Seeks To Preserve Artifacts From Man's First Visit To The Moon, Set Course For The Future

Over the years, there have been multiple attempts to determine the best way to preserve the Apollo landing sites on the Moon as interest grows in how to gain access to the resources on our nearest celestial neighbor.

In 2013, there was a move to establish an Apollo Lunar Landing Sites National Historical Park on the moon introduced in Congress, which did little but generate controversy. NASA has also published non-binding guidelines for protecting the landing sites where men first walked on the Moon.

NASA would like to preserve other things as well, such as the paths traveled by rovers that have landed on Mars. But any such plan would have to be worldwide in scope to prevent the eradication of such historic, extraterrestrial sites.

Geekwire reports that two scientists have been working on a proposal to protect such sites. Jack Matthews, a geologist at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Sean McMahon, a research fellow at the U.K. Center for Astrobiology in Edinburgh, discussed their ideas at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America held in Seattle last week. While they have not yet published their paper, their "Exogeoconservation Treaty" is reportedly modeled after the Antarctic Treaty that sets aside the bottom of Planet Earth as a natural preserve.

There is already an Outer Space Treaty that prevents the U.S. and other nations from "claiming" a celestial body, but private companies with their eyes on the natural resources of the Moon, asteroids and eventually Mars have different agendas.

The Exogeoconservation Treaty would create an international process for the conservation of certain, historically significant sites on the Moon and other celestial bodies. That way, sites such as the Apollo landing sites, the "face" on Mars, and similar places could be protected from commercial exploitation, according to the scientists.

But the idea has its detractors. Space Law and Policy Solutions founder and attorney Michael Listner says that talk of a new space treaty is a "non-starter" ... and that there is simply no interest on the part of the U.S. to be a party to a legally binding agreement that could forfeit ownership rights to space objects.

Matthews says the time to think about such things is now, before an extraterrestrial land rush begins. And if life is found on another planet, or any space object "it becomes a million times more important," he said.

(Images from file)

FMI: Original Report, www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/library/reports/lunar-artifacts.html