Replying to Commercializing the Moon

On Monday (8 Jan 2024), United Launch Alliance and Astrobotic will send the first private mission to hopefully land on the moon. Among scientific instruments, cameras, there are human ashes and other DNA samples to be deposited on the surface. This is all commanded and paid for by private companies and customers.

The Navajo Nation has objected to this, as "the moon holds a sacred position in many Indigenous cultures, including ours." There have been plenty of other concerns regarding the ethical commercialization of space, such as the harvesting of resources and even advertisement.

What do you guys think about commercializing the Moon? Should it be treated something like a national park? Public land? Should people be able to make stakes in plots of lunar land? How long until Vail Resorts makes Mt Artemis, "Ski the Lunar Ice!"

**This thread was edited on Jan 5th 2024 at 4:45:13pm