SPACE BELONGS to no one. Unlike Earth’s beautiful deep water and big rocks that get defaced, and ultimately, privatized, space’s light years of mystique are attainable to anyone with the means to get there. We have the Outer Space treaty to thank for that, and this week is its 55th birthday.

You can read all about the treaty in this Inverse Daily, which also contains stories of forgotten space heroes, a surprising potential cancer cure, and the strange link between testosterone and dementia. As usual, I’m newsletter writer Ashley Bardhan. Here are some fun facts for your Friday.

THE WORLD WROTE THE PRIME DIRECTIVES FOR OUTER SPACE, 55 years ago.

“Can Russia claim Mars as a sovereign territory?” asks science writer Jon Kelvey. “Can Jeff Bezos own the Moon? Can you use a piece of rock to build something on the Moon or Mars?”

What may seem to us earthlings as outlandish (haha, literally) questions have rather practical answers — “no; no; yes, but you can’t own it,” writes Kelvey — all of which are thanks to The Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, which was signed 55 years ago in 1967.

Not exactly a pithy document title, is it? The treaty is often referred to more simply as the Outer Space treaty, and it “included 111 countries as parties and an additional 23 as signatories when it was signed on January 27, 1967,” reports Kelvey. It’s a “relatively succinct document” despite its complicated subject matter, and seeks to define clear, international guidelines for how countries can be courteous in space. In 1967, with the Cold War on everyone’s mind, that meant no ownership and no bombs, please. Now, as private space companies rapidly change the scope of space exploration, the Outer Space treaty is due for an upgrade.

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Alice Jane
Alice is the Chief Editor with relevant experience of three years, Alice has founded Galaxy Reporters. She has a keen interest in the field of science. She is the pillar behind the in-depth coverages of Science news. She has written several papers and high-level documentation.

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