Orbdev Files US Federal Suit Over Asteroid Claim

chongo writes "Orbital Development has filed legal action against the United States by filing a Complaint for Declaratory Judgment in Federal Court. After NASA's NEAR probe landed on the asteroid 433 Eros, Gregory W. Nemitz, who claims to have owned the asteroid since the 3rd of March 2000, sent NASA an $20 invoice for the first 100 years of parking and storage fees. NASA told him to "pound sand". OrbDev's Eros Project seeks to promote their ludicrous ideas about property rights in space."

Comments

No - SIASL was correct

[quinkin]

The main character (Valentine Michael Smith) was the sole survivor of the first mars expedition and the first human to be born and raised (by martians) on the surface of mars.

Valentine ends up the sole inheritor of his mother's space-drive engine and the surface of the martian world (due to squatters rights IIRC - IANAL).

A large part of the book is about the governments attempts to take possession of these assets... hence the original poster was correct in his analysis.

Not to say that "The man who sold the moon" is not also applicable in this context, only that it does not preclude SIASL.

Can you "grock" it??

Q.

I reject this claim....

[thrill12]

As legal inhabitant of the planet Quak-Quak, in the system of Ungu-Chacha, I reject the claim to celestial body Bu-Ne-Shaf ('eros') based on the following:
- we were here long before you puny humans, (spitting sound)
- we can actually build something on Bu-Ne-Shaf, instead of just parking junk on it
- we govern 80% of the known galaxy, so why not this?
and last but not least:
- we have bigger lasers than you !

So before you go on taking Bu-Ne-Shaf or any other celestial body as your property, I urge you to first check on the Alpha-Centauri planning office, where our rights to this and all properties are clearly written down.