This is planetary radio. Matt Kaplan here. Last week we celebrated the departure of Smart One for the Moon.

But almost six years ago, another groundbreaking spacecraft headed for our nearest neighbor in space,

performing beautifully in spite of a price tag that was a tenth or less of what had come to be expected for such a mission.

Today on planetary radio we'll look back at the Lunar Prospector and more with Alan Binder.

Later Bruce Betts and I will worship at the altar of

Venus in What's Up, but first Emily is still kicking up the dust on our loony

friend. I'll be right back. Hi, I'm Emily Loch D'O-Wala with questions and answers.

We're continuing from last week's question, which discussed whether mining helium-3 on the moon was technically feasible.

The answer was yes, but it raised another question.

What law applies to companies working on the moon? What laws are in place to companies working on the moon?

What laws are in place to stop companies from polluting the surface and turning the moon into a garbage dump?

The short answer to those questions is that there aren't a lot of laws governing the conduct of private companies on the moon.

The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which has been ratified by 96 countries, prohibits national appropriation of lunar territory.

But the Outer Space Treaty does not outlaw private property rights.

Virtually all international space law is directed at countries, not companies. However, the Outer Space Treaty does prohibit the harmful contamination of the Moon and other planets,

which would seem to put some limits on turning the Moon into an industrial waste site.

The Outer Space Treaty also requires nation-based... turning the Moon into an industrial waste site.

The Outer Space Treaty also requires nations to supervise the activities of their

nationals, so United States law and regulation would govern the operation of U.S. companies

on the Moon, while Japanese companies would be governed by Japanese law.

Where conflict develops between nationals of two countries, resolving it would become a diplomatic issue between the governments involved.

Is the 1967 Outer Space Treaty the last word on laws governing industrial activities on the moon?

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