Want a piece of the moon?

Twenty years ago, entrepreneur Dennis Hope saw a loophole in the 1967 United Nations Outer Space Treaty which declared, among other things, that governments could own extraterrestial property. The outer space, the treaty further emphasized, was to remain like the high seas, free for use by all. However, the treaty did not forbid corporations or individuals from owning out-of-Earth real estate. It was with this omission that Hope staked his claim on the moon and other satellites and planets in the solar system.

Today, Hope is perhaps the most successful real estate agent in the world. He owns and runs Lunar Embassy (www.lunarembassy.com), a company that sells tracts of land on the moon – at a cheap price. Hollywood celebrities, ex-United States presidents, Star Trek actors and NASA employees have all rushed in to have a piece of the moon that they can call their own. To date, more than 300,000 people have purchased properties from Lunar Embassy.

Hope, the website claims, is the only person on Earth who is legally registered with the US government to have a claim on the moon and eight other planets and their satellites. He has also sent notice to the Russian government and the United Nations. However, the properties are only legally considered as "novelty gifts," but Hope maintains in the website that his real estate sales are legitimate. Using the novelty term "can help avoid any frivolous lawsuits from a foreign country," according to Hope.

Getting a few square meters of lunar land over at Lunar Embassy is quite easy. Surfers are provided with a lunar map through which they can select which plot they can buy. Once payment is made through credit card or any other means, buyers receive a deed, a site map, a copy of the lunar constitution’s bill of rights and a copy of Hope’s declaration of ownership filed with the US government. There’s also a 30-day money back guarantee.

The cost of a property roughly the size of Manhattan, almost 18,000 acres, is currently about $27, inclusive of the lunar tax. But after a few months, Hope will sell only one-acre plots, for the same amount of money.