Developing nations should be given a fair share of the resources found on the moon. This article outlines the legalities of owning a piece of the moon and the cost involved in building and operating a lunar outpost.

Legalities of owning a piece of the moon

Whether you're interested in building a space station or mining the moon's surface, it's important to understand the legalities of owning a piece of the moon. The Outer Space Treaty was the first legal document to govern space exploration. It was signed by the United States, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom in 1967. The treaty governs the outer space and prohibits harmful contamination of celestial bodies. However, it does not address private ownership.

The moon and its natural resources are a common heritage of mankind, and not part of the property of any state, organization or individual. Nevertheless, some companies are expressing interest in mining the Moon's surface.

The moon may be far away, but it has been a point of contention since space exploration began in the 1960s. Although several countries have expressed interest in building outposts on the moon, no humans have visited the moon since 1972.

The Moon Agreement, also known as the Moon Agreement, was an attempt to create an analogous regime for the exploitation of the Moon. Its purpose was to provide a legal framework for exploitation of the Moon's resources. However, the Moon Agreement has never been ratified by all major space faring countries. It is still a work in progress, and several countries have plans to Build property on moon in the coming decades.

Cost of building and operating a lunar outpost

Approximately $85 billion dollars will be required to construct and operate an American manned lunar base. That's more than the total cost of the ISS and Shuttle missions combined. That's why more countries are racing to set up lunar bases. This could have a huge impact on the space exploration industry.

In addition to the cost of building and operating a lunar outpost, there is the transportation cost of moving supplies to and from the lunar surface. In order to do this, there would be a need for two reusable lunar transfer vehicles.

Each lunar transfer vehicle would carry up to eight astronauts. For the first flight, the astronauts would use an Altair lander that could carry up to six tons of payload. The second flight would utilize a smaller, unpressurized rover. This would be used to deliver equipment to prepare the outpost site.

A permanent crew of eight astronauts would be based at the outpost. They would conduct astronomical experiments and evaluate the effects of zero/low gravity on humans. They would also test the use of lunar materials for future missions. The crew would be separated into two groups. They would serve 12-month tours.

The outpost would have a small experimental solar powered lunar oxygen production facility. There would also be arrays of astronomy telescopes. In addition, small unmanned geophysical stations would be placed. This would allow for critical research on the Moon.