[meteorite-list] Man Longs For Return Of A Piece Of Moon

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:23:44 2004
Message-ID: <200303041740.JAA07966_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/custom/space/orl-locmoon04030403mar04,0,5451110.story?coll=orl%2Dnews%2Dheadlines

Man longs for return of a piece of moon
By Noaki Schwartz
Orlando Sentinel
March 4, 2003

MIAMI -- The fight over a piece of moon rock the size of a small cornflake
finally went to court Monday.

After years of controversy, the United States of America vs. One Lucite Ball
Containing Lunar Material went before U.S. District Judge Adalberto
Jordan, who is expected to decide within several weeks if Pembroke Pines
resident Alan Rosen legally acquired the one-centimeter chip mounted in a
plastic ball.

The U.S. Justice Department contends that Rosen stole the rock, which could
be worth $5 million or more, from the Honduran government -- an accusation
Rosen denies.

"How does something from the moon wind up on the outskirts of the Honduran
jungle and end up the center of a major case with the government?" wondered
Rosen.

During a two-hour hearing, Rosen retold this story of how the rock wound up
in Honduras and eventually in Florida. The 65-year-old former cantaloupe
exporter said he bought the rock legally from a Honduran colonel.
But U.S. government lawyers say the Republic of Honduras is the rightful owner.

The historic rock's journey to Earth began Dec. 7, 1972, when Apollo 17
astronauts on the last manned moon mission took the sample from the Taurus
Littrow Valley. The rock, which looks more like a small piece of coal,
was then sent as a gift by Richard Nixon to the Central American government
along with a Honduran flag that went to the moon.

Rosen said one of the country's dictators gave the rock to the colonel as a
gift, who in turn sold it to him for $50,000 in 1995.

But the paperwork proving its ownership is missing. During Monday's hearing,
Assistant U.S. Attorney James Swain also noted that no one declared the rock
on a U.S. Customs form when it was brought into the country.

The U.S. government seized the rock from Rosen in 1998 during a sting operation.
Rosen answered an advertisement in USA Today of someone seeking to buy moon
rocks, and he tried to sell the rock for $5 million.

On Monday, Rosen reminisced about buying the rock and then taking it on
fishing trips. As he fished, Rosen said, he could look at the moon and hold
his little piece of it at the same time.

"I'm still living without my rock," he said.

Wire services were used in this report.Noaki Schwartz is a reporter for the
South Florida Sun-Sentinel, a Tribune Publishing newspaper.
Received on Tue 04 Mar 2003 12:40:36 PM PST