It is natural for those familiar with the common-law system to object to a non-judicial body overturning an interpretation given by a final appellate court.

CNN: A NEW CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER

It has long been thought that the lunar body resulted from an impact between the early Earth and another planet-sized object 4.5 billion years ago.

BBC: Moon formation: New spins put on old questions

"A 5mm (0.2 inches) particle striking a large solar array is likely to have a very little long-lasting effect, but such an object hitting the main body of a satellite could cause a vital component to fail, " he said.

CNN: Space harpoon plan to nail orbital garbage

But after news of his entry in the 500, 1, 000 and 1, 650-yard freestyle events, swimming's governing body FINA stepped in to object to his participation.

CNN: Lance Armstrong's return to competition sunk

Critics said the prospect of a no-hands T-Ray search raised general privacy concerns and fears over so-called false positives where an object on a person's body could be misread to be a weapon.

WSJ: Police Test New Scanner