In July, 1997, three Yemenis - Adam Ismail, Mustafa Khalil,
and Abdullah al-Umari – filed a lawsuit charging NASA with trespass and
vandalism. On Mars. The three men claimed they inherited the Red Planet some
3,000 years ago. They demanded an immediate suspension of all operations on
Mars until a court delivers a verdict. They also insisted NASA refrain from
disclosing any information pertaining to the planet’s atmosphere, gravity,
surface, etc. without receiving specific permission from them. Brian Welch,
NASA’s news chief, said, "Mars is the property of all humanity, not three
guys in Yemen." Welch explained an international treaty from 1967 holds
that everything in the solar system (excepting, of course, the Earth itself) is
the property of everyone in the world and does not belong to any one country. The case was thrown out of court, and there are currently three operational rovers exploring Mars.
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