... and movie stars who have purchased land on the moon," Mr Hope is reported to have told a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday. Since 1980, Hope has raked in over $9 million selling acres of lunar real estate for $19.99 a … He claims to have filed a document with "his local US Governmental Office for claim registries," an entity that simply does not exist. Live: Biden on the verge of reaching 270 electoral votes By signing up to the VICE newsletter you agree to receive electronic communications from VICE that may sometimes include advertisements or sponsored content. Dennis Hope with map of Moon real estate for sale. Cruz, Graham add fuel to Trump's voter fraud charges. In essence, this craft could make a trip from Earth to the moon in 30 minutes. The tall, red-robed tribesmen are the most scenic people of Eastern Africa. Back in 1980, a … Wow. He claims to have filed a document with "his local US Governmental Office for claim registries," an entity that simply does not exist. We have 1,800 major corporations on the planet who have purchased property from us with specific intent, including the Hilton and Marriott hotel chains. Dennis Hope chooses properties to sell by closing his eyes and randomly pointing at a spot on his moon diagram. Dennis Hope is the man. Back in the halcyon days of the 1980s, when all people of the world had to worry about was total annihilation via widespread nuclear war, an American called Dennis Hope made international news when he revealed that after exploiting a loophole in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, he had become the sole owner of our nearest celestial neighbour, the Moon. And how are you going to protect all this property? As members of Congress feuded over the impeachment trial and coronavirus relief, Biden went about his first week in office as though none of it were happening. "There is a loophole in the treaty—it does not apply to individuals.". Dennis Hope, real estate agent and owner of the Moon. He wouldn't say how he planned to stop a country or person from going to the moon. You can follow him on, California Do Not Sell My Personal Information Request. On July 20, 1969, NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first people to set foot on the dusty surface of the Moon. For years, we have been talking about Dennis Hope, this intriguing character who claims to be the owner of the Moon. A collection of moments during and after Barack Obama's presidency. Ten other American astronauts followed. It took us three years to write the constitution and we put it online in March 2004, when we had 3.7 million property owners and 173,562 votes for ratification. For more than 35 years, Dennis Hope has been selling land on the Moon. He hopes to be the first private citizen to fly there. Have the rich people already contacted Dennis Hope, and bought all the good ranch land on the Moon? In 1980, the Nevada-based entrepreneur claimed ownership of the moon … Otherwise, their craft would not reach the moon," Hope says. "Since 1980, Selling and Distributing Land on the Moon, Mars, Venus, Mercury & Io Worldwide." Dennis Hope claims to own the Moon, and he wants to sell you an acre for just $19.99 plus taxes and fees Dennis Hope stands next to a map of the Moon, … They never responded. "I think it's an unbelievably smart and hilarious idea. [READ: NASA Passed on Mars Flyby Mission in 1990s]. Or is it more of a novelty thing? Hope registered a claim for the Moon in 1980 and, since the US government & the UN didn’t object, he figures he owns it (along with the other planets and moons in the solar system). LUNAR CLAIMS PRE-DATING DENNIS HOPE * In 1952, the Elves, Gnomes and Little Men's Science Fiction, Chowder and Marching Society of Berkeley, Calif., put its stamp on a triangular area in the Sea of Tranquility, informing both the United Nations and the U.S. president of their ownership. Since then, he's sold more than 611 million acres of land on the moon. Individual, one-acre lots sell for $19.95 ($36.50 after a "lunar tax" and shipping and handling of the deed) and there are discounts for larger plots. [PHOTOS: Spectacular Snapshots From Space]. Oct 28, 2016 - This short documentary looks at Dennis Hope, a Nevada man who has made a living “selling” plots of land on the moon. Dennis Hope, self-proclaimed Head Cheese of the Lunar Embassy, will promise you the moon. The thing we do mind is when they want to build permanent facilities on the planetary bodies, as they don’t have the legal right to because they don’t own the land. So I gave Dennis a call to help put my cynicism to bed. "When China announced they planned to be on the moon by 2012, we wrote a letter to their president saying we didn't have a problem with it as long as they had a licensing agreement with us. Equally important as your lunar land deed, and unique to your moon... Buy Land on Mars. The first two floors will be dedicated to agriculture and livestock, and the agriculture will help with the oxygen replenishment in the building, as well as having oxygen scrubbers. (Image Credit: Lunar Embassy) While this all might seem like a gigantic con, some people have taken it seriously enough to lay their hard-earned cash down for a deed. We think it should be a closed, four-sided pyramid, three kilometers by three kilometers at its base and 2.5 kilometers in height, with about 62 billion square feet inside of it. After careful consideration, he says, he decided to ask the man to turn off the sun. quantumclaustrophobe. Dennis Hope, for one, may not own the moon just because he says he does. https://www.newser.com/story/167265/this-man-claims-he-owns-the-moon.html Ah, yes. Dennis Hope, creator of Lunar Embassy Ownership of the land includes the right to the use of its mineral resources up to 3km (1.8 miles) underground, said Li Jie. As of 2009 Hope claimed to have sold 2.5M 1-acre (0.40 ha; 4,000 m 2) plots on the Moon, for around US$20 per acre ($50/ha). Hope wrote a letter to the United Nations saying the moon was his and asked the group to come up with a legal reason why an individual could not claim ownership of the moon. Williams received his license to sell lunar land in the UK from Dennis Hope. Raymond. That's insane. Property rights in space could become a big deal, and the 50-year-old treaty that governs them is under strain. So far, 4.25 million people have purchased a piece of the moon, including celebrities like Barbara Walters, George Lucas, Ronald Reagan, and even the first President Bush. Has anyone started planning these projects yet? Try these: Space Garbage May Trap Us on Earth Forever. 3 years ago. Well, if you look under the true definition of novelty as being "something that is unique, having the quality of being novel, a small mass-produced item," we fit exactly that. Or at least a piece of it. While he doesn't support others mining the moon, he does realize the historical importance of it. A copy of the Lunar Constitution and the letter you get when you buy land on the moon. Even though we’re not located on Earth, we have a currency for our government. The New Moon Race Who owns the moon? Dennis Hope is a man at work unusual: he sells properties on the Moon since the 1980s. Leading a traditional way of life, they have few possessions. Custom Framing of Moon Deed; Learn More . If you ask Dennis Hope, he'll tell you he's the richest man on Earth—in fact, he'll say he's the richest man in the Solar System. After all, if it weren’t for people wanting to purchase this land, I wouldn’t have a business. A loophole in a United Nations charter has allowed Dennis Hope to sell plots on the moon for more than 30 years. He's set up 23 "celestial reserves" on the moon, including the Apollo missions' landing sites and the two polar regions, where much of the moon's water is stored. We have $6-quadrillion worth of helium reserves in our treasury right now. 0 0. See how this article appeared when it was originally published on NYTimes.com. In 2011, a group attempted to buy the moon's north pole from him for $50 million, but he declined the offer, he says. "Lunarcy!" In the 32 years I’ve been doing this, I’ve had six people ask me for refunds. Helium-3 is used in nuclear fusion research on Earth and trades for about $125,000 an ounce. Dennis Hope, an American entrepreneur, sells extraterrestrial real estate. "As the elected president of the Galactic Government, one of my responsibilities is to build a city on the moon.". Yeah. Meaning it was unowned land. Many of Hope's "land owners" are ferociously intent on supporting his claim to owning the moon. Dennis happened to be broke when he started collecting planets and worked out a way to monetize his new hobby: claim legal ownership via the UN, subdivide his extraterrestrial land and sell it off in chunks. In fact, our history shows us that 17 percent of people buy the product as a novelty item. The author's dad's deed to land on the moon. The film received generally favorable reviews. Well, this is the only job I’ve had since 1995, which is when I started doing this full time. Hope and other moon-fanatics are the subject of the new documentary "Lunarcy!" Dennis Hope's Purported "Claim" To Moon Ownership. It's probably about the best business model I've ever heard of (besides Ponzi schemes, obviously—those things are golden), which may be why Dennis has been able to use the celestial-property game as his sole source of income since 1995. Since 1980, Hope has raked in over $9 million selling acres of lunar real estate for $19.99 a pop. Dennis Hope, Masai, And The Moon. https://www.newser.com/story/167265/this-man-claims-he-owns-the-moon.html So people are buying land with the intent to actually do something with it? I was out of money and thought maybe I could make some if I owned some property, then I looked out the window, saw the moon, and thought, Hey, there's a load of property! We anticipate that all our practical situational problems will be solved in about three to five years, so we’re hoping to be on the surface of the moon by 2020, building the first city there. But UN lawyers say Lunar Embassy's claim on the moon is without merit. 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