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With the exception of international waters, unclaimed portions of Antarctica and a Hong Kong-sized parcel of land wedged between Egypt and Sudan, nearly every square inch of planet Earth has been claimed by a governing body.
With the exception of international waters, unclaimed portions of Antarctica and a Hong Kong-sized parcel of land wedged between Egypt and Sudan, nearly every square inch of planet Earth has been claimed by a governing body. That leaves would-be colonists and conquerors with only one place to look: skyward.
Although a 1967 United Nations treaty states that "outer space is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means" this hasn't stopped at least one bold entrepreneur from selling plots of land on our closest celestial neighbors. Scientific American editor Clara Moskowitz has the story in our latest Instant Egghead video.
The views expressed are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)
Eric R. Olson
Eric is multimedia journalist and producer who specializes in science and natural history. His work has appeared on the websites of Scientific American, Nature, Nature Medicine, Popular Science, Slate and The New York Times among many others. He is a former video producer & editor for Scientific American.
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Who Owns Outer Space? [Video]With the exception of international waters, unclaimed portions of Antarctica and a Hong Kong-sized parcel of land wedged between Egypt and Sudan, nearly every square inch of planet Earth has been claimed by a governing body.
