Out of the Blue, Into the Black: Draft Protocol to the Trusteeship Agreement for the Lunar Heritage Territory Establishing the Chinese Lunar Heritage District

20 July 2014

Draft Protocol to the Trusteeship Agreement for the Lunar Heritage Territory Establishing the Chinese Lunar Heritage District

DRAFT PROTOCOL TO THE TRUSTEESHIP AGREEMENT FOR THE LUNAR HERITAGE TERRITORY ESTABLISHING THE CHINESE LUNAR HERITAGE DISTRICT (WITH ANNEX)

OPSA-2014-09

Proposed by Thomas Gangale
@ThomasGangale

2014

Noting the achievements of states in the exploration and use of the celestial bodies of the Solar System in the twenty-first century,

Considering that the cultural or natural heritage at certain twenty-first century lunar landing sites are of outstanding interest and therefore need to be preserved as part of the world heritage of mankind as a whole,

Whereas, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, acting in pursuance of Article 10, paragraph 4 of the Trusteeship Agreement for the Lunar Heritage Territory, has invited the People’s Republic of China to become party to the Agreement as amended pursuant to Article 10, paragraph 2 of the Agreement,

Whereas, the Government of the People’s Republic of China has accepted responsibility as the joint Administering Authority of this Territory together with the Governments of the Russian Federation and the United States of America,

Now, therefore, the Security Council of the United Nations, acting in pursuance of Article 83 of the Charter of the United Nations, hereby resolves to approve the following amended terms of trusteeship for the Lunar Heritage Territory.

ARTICLE 1

Article 1 of the Trusteeship Agreement for the Lunar Heritage Territory is replaced by the following text:

1. The Governments of United States of America, the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter called “the Administering Authority”) are hereby designated as the joint Administering Authority which will exercise the administration of the Territory. The Administering Authority shall be responsible to the United Nations for the peace, order and good government of the Territory in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

2. The Territory shall consist of the Gagarinsk District, the Armstrong District, and the Chinese Lunar Heritage District. The sites and the geographic boundaries thereof within the Gagarinsk District shall be those fixed by Annex 1 of this Agreement. The sites and the geographic boundaries thereof within the Armstrong District shall be those fixed by Annex 2 of this Agreement. The sites and the geographic boundaries thereof within the Chinese Lunar Heritage District shall be those fixed by Annex 3 of this Agreement.

3. The Russian Federation shall be the Administering Authority of the Gagarinsk District, the United States of America shall be the Administering Authority of the Armstrong District, and the People’s Republic of China shall be the Administering Authority of the Chinese Lunar Heritage District.

ANNEX 3

Annex 3 is added:

ANNEX 3

LIST AND DESCRIPTION OF CHINESE LUNAR HERITAGE DISTRICT SITES

Pursuant to Article 2 of the Lunar Heritage Trusteeship Agreement, the Chinese Lunar Heritage District shall consist of the following sites, the vertical boundaries of which shall be 100 meters above the highest geographic formation.

1. Chang’e 3 Landing and Yutu Traverse Site

The site is delimited as: a circle 20 meters in radius from the centerline of the spacecraft, situated approximately 44.1214° North latitude and approximately 19.5116° East longitude; a zone extending 20 meters from all regolith disturbed by vehicular traverse. The geographic area of the site is approximately 1,623 square meters.