Pie In The Sky

(Photo - AP)

From his office in Nevada, entrepreneur Dennis Hope has spawned a multi-million-dollar property business selling plots of lunar real estate at $20 (£10) an acre.

Mr Hope exploited a loophole in the 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty and he has been claiming ownership of the Earth's Moon - and seven planets and their moons - for more than 20 years. These are "truly unowned lands", he says.

"We're doing exactly what our forefathers did when they came to the New World from the European continent."

Is it any wonder, therefore, that "stake holders include Hollywood stars, large corporations and even George W Bush"?