The "property selling" in space is a novelty gimmick. The sellers know it, and so do the buyers. It's like the "name a star after someone" bit.

When it eventually becomes a practical issue, real rules for individual claims on space property (not national ones) will be set up, like the Homestead Act or mining claims. They will hopefully be based on objective rules showing reasonable evidence of use of the property and the claimant's rights to it.

Of course, as throughout history, when all else fails, unclaimed property belongs to anyone who can take it and hold it against all comers. If the laws are written well, it should rarely come to that.

What we can do right now is make sure the socialists don't railroad us into any treaty or something which attempts to nullify the rights of an individual or a business to hold property in space. The current Space Treaty is already complicating these issues, but seems to have enough loopholes so far. We came close to disaster when the much more restrictive and socialist Moon Treaty was proposed, but it was scrapped thanks largely to the efforts of space activists.

Following are excerpts showing the differences in the two treaties on property rights.

The Outer Space Treaty:

Article II:



Outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means.



This still leaves a wide loophole for private ownership. I can live with this.

Now the Moon Treaty:

From Article 11:

3. Neither the surface nor the subsurface of the moon, nor any part thereof or natural resources in place, shall become property of any State, international intergovernmental or non-governmental organization, national organization or non-governmental entity or of any natural person. The placement of personnel, space vehicles, equipment, facilities, stations and installations on or below the surface of the moon, including structures connected with its surface or subsurface, shall not create a right of ownership over the surface or the subsurface of the moon or any areas thereof. The foregoing provisions are without prejudice to the international regime referred to in paragraph 5 of this article.



4. States Parties have the right to exploration and use of the moon without discrimination of any kind, on the basis of equality and in accordance with international law and the provisions of this Agreement.

5. States Parties to this Agreement hereby undertake to establish an international regime, including appropriate procedures, to govern the exploitation of the natural resources of the moon as such exploitation is about to become feasible. This provision shall be implemented in accordance with article 18 of this Agreement.



Quite a difference, eh? No private ownership at all, and a nice "international regime" of parasites to suck up all the goodies and pass them to their usual cronies when profitable enterprises become feasible.