National Park On Moon? U.S. Lawmakers Propose Apollo Lunar Landing Site Be Preserved

If you plan to visit all the national parks on your next road trip, you just might be out of luck, unless you have access to a space shuttle. Two lawmakers have proposed a bill that would establish a national park on the moon. The bill would protect artifacts left on the moon's surface by the Apollo missions between 1969 and 1972. "The Apollo Lunar Landing Legacy Act will ensure that the scientific data and cultural significance of the Apollo artifacts remains unharmed by future lunar landings," Maryland Congresswoman Donna Edwards, who introduced the bill along with Texas Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, said on the House floor...more

Don't believe me?  A copy of the bill is here.

Does the U.S. have the authority to do this?  Not according to a 1967 U.N. Treaty which says "“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.”  Of course Congress does all kinds of things they don't have the authority to do, and a little old treaty won't stop the enviros and parkies.

Still, there are some lingering questions:

Will we have space rangers instead of park rangers?

Will the Dept. of Interior change its name to the Dept. of Interior & Exterior?

Can we expect the Endangered Alien Species Act to follow right behind this?

If couples got married on the moon would they then go on a honeyearth?

What happens to the Park during a quarter moon?

Who will get the concession contract to sell moonshine?

Actually I think this is sheer lunacy and the Congressladies should Apollo-gize for wasting our time on this.