I hate how "certain people" act like they own outer space. IIN?

The space race was a race to get to space, not a race to own space. It was all domestic politics, trying to prove who had the best technology. If it was to do with capturing territory the US and Russia would have shot down each other's space crafts.

There are loads of private space travel companies being set up. Here's a long list of them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_private_spaceflight_companies As far as I'm aware, governments aren't that interested in stopping private companies going into space.

Scientists chose to reclassify Pluto based on evidence, not governments or private companies. I fail to see how reclassifying something is a sign of ownership though - scientists reclassify things all the time as we learn more about them. It hardly means we think we own them.

In the same vein, new species are named all the time without "asking the public". Naming it doesn't mean they think they own the species. It's the same with planets; just because they name it doesn't mean they think they own it. Anyway, how could you even ask the public? Spend billions of pounds balloting every person on Earth just over a superficial name? What a waste of money.

Putting flags on the moon doesn't mean anything practically. It's just a fun, meaningless display of nationalism.

There's nothing wrong with telling people what they can and cannot do in space. Part of Space Law says that you can't have weapons of mass destruction in space, and I fail to see why anyone would think that law isn't necessary.

Nations may or may not abide by it, and the fact is it probably will happen. They plan to start asteroid mining by 2023: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroid_mining#Proposed_mining_projects If we do it it will be because it's necessary to, and there's nothing wrong with that isn't also wrong with mining on Earth.