[meteorite-list] How an Intern Stole NASA's Moon Rocks

From: Galactic Stone & Ironworks <meteoritemike_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 9 May 2009 09:40:54 -0500
Message-ID: <e51421550905090740o6743c64cwb6eaea91cc3ec503_at_mail.gmail.com>

Hi Martin,

I did finally click on some of the embedded links in the story and saw
the FBI followup article. The "ring leader" was sentenced to 8 years
in prison - which here in America means he probably served about 2-3
years and then walked. (non-violent crime, ivy league white defendant
with previously clean record, good behavior and early release)

IMO, that sentence should have been 10 years served to deter any
future idiocy of that nature.

It made me sick to my stomach to imagine the loss of data and study
potential these specimens suffered at the hands of these criminals.
As a collector it rankles me, I cannot imagine how the scientists
studying the samples must have felt. Perhaps a more fitting sentence
for the thieves would be stoning by ordinary chondrites. Tie up the
thieves to poles out in the open (third world style) and pelt them
mercilessly with weathered-up UNWA from the Tucson bargain bin. ;)

So, is there any list of missing lunar samples? How many pilfered
moon rocks are floating around the collector's market, or sitting in
someone's safe?

Best regards,

MikeG




On 5/9/09, Martin Altmann <altmann at meteorite-martin.de> wrote:
> Yes, a safe was lifted there,
> as well as the part of the Good-Will Moon Rock, presented to Honduras was
> stolen and was tried to be trafficked in USA.
> Currently the Apollo-sample of Malta is missing.
>
> Once I saw a strange documentation (was it on BBC or on discovery?), where
> it was stated, that most of the Apollo-samples once distributed to the
> nations of the World would have been lost and are missing.
> Is that true?
> (was a strange documentation, a man with a big belly and a full beard
> driving an old car was shown as to be the "special agent" of NASA, searching
> for the missing Moon rocks...).
>
> Let's open a new thread: Identify the Moon Rock given to your country!
>
> I start.
> Germany should have 3 Moon Rocks.
> Two are given on permanent loan - one to the Technische Museum Berlin,
> the other is housed in the exhibition of the Ries-Crater-Museum in
> Noerdlingen (the astronauts got their a geological training in the
> Ries-Crater by Eugene Shoemaker).
> The Good-Will-piece donated to the Federal Rep. of Germany (don't know
> whether the former German Democratic Rep. got one too?),
> must be somewhere in the Deutsche Museum in Munich.
> Wasn't a longer time there, have to go there again,
> so I don't know, whether it's currently on display or somewhere in the
> storage (museums in Germany are sometimes somewhat strange in estimating, if
> an item could be attractive for the visitors or not...).
>
> Best!
> Martin
>
> -----Urspr?ngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: Galactic Stone & Ironworks [mailto:meteoritemike at gmail.com]
> Gesendet: Samstag, 9. Mai 2009 16:11
> An: Martin Altmann
> Cc: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> Betreff: Re: [meteorite-list] How an Intern Stole NASA's Moon Rocks
>
> Is the story true? I read it and it sounds like pop-culture fiction.
>
> I've never heard anything about this elsewhere.
>
> If it's true, the thieves should be treated like Moon Rocks -
> sterilized and then locked up forever.
>
>
> On 5/9/09, Martin Altmann <altmann at meteorite-martin.de> wrote:
>> Was that article an exercise in style?
>>
>> At least...due to the efforts of a few enthusiasts on the globe,
>> everyone can have now his piece of Moon Rock at a price of a paperback :-)
>>
>> Martin
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Urspr?ngliche Nachricht-----
>> Von: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
>> [mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] Im Auftrag von Pete
>> Pete
>> Gesendet: Samstag, 9. Mai 2009 12:58
>> An: cynapse at charter.net; meteoritelist meteoritelist
>> Betreff: Re: [meteorite-list] How an Intern Stole NASA's Moon Rocks
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Thieves.....I hate them!
>>
>> ----------------------------------------
>>> From: cynapse at charter.net
>>> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
>>> Date: Fri, 8 May 2009 23:30:00 -0500
>>> Subject: [meteorite-list] How an Intern Stole NASA's Moon Rocks
>>>
>>> http://gizmodo.com/5242736/how-an-intern-stole-nasas-moon-rocks
>>>
>>
>>
>> ______________________________________________
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>
>
> --
> .........................................................
> Michael Gilmer (Louisiana, USA)
> Member of the Meteoritical Society.
> Member of the Bayou Region Stargazers Network.
> Websites - http://www.galactic-stone.com and http://www.glassthrower.com
> ..........................................................
>
> ______________________________________________
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-- 
.........................................................
Michael Gilmer (Louisiana, USA)
Member of the Meteoritical Society.
Member of the Bayou Region Stargazers Network.
Websites - http://www.galactic-stone.com and http://www.glassthrower.com
..........................................................

Received on Sat 09 May 2009 10:40:54 AM PDT