07. Is space like a country? Does a space destination belong to the country that plants a flag there first? (A K2S Question)

From The Space Library

Outer Space is considered the same as the high seas in that every nation has the right to freedom of use and passage. Outer Space, like the high heas, belongs to all humanity. Indeed, the UN Outer Space Treaty codifies this—puts it into law— saying that Outer Space is "the province of all mankind." Space is special. Different rules and laws apply to activities in space. If a country plants a flag on a moon or on an asteroid in space, they are not allowed to claim it for themselves—in other words, they are not allowed to claim sovereignty. This was agreed upon by all nations within the UN under Article II of the Outer Space Treaty.

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Answer provided by Christopher Stott

Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer

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