For the past half century, the Moon has been the destination for some of humanity’s most monumental and challenging expeditions. As the Moon has become more accessible to both national space programs and private companies, it is increasingly important that we protect lunar artifacts for both their historical and scientific value, according to NASA.
But what exactly is on the Moon and where is it?
NASA offers a comprehensive catalog and maps of all human artifacts on the Moon based on currently available data. And there are many.
We can find three rovers, six American flags, dozens of space probes that successfully landed or crashed on our natural satellite, tools, cameras and … garbage : the Moon is dotted with hundreds of objects as a result of space exploration. . Of some, the exact location is known, but of others, their location is unknown.
Some experts are calling for all these ‘gizmos’ to be granted heritage status to protect them from future tourists and human activities on the Moon.
It all started on September 13, 1959 when the Soviet probe Luna 2, weighing 390 kilograms, crashed into Mare Imbrium. It was followed by more Luna probes and then it was the Americans’ turn with the Ranger and Surveyor programs.
Later, on July 20, 1969, the first humans would arrive, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
The couple spent 22 hours in the Sea of Tranquility. They left behind everything that was not necessary to recover: the lunar module descent stage, the cameras, the moon boots, the pliers, the commemorative objects and the four “defecation collection devices”. All of it is still there.
Five more missions -also successful- of Apollo,they left hundreds of additional objects on our beloved satellite.
In total, the Moon has about a hundred places where humans have left a mark according toFor All Moonkind,a non-profit organization that seeks to preserve human heritage in space.This adds up to about 170,000 kilos of material.It is not a trivial figure.
Legally,“the sites themselves are not protected at all”,stated Michelle Hanlon, a law professor at the University of Mississippi who co-foundedFor All Moonkindin 2017 after European Space Agency Director Jan Worner joked that he wanted to bring the American flag back from the Moon.
“So the boot prints, the rover, everything is very important, from an archaeological point of view, because they have no protection,” he added.
Hanlon fears that the places where the Apollo missions landed will one day attract the attention of tourists, so “we need protections against unintentional and intentional acts.”
Prevention
NASA has adopted recommendations, for example, that future expeditions should not land within two kilometers of the Apollo sites.
But the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 is very explicit: “Outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by use or occupation, or by any other means.” The treaty says that each space object must be registered by its country, a guarantee against irresponsible behavior by private entities. These artifacts also remain the property of the entity that placed them, with the exception of thefts. But there are gaps and not only on the issue of heritage protection.
Lunar traffic is likely to grow in the coming decades and the vague principles of cooperation enshrined in the treaty are not considered sufficient to regulate it, so it would be advisable to create an international body to distribute priority rights, without granting sovereignty. , as is done to manage satellites in geostationary orbit.
