I'm guessing that the small print on the "certificates" sold by Dennis Hope makes it clear that it's the buyers' responsibility to evict any trespassers on their lunar real estate.

Isn't there a law against selling something you don't own? Fraud? Not quite a 419-scam...

But, more importantly, seeing as the US can't even get their own bits up to the ISS themselves, what makes them think they can ferry bits and people to the moon and back to build a base?

And surely the way to get energy on the moon isn't helium 3, it's solar panels! You've got a satellite body with very little atmosphere, which has 50% always facing the Sun! Now all we need is a laser or something to send this energy back to Earth, and overheat our planet completely...

This sounds like a hoax for attention. Does he have the 9million to prove that someone actually bought land?

Either way, if people can send millions of to Nigeria, I guess they are also willing to buy land on Mars

Let us assume for the moment that scientists figure out a way to use helium 3 as a practical fuel for fusion. That itself is rather unlikely; the most promising fusion research is ITER, which uses mostly helium 2. Even so, however, what are the odds that the energy output from such a system would outweigh the costs of transport to and from the moon to get the stuff?

Really, I bought a plot. Just one.

I wasn't under any delusions, I fully understood there was no chance of ever legally owning the actual land. I just thought it was funny, and felt it was worth a twenty to hang a "deed" on my wall as a conversation piece. I can point to it and tell people I "own" land on the moon and get a laugh. Eh, better than Billy the Bass...

He has owned the Earth's Moon - and seven planets and their moons - for over 20 years? His overdue property tax must be huge!!!!

Re:

Genius

By JP

Posted Wednesday 11th April 2007 13:46 GMT

"...And surely the way to get energy on the moon isn't helium 3, it's solar panels! You've got a satellite body with very little atmosphere, which has 50% always facing the Sun!Now all we need is a laser or something to send this energy back to Earth, and overheat our planet completely..."

Ye, it does - unfortunately, just like the Earth, it isn't always the SAME 50%. That's why we get Lunar phases and eclipses and all of that-there sort of fun stuff.

The same face of the moon always faces the Earth, which makes the lunar day 28,some-such earth-days long. So for about two (Earth) weeks, you can get solar power - for the other 14 days, you'll need to find something else.

(I realize that you were building up to a facetious comment, but there you go...)

No disrespect to the person who posted "Sucker born every minute", but why did you even bother?

Surely for less than $20 you could have knocked up your own certificate of ownership every bit as authentic and legally binding as the ones being sold by Dennis Hope? Alternatively you can post me £10 GBP and I will send you instructions on how to do it yourself :)

Incidentally, did anyone watch the earlier (7:15) programme on Five? It discussed how the American Dream has turned us all in to consumerists who aspire to own everything ownable for no reason. Personally it made me reconsider my recent request for budget approval (from her indoors) to buy a new HD TV for at least 5 minutes. Sadly she is still sitting on my application. Perhaps instead of selling plots of the moon I could sell pixels of my new HD TV? Anyone interested? I plan to sell them for 10 a penny (that's £0.01 GBP) and still raise the two grand for my 1080P HD TV.

Coastal erosion meant I lost my house on the South Coast. Aforementioned erosion was caused by repetitive tides. Aforementioned tides were caused by movement of the moon. Aforementioned moon is apparently owned by one Dennis Hope... when can I expect my compensation?

Really... a dumbed down media rehash of an already dumbed down media rehash.

Yes, I saw last night's Horizon programme too. You could at least have given them credit...

By the way, does anyone else remember when Horizon used to be a genuinely interesting show about, er, science?

No prizes for guessing what el reg watched last night on BBC 2?

400 million acres x $20/acre = $8B, not $9m

Either the cost per acre or the area that's been sold is incorrect in the article.

Squatters. Please note that Cyber Real Estate Inc has recently concluded an Agreement with a Chinese consortium giving them the exclusive rights to mine luny helium 3, moonwide . They will be using a sling shot to return the mined materials back to earth, a method which is safe and more than a one in fifty chance of missing the designated target somewhere in the China seas.

Their fusion reactor is already set up and ready to go.

Pity about the drought but its OK, we still have Hydro.

Almost as ridiculous as anyone claiming that they really own a piece of the Earth

". . . when he announced the US would return to the Moon by 2017 . . . ."

George Bush is no John Kennedy.