I don't think so. Actually, I'm sure that's not the case. We don't have any rules for colonizing other rocks in the solar system, so I don't think we can do anything yet.

Officially, no. For member nations in the United Nations, there is a specific office responsible for affairs of the moon. The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) is the United Nations office responsible for promoting international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space. The Office serves as the secretariat for the General Assembly's only committee dealing exclusively with international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space: the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS). Most observers believe that eventually it will come down to a fight about it, but I don't believe you or I will be around to see it.

I emailed NASA and got this response: Thank you for your email and interest in NASA. No, the Moon is not territory of the United States and we made no claims to it in placing the flag there. The United States is a signatory to the Outer Space Treaty of 1967(a copy is posted on the NASA History Office webpage at http://history.nasa.gov/1967treaty.html). The treaty states, "Outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, shall be free for exploration and use by all States without discrimination of any kind, on a basis of equality and in accordance with international law, and there shall be free access to all areas of celestial bodies." Outer Space Law is very closely related the laws governing the open seas and governing Antarctica, which also may not be claimed as territory by any country. This also means that individuals and corporations cannot stake claims. The NASA Office of General Counsel (http://www.nasa.gov/offices/ogc/about/index.html) deals with the topic regularly and have far superior resources than the ones available to me. The decision by NASA and the US to plant a flag on the Moon was controversial and one loaded with symbolism. A superb paper on the topic was written by Anne Platoff in 1993 titled, “Where No Flag Has Gone Before: Political and Technical Aspects of Placing a Flag on the Moon” (http://history.nasa.gov/alsj/alsj-usflag.html). The article also includes a superb explanation of how the flag was transported and why it appears to flap in the nonexistent wind of the Moon. Thank you again for your email and interest in NASA. Please write again if you have any additional questions. Sincerely yours, Rick Spencer Rick Spencer Library Manager ASARS, Inc. Dr. T. Keith Glennan Memorial Library NASA Headquarters 300 E St SW, Rm 1J20 Washington, DC 20546

Some people tried to declare the Moon as their property and had no success The legal basis is the 1967 U.N. Outer Space Treaty (e.g.Article VI). See also the Space Law Frequently Asked Questions section. Find an interesting discussion of the subject at: http://usa.lunarregistry.com/info/embassy.shtml

I hereby name this planet "Mike777-ville"! Let it be known to all that those who live here shall henceforth be known as "Mikeazoids!"