logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2024
15m 18s

Who owns the Moon?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

American company Intuitive Machines has successfully landed its Odysseus robot near the lunar south pole. The US space agency Nasa had purchased room on it for six scientific instruments. It’s also carrying a box containing 125 small stainless steel balls or mini moons by the American artist Jeff Koons to be left there. There’s now hundreds of tonnes of human objects on the Moon - from old space boots and moon buggies to family photos and a javelin. There are also bags of vomit, urine and poo. It’s becoming a lunar junkyard.

Professor Jill Stuart from the London School of Economics explains the laws governing the moon and BBC journalist Daniel Dadzie tells us what’s up there and what people might take in future.

Also, two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, what’s life like as a student there? We hear from Vitalii Pashchenko, 21, Arina Stolbtsova, 21 and Yehor Olshevskiy, 17.

Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Elena Angelides Researcher: Maria Clara Montoya Editors: Verity Wilde and Simon Peeks

Up next
Yesterday
Why women are often better investors than men
Investing used to be seen as something that was for older people in suits, but now more young people are getting into it, thanks to the rise in online investing apps that have made it more accessible, and a growing awareness of how stocks and shares work.But data suggests that de ... Show More
13m 2s
Aug 31
Why humanoid robots matter to China
Videos from the second edition of the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing have been going viral. Two thousand robots from 16 countries took part and the robots seem more human-like than ever. They dance, compete in boxing matches, sprint faster than Usain Bolt, and even lift we ... Show More
9m 38s
Aug 28
GTA 6: Did the ‘extended look’ trailer live up to the hype?
Rockstar — the developer behind Grand Theft Auto 6 — has released the “extended look” trailer ahead of the game’s November release. The 26-minute preview offers fans the first detailed footage from the game. Among other things, the trailer showcases the relationship between prota ... Show More
8m 57s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2020
BrainStuff Classics: Can We See the Stuff Astronauts Left on the Moon?
Astronauts have left over a hundred items on the moon's surface. Learn what telescopes are powerful enough to spot them in this classic episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati ... Show More
3m 27s
Mar 2017
Can I See the Stuff Astronauts Left On the Moon?
tail spinning
3m 7s
Jul 2021
Moon poop
Astronauts left something on the moon that could help unlock the origins of life itself. For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable It’s a great place to sign up for our newsletter, view show transcripts, and read more about the topics on our show. Also, email us! unexplainable ... Show More
24m 15s
Aug 2022
Not a Moment too Moon
NASA’s mega-rocket lunar mission is go for launch!The BBC's science editor Rebecca Morelle explains everything you need to know about the American space agency’s latest Moon mission. Also, Newsnight’s UK Editor Sima Kotecha and BBC Kent political reporter Michael Keohan discuss w ... Show More
34m 42s
Sep 2023
Why do we want to go back to the Moon?
Two plucky spacecraft, one Russian and one Indian, are currently blasting towards the Moon’s South Pole. Both Russia’s Luna-25 and India’s Chandrayaan-3 are due to touch down next week. They’re heading to that particular region of the Moon in order to hunt for water, the presence ... Show More
28m 6s
May 2014
Over the Moon
<p>Over the Moon: What if we, over at the mother company Earth, Inc., looked at "assets" in our solar system like a corporation looks at its assets? What if we set our sights on that ne'er-do-well moon? Find out how we could harness the moon's resources to do more of Earth's bidd ... Show More
28m 28s
Jan 2023
Moonshot
It's episode 100, LET'S GO TO THE MOON! The 1969 Apollo 11 landing was iconic, but what happened to the earlier missions? What kind of impact did it have on pop culture and the Cold War? Why are there so many conspiracy theories? And most importantly - who was the first person to ... Show More
50m 1s