claim to mining rights

A major item I feel has been overlooked in all of this, is the prior ownership or current residency by exo-terrestrial organisms. Yes it would be convenient if these worlds,bodies ,were sterile masses of building material,which indeed they may very well be. I feel any visit should first include a Bio-assay ,and environmental impact survey.How might the Endangered Species Act be applied? Even one e.t. nanoscopic organism would be of majorimportance worth much more than the nickels and dimes refined for nuts and bolts! Preston Smith This may be an issue on Mars, and possibly on Europa (or in Europa), but is very unlikely to be an issue on the moon and the asteroids, which are the prime targets for near-term development.