Who owns the moon?

[Mirage]

So, reading that NASA plans on building a base on the moon, I started wondering: Who owns the moon? If NASA plans on building something there, it must mean they believe they own the land, must it not? The USA was also the first country to put a man down there, isn't that equal to an explorer finding an uncharted island, and therefore is able to claim ownership of it?

What do you think, guys?
Should the first nation to go there own it?
Should the moon be split up among all the countries on earth?
Should the moon be public domain?
Something entirely different?

[Christmas]

Moon rabbits and Lions.

[Rye]

Ask the Man on the Moon aka Levian's MSN userhandle.

[Nominus Experse]

I think moon rocks own it right now...

As for who ought to own it: no one. Who will? The one who gets there first and/or sets up enough missiles to scare the out of the others.

[XxSephirothxX]

I don't think anyone has any rights to the moon, but we certainly have every right to set up a colony there. Hopefully we won't get whiny and refuse to share later on.

[Jowy]

I'd like to see it divided up evenly.

Of course, it's going to more or less be taken over completely by whoever gets to it first, and eventually some type of "moon wars" will occur.

[Spammerman]

I'd like to see it divided up evenly.

Of course, it's going to more or less be taken over completely by whoever gets to it first, and eventually some type of "moon wars" will occur.

In a galaxy not far away at all
A battle raged between the the countries.
The first-comers have decided to take the land
And killed the moon rabbits and lions.
* Cue music*
One army stands alone
To take back what is everyones.
* Cue explosion with starship flying through it.*

[Psychotic]

Finders keepers.

[Millia Billia]

I thought The United States did.

[Fire_Emblem776]

Well the US flag is up their still? Right?

[oddler]

Did Christopher Columbus own North America? I think not.

I hope it will be a nice turn-around from the retardation that has swept across Earth.

[Materia Hunter Yuffie]

No, I don't really think anyone should own the moon. But there's no use trying to fool myself, so I think whoever has the best technology and gets there first will own it.

[Bunny]

Well the US flag is up their still? Right?

So are several Russian flags. Flags do not constitute ownership of anything. They are left behind as a "We were here."

Russia was the first to land on the moon with an unmanned vehicle. The United States lead the first (and only) unmanned moon landing. This is according to the Wikipedia article on the moon.

According to the wikipedia article on the Outer Space Treaty nobody owns the moon and the moon can only be used for peaceful purposes (military installations and weapons producing installations are strictly forbidden).

I didn't read either of those articles in full.

[Moon Rabbits]

Moon rabbits and <s>Lions</s>.

[White Raven]

My friends the Mooninites do.