NASA intern stole $21 million in Moon rocks, and hid them under a blanket for a bizarre reason

It was one of NASA's most bizarre scandals, blending science fiction and true-crime thrillers. In 2002, a young intern committed an audacious heist, stealing valuable moon rocks from the Johnson Space Center. What followed was romance, undercover FBI agents, and one of the most bizarre "symbolic gestures" ever attempted.

Thad Roberts, a NASA intern, stole moon rocks worth $21 million in 2002 with the help of other interns. The theft, which was inspired by a strange symbolic act, came to an end when an undercover FBI sting recovered the samples. Roberts spent six years in prison, and the rocks were rendered useless for research.

How did a NASA intern commit a $21 million moon rock theft?

Thad Roberts, a 24-year-old University of Utah student majoring in physics, geology, and geophysics, devised a heist plan straight out of a movie in July 2002. Roberts, who was already married and struggling financially, worked as a NASA intern at Houston's Johnson Space Center, where priceless lunar samples from each Apollo mission were stored in a 600-pound safe, as quoted in a report by The NY Post.

Roberts conspired with friend Gordon McWhorter and fellow interns Tiffany Fowler and Shae Saur to steal the rocks and sell them to a buyer in Belgium for $1,000 to $5,000 per gram.

Using their NASA IDs, the trio entered the Lunar Sample Lab one night and wheeled the safe away. Inside were approximately 17 pounds of moon rocks and a rare meteorite worth $21 million.

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What bizarre "symbolic" act followed the robbery?

While waiting to meet the alleged buyer, Roberts and Fowler stayed at an Orlando hotel. On July 20, 2002, the 33rd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, Roberts chose to commemorate the occasion in an unusual way, as quoted in a report by The NY Post.

He put moon rocks under the bed covers before being intimate with Fowler, later calling it "symbolic" and describing it as "being intimate on the moon." In a subsequent interview, Roberts admitted that the act was uncomfortable, but emphasized that it was about the meaning, not the experience, as quoted in a report by The NY Post.

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How did the FBI bring the operation down?

The Belgian "buyer" turned out to be working with the FBI. Agents set up a sting operation, planning to meet Roberts and his accomplices in Orlando. When they arrived expecting to conduct a transaction, undercover agents were already waiting, as quoted in a report by The NY Post.

The moon rocks were recovered from their hotel room, but at a significant loss. According to the FBI, the theft rendered the samples "virtually useless to the scientific community" and destroyed a NASA scientist's handwritten research notes spanning three decades.

Following the Moon Rock caper, Roberts admitted to conspiracy to commit theft and interstate transportation of stolen property.

He was sentenced to eight years in federal prison and served six. Fowler and Saur received house arrest and community service, while McWhorter, who was convicted at trial, received a six-year sentence, as quoted in a report by The NY Post.

Following his arrest, Roberts admitted to stealing dinosaur bones and fossils from the Natural History Museum in Salt Lake City. His stated goal was to use any money raised to fund scientific research, not to purchase luxury items, which was met with skepticism.

The heist remains one of NASA's most notorious security breaches, remembered as much for its audacity as for its bizarre "moon romance" twist.

FAQs

What were the stolen moon rocks worth?
The FBI estimates that the amount is around $21 million.

Whatever happened to Thad Roberts?
Following his guilty plea, he served six years in federal prison.