In 1999, at the first annual Lunar Development Conference in Houston, Texas, the Foundation presented the Lunar Declaration, written by Foundation president Rick Tumlinson, which was signed by many of the conference's attendees. The full text of that document appears here:

Recognizing it is the dawn of a new millennium, and the human spirit cries out for new beginnings.

Recognizing the need for new challenges to the human spirit, new domains for the exploration of human freedoms and rapidly growing pressures on our biosphere and natural systems;

Recognizing humanity has developed the ability to routinely access and utilize the space near Earth and maintain human habitation in the space environment.

We the undersigned, citizens of Earth, do hereby declare that it is the destiny and responsibility of our species to expand our civilization and the biosphere of our home world outward into space.

We further declare that it is our duty to assure that this movement is safe, supportable, sustainable and unstoppable.

First explored by human beings several decades ago and given its proximity to our home world, it's location on the edge of the near and far frontiers of human exploration, its bountiful resources, it's ability to serve as a platform for further exploration and as a nearby location for our first human habitats on another planet, we believe the Moon represents the next and most vital step for humanity as we expand beyond Earth orbit.

Be it as a training base for future human explorers of Mars and other worlds, a supplier of precious materials for the development of clean energy on Earth and construction in the space between planets, a home to observatories that will probe the cosmos, a location for commercial enterprise including hotels, or simply as land to be settled and owned by individuals who are willing to stake their lives and fortunes to open its bounties; the Moon represents a new opportunity for an unprecedented partnership between the public and private sectors that will results in savings to taxpayers and profits to those willing to take the financial risks.

We believe there is an appropriate role for all in this endeavor, with private industry providing services and supporting operations and the government providing a regulatory environment and acting as a good customer as it fulfills its legitimate needs to develop the technologies and systems necessary to explore the far frontier.

Therefore, we call on the people of Earth and it's governments, industries and institutions, each acting in their appropriate roles, to join together in a renewed and united effort to seek these synergies, mold a new unified approach to opening the frontier, and create the financial, legal and policy incentives that will catalyze this effort.

To summarize:

We the undersigned, citizens of Earth, do hereby declare it is time to Return to the Moon. This time to stay.