[meteorite-list] NASA sues Moonwalker Astronaut

From: MexicoDoug <mexicodoug_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 04 Jul 2011 03:31:02 -0400
Message-ID: <8CE08337639AB45-1560-17E26_at_webmail-m021.sysops.aol.com>

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/90053154?U.S.%20government%20sues%20former%20astronaut%20over%20lunar%20camera#ixzz1R7PMDp3p

Dear list,

This is a very relevant case to meteorites and should not be taken
lightly.

They're at it again ... rewriting history and after 40 years of NASA's
permission to take mementos from the Apollo era - now suing the sixth
man to walk on the moon, Edgar Mitchell of Apollo 11, for trying to
sell the camera they allowed him to have ... the precedent, I suspect
is the identical one to the dust on the tape, which didn't exist, but
they are gunning for now.

Again, we are faced with the erosion of sensible property rights, a
violation of traditional English and Roman law regarding the importance
of possession IMO, in an effort to legislation effort from the bench at
its finest (sarcasm). The question at hand: Can we apply today's
standards retroactively to say NASA was wrong to allow astronauts to
have things that were of no use to NASA at the time and with the full
knowledge of NASA allowed to be kept by those involved. After 40 years
of knowledge that the astronaut possessed this camera and other sundry
things, it becomes a precedent, and NASA is even painting an American
hero with a scarlet letter of "T" for "Thief"....

>From the article:

"During the Apollo mission era, Mitchell said he and other astronauts
got permission to take mementos from the spacecrafts. "We have dozens
of pieces. All of us who flew to the moon," he said in a Palm Beach
Post report.

Mitchell?s lawyer, Donald Jacobson, said, "Objects from the lunar trips
to the moon were ultimately mounted and then presented to the
astronauts as a gift after they had helped NASA on a mission."

The government is asking the court to order Mitchell to hand over the
camera, and declare that it has "good, clean and exclusive title" to
the piece of space history.


Best wishes
Doug
Received on Mon 04 Jul 2011 03:31:02 AM PDT