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Comment by adamredwoods | Hacker News Reader

>> "No one, and no religion, owns the moon, and, were the beliefs of the world's multitude of religions considered, it’s quite likely that no missions would ever be approved," Chafer added. "Simply, we do not and never have let religious beliefs dictate humanity’s space efforts — there is not and should not be a religious test."

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>we do not and never have let religious beliefs dictate humanity’s space efforts

luxury space tourists sending them a check to turn the moon into their personal graveyard, polluting the surface with organic material which seems scientifically disastrous dictates the efforts just fine.

If the only thing that stands between turning the moon into the next dumping ground is the traditions of the Navajo people they might be worth listening to.

Not sure why people are trying to create a wedge between science and religion here. The Navajo and scientists have more in common on the question of stewardship of the moon than SpaceBurials Incorporated. Same goes for stewardship of the earrh btw.

No one owns the moon.

_yet_

All humans have the same right to the moon. Some are just better at asserting those rights. Cry all you want but if someone wants to pay to have their grave dug on the lunar surface, you have no right to stop them.

You're a puerile dolt. Who is to say we have any rights with regards to the moon? Your foolish attitude is grotesque, you'd just like the biggest and least risk-averse kid do whatever they'd want to do in the sandbox? This just in, they just took a shit in the school's sandbox, have fun rolling around in shit! We'll see who's crying then.

We should treat & act towards the Earth & Moon with great respect and great caution, we were given the right to live by God or the Earth & the Moon. Its time we take a step back and learn we live *with* the land and *because* of the land...I could go on and on but I'd be happily surprised if you take the time to find gratitude for the moon.

Get mad all you want, it won't change the fact that the extremely wealthy are equivalent to old-world gods. They have the power of life and death, and they rule the heavens and the earth. They will do whatever they want, wherever they want, and nothing you can do will change that. If they want to turn the moon into their private playpen / burial ground, they can do that and even if you expend your life trying to stop it it's questionable they will even notice.

Perhaps your corporeal flesh is a biohazard to be incenerated on your death but my God considers our bodies sacred and tells us to return to the planet to sustain life. I don't believe life ends at earth.

The idea that we must "leave no trace" on the moon or any other heavenly body is idiotic and impossible. It stems from scientist looking to protect their own interests. We will live on the moon, and mars, and many other planets some day. These were all gifts given to us by the Almighty.

Actually, the OST would interact with the use of the moon dirt and the lack of clear res nullia would greatly complicate burial. Space law is the worst.

Allowing graves on the moon will affect the market for cemetery services in the United States, so Congress has jurisdiction under the interstate commerce clause.

Contrary to popular belief, the US doesn't run the world (or solar system). If US law blocks it, they'll launch one from another country.

Sticking a corpse on the moon is absolutely a religious effort. So...

Is it? Why?

If it’s because of the religion of the deceased, there’s an easy fix: take someone who was an atheist.

They aren't taking human remains up there for scientific purposes, it's not any-ashes-will-do, they're taking specific human remains up there because that's what either the dead person asked for or some alive person wants to do with them, and more precisely because they are being paid to.

Nothing's gonna be learned here, it's a vanity project, it's entirely just the idea that "we should do something special" with dead people beyond what is strictly necessary from a public health stand point.

None of that supports your prior assertion that it's "absolutely" a religious effort though. Even if it's pure vanity and 100% wasteful, why should any Earthly religion have an overruling say about it?

"Some post death action to a body beyond what is strictly necessary from a public health standpoint" is not the definition of religious effort though. It has nothing inherent to do with worship, gods, faith, afterlife, or the supernatural anymore than the "belief" if you pay for shipment of something it'll probably make it that even if you're not around to see it and that sounds fun. After all, not everything people do beyond the bare necessities of public health is about religion.

So you skipped my question: "why?", and instead decided to argue against a strawman.

Ironically, that seems to answer my question.

Swap out “religion” for “nation”:

“No one, and no nation, owns the moon…”

Didn’t stop the US from planting a US flag on it!

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