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Earth’s moon belongs to no governmental agency of any country, individual person, or private or public company of any country, though many entities may try. A half dozen U.S. lunar lander or orbiter flights are scheduled for this year. Soon, several other countries, e.g. Japan, India, Russia and European Union members, will undertake missions to the moon. Missions may be seeking sites for temporary or permanent bases. People could be stationed on the moon, which means infrastructure must be built on the moon.
Meanwhile, treaties banning ownership of lunar territory are unratified or unclear (see Gwynne Dyer’s column in the Bangor Daily News on Jan. 9). Studies of the moon at sites that are “incredibly precious scientifically,” according to professor Richard Green of the University of Arizona, means care must be applied when choosing sites for bases. Dyer postulates that most of the upcoming lunar expeditions are based on national prestige, rather than for science or profit.
Lunar flights primarily for prestige means the moon becomes a dump for space junk. Thus, I part with Dyer in his encouragement of more competition for prestige.
James McCleave
Orono