Historic lunar sites, human artefacts on Moon officially protected by US law

It is only a matter of decades, perhaps just years, before we see a continuous human presence on the Moon. On Dec. 31, the One Small Step to Protect Human Heritage in Space Act became law. It requires companies that are working with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on lunar missions to agree to be bound by otherwise unenforceable guidelines intended to protect American landing sites on the Moon. The lunar landing sites – from Luna 2, the first human-made object to impact the Moon, to each of the crewed Apollo missions, to Chang-e 4, which deployed the first rover on the far side of the Moon – in particular, bear witness to humanity’s greatest technological achievement thus far. The act also encourages the development of best practices to protect human heritage in space by evolving the concepts of due regard and harmful interference – an evolution that will also guide how nations and companies work around one another.