatory. Sorry, Newt Gingrich, looks like your moon colony idea won’t be happening anytime soon.
[Full treaty by the US State Department here]
(via producermatthew)
