Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Why It's Time to Sell the Moon

Lunar property rights can save the space program

By Dustin Lushing, Newser Staff

Posted May 22, 2008 12:23 PM CDT

(Newser) – The moon isn't up for sale—but it should be, argues Glenn Harlan Reynolds in Popular Mechanics. Dishing out lunar property rights would boost the stagnating government space program, and the interest is proven: One enterprising American has already sold 500 million "novelty" acres... Read full story »

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

You need to Log in to Newser to comment. Don't have an account yet? Sign up now!

There are no comments

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

What's Popular Now on Facebook

Cops Shoot Naked Guy Eating Man's Face on Highway

Japanese Artist Serves Up Own Cooked Genitals

Popular Mechanics (Source Grid »)

More space news from Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics

Podcast: Debate over lunar real estate
Popular Mechanics

Science • Money • US • World

property rights • space • moon • space race

More Newser Stories

Check Out Last Night's Supermoon

Biggest full moon of the year

(NEWSER) - Last night brought this year's "supermoon," the point in which the moon is closest to the Earth in its orbit. The moon was some 15,300 miles closer to us than usual, making it look about 14% bigger, an expert tells the AP . Unfortunately, "you'd be very hard-pressed to detect that with the unaided eye," he says. Still, the event resulted in some impressive photography from around the globe. More»

Russia Plans Moonwalk by 2030

Leaked documents reveal deadline

(NEWSER) - Russia will finally send a human to the moon. At least it's planning to—by 2030, according to a leaked document from Roskosmos, the Russian Space agency. The Russians have intermittently laid forth enthusiastic goals for space exploration in recent years, reports the Telegraph , but never with a set deadline for a moonwalk. More»

Russian Craft's Quest: Grab Martian Moondust

Takes tiny creatures along for the ride

(NEWSER) - A Russian spacecraft will depart for a Martian moon as soon as tomorrow. Its mission: to land on Phobos and collect soil to bring home to Earth, Scientific American reports. Researchers aim to learn about the moon’s development and composition. And should they discover ice or hydrated rocks, the 17-mile-long moon could be ultimately take on a new role: astronaut "base camp," writes Philip Boffey in the New York Times . The craft, called Phobos-Grunt, has some other objectives, too: It’s hauling a Chinese satellite—the country’s first Mars craft—which will orbit the planet. More»

Domino's Says It Plans Store on the Moon

... though opening date is a little fuzzy

(NEWSER) - It’s tough to get a decent pizza in space—so tough that astronauts at the International Space Station once received a delivery from an earthbound Pizza Hut. Now, Domino’s Japanese operation is going a step further in the publicity wars: The chain swears it plans to open a store on the moon. Someday. A construction company has estimated that the endeavor would cost $21.4 billion, and costs would be minimized through the use of local moon minerals in the restaurant’s concrete, the Telegraph reports. More»

Moon Younger Than We Thought

Rock analysis shaves 200M years off moon's age

(NEWSER) - The moon may be a lot younger than previously believed, according to scientists using the latest technology to analyze rocks brought back by the Apollo 16 mission nearly 40 years ago. The researchers say the rocks—a kind believed to be the oldest that can be found on the moon—are around 200 million years younger than they expected, making the moon 4.4 billion years old instead of 4.6 billion years old, the Los Angeles Times reports. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Why It's Time to Sell the Moon

Lunar property rights can save the space program

property rights • space • moon • space race

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Check Out Last Night's Supermoon

Biggest full moon of the year

Russia Plans Moonwalk by 2030

Leaked documents reveal deadline

Russian Craft's Quest: Grab Martian Moondust

Takes tiny creatures along for the ride

Domino's Says It Plans Store on the Moon

... though opening date is a little fuzzy

Moon Younger Than We Thought

Rock analysis shaves 200M years off moon's age

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?