In 1980 Hope realized that while the 1967 United Nations Outer Space Treaty said no country could own the moon, it said nothing about individuals.

So he wrote a letter to the United Nations claiming ownership of the moon and asking for a legal reason why an individual couldn't claim ownership. He hasn't heard back.

Ever since Hope, 65, has sold lunar land certificates at around $24-per-acre, including sales to Barbara Walters, Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and Nicole Kidman in addition to former U.S. presidents George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan.