The Spanish woman Doña Angeles Duran bought the heavenly body for literally next to nothing, taking advantage of loopholes in international law. And to keep indignant citizens from coming to her with their questions, she showed everyone a legal document. The certificate of this unusual ownership was drawn up in 2010 at a notary's office in the Galician town of Salvaterra do Miño.
Even now Angeles berates herself for the fact that the idea of buying the Sun only came to her at the age of 49. The energetic, fiery Spaniard recalls how the notary received her. At first he was dumbfounded by Angeles's statement. But then he came to his senses and carefully, meticulously read the Outer Space Treaty. And it turned out that no state has the right to lay claim to the Sun, yet nothing of the sort is said in it about private individuals.
This mistake by the UN's nitpicking lawyers was skillfully exploited by an ordinary Spanish woman. The notary had no choice but to hand her the corresponding certificate of ownership. The document she received stated that Angeles Duran is the «owner of the Sun – a star of spectral class G2, located at the center of the Solar System at a distance of about 149,600,000 kilometers from Earth.»
To feel like a true Spanish businesswoman, Angeles decided to charge everyone who enjoys the benefits of the eternal heavenly body. And according to her plan, almost all the proceeds were supposed to go to the state and to charitable organizations. Angeles would keep only 10 percent for herself. But the wealthy Spaniard never actually earned any income from her scheme.
Unlike the American Dennis Hope (it was he who pushed her toward buying the Sun!), the Spanish lady apparently did not earn millions. But the former unemployed man, who had been in a critical, hopeless situation, managed to turn his ideas into reality. And it all began with an ordinary drive in his brother's car. Hope was looking at the bright Moon – and suddenly thought: maybe it was worth claiming it while it shone there, ownerless? And he skillfully, one might even say cleverly, took advantage of an oversight by the drafters of the Outer Space Treaty.
Today Dennis Hope is the owner of the Moon, Venus, Mars and Mercury – and is considered one of the richest people in America. The Lunar Embassy, the company created by the enterprising American, began quickly selling off the Moon. And now each of its plots has its own registration number and its own specific owner. It would seem that Hope earned millions of dollars out of nothing.
By the way
Judging by the prices listed on the website of The Lunar Embassy, a small plot on the Moon costs from 40 to 900 dollars (from 2,800 to 63,000 rubles). A patch of land on Mars is 30-500 dollars (2,100-35,000 rubles). The reason for such low prices is that the owner is unlikely to be able to make use of the lunar or Martian «acres.» But they can boast of celestial real estate, and without a mortgage at that.
