The men who sold the Moon: science fiction or legal nonsense?

Previously the exclusive domain of science-fiction novels, the sale of extr aterrestrial real estate has nowadays become a favourite feature of tabloid reports. This article critically analyses and dismantles with legal argume nts the issue of the sale of extraterrestrial land, after having outlined s ome of the trivial claims of ownership of celestial bodies. From Dennis Hop e's lunar claim to the alleged Martian trespass by NASA's Pathfinder, the o nly consequence these claims have on the legal plane is to highlight the ne ed for better regulation of extraterrestrial landed property rights. (C) 20 01 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.