NASA intern stole $21M of lunar samples in order to have ‘sex on the moon’

He promised her nan satellite — and meant it.

More than 23 years ago, NASA intern Thad Roberts hatched a daring scheme to bargain 17 pounds of satellite rocks and a meteorite from Houston’s Johnson Space Center — priceless samples from each Apollo mission, locked successful a 600-pound safe and weighted astatine $21 million, according to nan FBI.

Only 24 years aged pinch a triple awesome successful physics, earth science and geophysics astatine nan University of Utah, pinch a woman he was supporting backmost successful Utah, and financially struggling, Roberts thought his scheme was foolproof.

The first measurement was uncovering a buyer. With thief from friend Gordon McWhorter, Roberts connected online pinch a imaginable Belgian purchaser consenting to salary $1,000 to $5,000 per gram.

The buyer, however, grew suspicious and alerted nan FBI, which instructed him to support talking while it investigated.

Around this time, he met Tiffany Fowler, a 22-year-old NASA intern conducting stem compartment research.

Their relationship quickly became romantic, and aft 3 weeks, they moved successful together. When Roberts revealed his plan, Fowler agreed to help.

They recruited different NASA intern, Shae Saur, and 1 nighttime nan trio utilized their NASA IDs to gaffe into nan Johnson Space Center, making disconnected pinch nan full safe.

Back astatine nan hotel, they cracked it unfastened pinch a powerfulness saw.

On July 20, 2002 — nan 33rd day of nan first satellite landing — Roberts and Fowler drove to Orlando to meet family members of nan Belgian buyer.

While waiting, Roberts placed satellite rocks beneath nan furniture covers, later claiming nan mates had “sex connected nan moon” arsenic a symbolic gesture.

“I return immoderate of nan satellite rocks and I put them underneath nan broad connected nan furniture … I ne'er said thing but I’m judge she could consciousness it,” he told CBS News successful 2012.

“It was much astir nan awesome of what we were doing, fundamentally having activity connected nan moon. It’s much uncomfortable than not, but it wasn’t astir nan comfortableness astatine that point. It was astir nan expression. And nary 1 had ever had activity connected nan satellite before. I deliberation we tin safely opportunity that.”

When they met pinch nan expected buyers, they were alternatively greeted by undercover FBI agents. The satellite rocks were recovered from their edifice room, though nan FBI reported they were now “virtually useless to nan technological community” and that nan heist destroyed 3 decades of handwritten investigation notes by a NASA scientist.

After his arrest, Roberts admitted to besides stealing dinosaur bones and fossils from nan Natural History Museum successful Salt Lake City.

When asked why he stole nan satellite rocks, Robert told CBS News he “wasn’t” looking astatine it for illustration stealing astatine nan time.

“We weren’t going to return this money we were getting from it to spell bargain a yacht aliases tons of cars aliases a large house. We were gonna unrecorded conscionable nan mini benignant of manner we were, but money subject that mightiness alteration nan world, you know?” he said.

In nan end, Roberts, Fowler and Saur each pleaded blameworthy to conspiracy to perpetrate theft and interstate proscription of stolen property.

Roberts was sentenced to 8 years successful national prison, serving six. Fowler and Saur each received 180 days of location apprehension and 150 hours of organization service.

McWhorter, convicted astatine trial, was fixed six years successful prison.

Roberts and Fowler ne'er saw each different again.