Since then, he's sold more than 611 million acres of land on the moon. Individual, one-acre lots sell for $19.95 ($36.50 after a "lunar tax" and shipping and handling of the deed) and there are discounts for larger plots. He once sold a "country-sized" plot of land—2.66 million acres—for $250,000.
Short answer: you can't. No one can. The relevant provision of the OST is Article II which states: “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.”
There are approximately 9,383,748,198 acres on the surface of the moon. As there are no bodies of water, the entire lunar surface is considered land.
He once sold a country-sized plot of lunar land, 2.66 million acres of lunar land, for $250,000.
The Outer Space Treaty means therefore that - no matter whose national flags are planted on the lunar surface - no nation can 'own' the Moon.
While it is illegal for private collectors to own Apollo return samples, it is entirely legal to buy lunar meteorites.
NASA's Artemis programme will cost an estimated US$93 billion for 13 years of work, culminating in landing a crew on the Moon. Do you think that cost is worthwhile? *
It is illegal to own or possess any lunar material brought back from the Apollo program, including those samples gifted to the states and other nations.
At $4.28 million per gram, the lunar regolith carries a higher price than any mineral on earth, despite it likely being composed of such commonplace elements as oxygen, iron, silica and calcium.
If satisfied, NASA pledges to purchase the samples for between $15,000 and $25,000. Eventually, NASA will retrieve the rock samples and bring them back to Earth.
The longer the particle stays, the greater the chance for toxic effects,” explains Kim. The potential damage from inhaling this dust is unknown but research shows that lunar soil simulants can destroy lung and brain cells after long-term exposure.
Unexpected gold: on the Moon
Satellite imaging has shown that the top 10 centimetres of regolith (moon soil) at the south pole of the moon appear to hold about 100 times more gold than the richest mines on earth.
Also, it makes it clear that no one is permitted to buy a piece of lunar territory and claim it as their own. As per the Outer Space Treaty of multiple states, the Lunar Property Registry and purchasing land for private ownership of the moon are both impossible and prohibited.
The moon is actually an excellent source of building materials, water, fuel, oxygen and other useful resources but some of these are highly localised while others need to be processed before they can be used.
The moon isn't so barren after all. A 2009 NASA mission—in which a rocket slammed into the moon and a second spacecraft studied the blast—revealed that the lunar surface contains an array of compounds, including gold, silver, and mercury, according to PBS.
The six-figure final price of Moon dust fell short of Bonhams' pre-auction estimate of $800,000 to $1.2 million. NASA even went to court to fight for the ownership of the lunar dust.
It is practically not possible to buy land on the moon. According to the Outer Space Treaty, which is signed by the Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom in 1967, buying land on the Moon is considered to be illegal. There are 109 countries, including India, that have signed the Outer Space Treaty.
NASA is on a mission to explore a Greek-named asteroid called 16 Psyche that contains a double-edged sword. Made completely of metal, it boasts enough gold to either make every person on Earth a billionaire—or to collapse the gold market and destabilize the entire global financial world.
The Moon bears substantial natural resources which could be exploited in the future. Potential lunar resources may encompass processable materials such as volatiles and minerals, along with geologic structures such as lava tubes that together, might enable lunar habitation.
Scientists have found evidence of cubic zirconia in Moon rocks, showing that the universe not only holds diamonds, but its own fire-safe knock-offs.
A different study has found that lunar dust could cause damage to cells' DNA, which could eventually lead to cancer. The study exposed mouse brain cells, and human lung cells to simulated lunar soil. The results were discouraging: 90 percent of human lung cells and mouse neurons died, according to Universe Today.
However, the moon rotates every 28 days. This means that a space station in a fixed position on the moon would be in the sun for 14 days and then darkness for 14 days – and without light, solar-powered equipment wouldn't work without a big improvement in battery storage.
China's Rover Finds Layer of Dust Almost 12 Metres Deep on The Far Side of The Moon. The first rover ever to visit the far side of the Moon has discovered a layer of lunar dust up to 12 meters (39 feet) deep. The rover and its lander, which sits in the Moon's Von Kármán crater, are part of China's Chang'e 4 mission.
NASA has long maintained that the lunar rocks and dust collected during the Apollo missions are government property that's not allowed to be owned by private citizens.