In 2002, the shocking theft swung NASA literally. Former trainee NASA THAD Roberts, along with his then girlfriend Tiffany Fowler and two other friends, stole £ 17 (7.7 kg) samples of lunar values worth $ 21 million. Motive? According to Roberts, it was supposed to impress his love interest. However, the FBI later revealed that there is also a financial angle.
Bizarre incident, in detail People magazine And later in Ben Mezrich in 2011, sex on the moon saw a young intern and his team to extreme lengths to pull out the robbery. They manipulated safety cameras, wore neoprene bodyites, and carried authentic NASA badges to access the highly safe building 31, where monthly rocks were stored.
Also read | NASA plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon – a cosmic lawyer explains why and what the law must say
From NASA WHIZ KID to Moon Rock Thief
At that time, Roberts was a 24 -year -old miracle with a triple title in physics, geology and geophysics from the University of Utah. During his internship in NASA, he met 22 -year -old Tiffany Fowler stem cell researcher. Both of them quickly became romantically involved and moved in a few weeks.
Roberts soon shared his bold plan to steal a monthly rock, which aroused Fowler’s interest. They reported another NASA trainee, Shae Saur to help.
In July in the evening, Roberts and Fowler entered the 31 building while Saur watched and followed the compromised security system. The couple approached the perfect laboratory, removed the safe containing lunar samples and later opened it with a saw.
Also read | Moon Race II: NASA must not risk melting the moon
In one of the strangest twists, Roberts reportedly placed some of the monthly rocks under his bed and claimed that it was a symbolic “to have sex on the moon”. Talk to CBS In 2012 he said:
“I think a simple answer is to say that I did it for love. I did it because I wanted to be loved. I wanted someone to know that I took care of them so much. And having a symbol to remind them.
Roberts also claimed that Fowler did not know about the rocks under the blanket, although he indicated that she could feel them during their intimate moment.
FBI Sting Operation
While Roberts claimed it was an act of love, FBI He uncovered another motif: money. Investigators found that he was in contact with a potential buyer from Belgium, who offered for rocks $ 1,000 to $ 5,000 per gram. When the buyer became a suspicion of their origin, they pointed out the FBI and launched a secret operation that led to arrest.
In 2002, Roberts confessed to the theft of monthly rocks and was sentenced to eight years in prison. He also confessed to theft of the bones of dinosaurs and fossils from the Natural History Museum Museum in Salt Lake City at the University of Utah. Before the release in 2008, it served just over six years.
Also read | NASA for building a nuclear reactor on the moon to stop the Chinese space for the universe:
Fowler and Saur confessed guilty and received home arrests, community services and ordered to pay restitution. Another accomplice, McWhorter, was sentenced to six years in prison. Roberts and Fowler ended their relationship after the incident.
(Tagstotranslate) Moon Rocks
