"Between 1969 and 1972, Apollo astronauts left 96 bags of human waste - urine, faeces and vomit - on the lunar surface, to shed weight so that the lunar module could lift off with a cargo of Moon rocks."
"Astrobiologists now want to retrieve them, worried about possible biological contamination of the Moon's surface."
"The Outer Space Treaty of 1967...prohibits national appropriation of celestial bodies. It says nothing about environmental responsibility - and nothing about who gets to make these decisions on behalf of humanity."
"I have watched space being treated like Earth's land and seas: as an open frontier, exploited without limits, governed too late and only after irreversible harm has been done."
The recent lunar mission marks humanity's return to the Moon after over 50 years, yet it raises questions about stewardship. Past missions left waste on the lunar surface, highlighting a lack of environmental responsibility. The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 governs space activity but does not address environmental concerns or decision-making authority. As space becomes increasingly cluttered with debris, there is a call for responsible choices regarding lunar exploration, especially with plans for permanent bases and resource extraction on the Moon.
Read at Nature
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