Newt Gingrich’s dreams of moon colony squashed by 1967 treaty

On Thursday night, during the GOP debate, CNN host Wolf Blitzer asked candidates about their plans regarding our the United States space program, an issue that directly concerns Florida as many space missions launch from the state.

While Romney agreed that space exploration “should certainly be a priority,” Gingrich was more bold, adding that he would like to go back to the moon “permanently” and working to ensure that we get to Mars “as rapidly as possible.”

Gingrich also vowed to voters in Cocoa, Florida on Wednesday that by the end of his second term “we will have the first permanent base on the moon — and it will be American.” Adding that by 2020, “the U.S. flag would once again
be planted on the moon” and that America would have would have “a permanent lunar
base.”

Unfortunately for Newt, though, his plans for space domination will need to stay in his (very active) imagination: An American moon state would violate the
Outer Space Treaty of 1967, between the USSR, UK, and USA.

The treaty states:

    “The exploration and use of outer space shall be carried out for
the benefit and in the interests of all countries and shall be the
province of all mankind.

    Outer space shall be free for exploration and use by all States.

   
Outer space is not subject to national appropriation by claim of
sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means.”

On the bright side, Newt’s dreams of space sex are not subject to any treaties — except the treaties of the heart, which as we all know are notoriously loose.