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FBI Arrests 4 College Interns For Stealing Lunar Materials

An anonymous reader "Today, the fourth member of a group of college interns working at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston turned herself in after being charged with conspiracy to steal government property. Click2Houston.com has an article with a video feed covering many details of the case. Apparently, three of the alleged theives went to Florida and tried to sell, online, the 5 oz. of moon rocks and meteorite material they lugged out of the JSC in a 600lb case. Here's another article from the Houston Chronicle."

289 comments

  1. What did they expect.. by Chicane-UK · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And they didn't expect to get caught? I might understand if they were trying to sell a harddrive they had stolen from work, or a 2nd hand base unit they had sneaked out. But a few hundred pounds of moonrock are sure to be noticed, especially when you sell em on eBay!

    They deserve to get caught..

    --
    "Hey! Unless this is a nude love-in, get the hell off my property!!"
    1. Re:What did they expect.. by Ignavus+Anonymous · · Score: 2, Funny

      We're lucky that they weren't planning any terrorist activities with the rocks!

      --

      --

    2. Re:What did they expect.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If they died while trying to sell the stones, they might as well be awarded a DarwinAward! [http://www.darwinawards.com/] ...yes, mod it down to Redundant.

    3. Re:What did they expect.. by Subcarrier · · Score: 3, Funny

      But a few hundred pounds of moonrock are sure to be noticed, especially when you sell em on eBay!

      You would be surprised, the kind of ideas you come up with after consuming a gallon of moonshine with your friends.

      "Hic! Man, this rocks! Show me the money! SHOW! ME! THE! MONEY!"

      --
      "I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them." -- George H. W. Bush
    4. Re:What did they expect.. by Mr+Guy · · Score: 2

      Well, they aren't rocket scientists.

      Ba dum bum CHING.

    5. Re:What did they expect.. by Eric_Cartman_South_P · · Score: 1, Funny

      They were going too! I head they were just a stones throw away from... oh nevemind.

    6. Re:What did they expect.. by WinDoze · · Score: 2

      It's amazing what people will go through just to get their rocks off.

    7. Re:What did they expect.. by Prizm · · Score: 1

      So how did these kids get this internship anyway? Must be their good interviewing skills. I applied for the same internship, only to get told "We're sorry but we can't offer you an internship at this time, but we'll keep your resume on file for the next 6 months...".

      Now they're wishing they had chosen me!

    8. Re:What did they expect.. by 0x0d0a · · Score: 2

      The first three -- Thad, Tiffany, and Gordon -- sound like just plain bad influence. Sorta sucks for Shae -- she's by far the youngest of the three and working as an intern there, and turned herself in.

      My guess -- three idiots think they can run off with hundreds of thousands of high-profile goods, and now the fourth is screwed for life for letting them pull it off.

    9. Re:What did they expect.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A new case for "World's Dummest Criminals"...

    10. Re:What did they expect.. by stonecypher · · Score: 1

      Parent is modded insightful? Compare quotes, please.

      > > and tried to sell, online, the 5 oz. of moon
      > > rocks
      >
      > But a few hundred pounds of moonrock are sure
      > to be noticed

      Apparently, a few hundred pounds are noticed even when they're not in the article. (sigh)

      --
      StoneCypher is Full of BS
    11. Re:What did they expect.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think that has been pointed out more than enough times now thanks.

    12. Re:What did they expect.. by Stephen+Samuel · · Score: 2
      Well, they aren't rocket scientists.

      Well, one of them is apparently pretty close...

      # Shae Lynn Saur, NASA intern, Age: 19, Worked in Structural Engineering with Thermal Design. Worked last summer in the X-38 program. Pursuing a B.S. in engineering from Lamar University.
      In any case, there's a big difference between intelligence and wisdom. Remember that Wernher Von Braun was (from what I've heard) pretty brilliant (and probably the reference for the 'rocket scientist' references.. Nontheless, he worked for Hitler in WW2. He either liked what Hitler was up to, or he didn't care enough to slow down his rocket research on the V1 and V2 rockets.
      --
      Free Software: Like love, it grows best when given away.
  2. The dark side of the moon... by lfourrier · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...brings no
    money.

    sorry for the youngs here. A long time ago, there was some band named Pink Floyd...

    1. Re:The dark side of the moon... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      There is no dark side in the moon really.
      In another fact its all dark.

      (for the insiders :))

    2. Re:The dark side of the moon... by H3XA · · Score: 1

      so where is the USA hiding the secret alien research moon base then ??? ...... or are you a MIB denying the existence of ali.. **FLASH** huh? where am I? Why do I feel like hugging a penguin?

      - HeXa

    3. Re:The dark side of the moon... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      aaaugh.
      (from the uber insider)

      there is no dark side of the moon, really
      matter of fact it's all dark

    4. Re:The dark side of the moon... by bpfinn · · Score: 1, Funny

      They have become....comfortably dumb.

    5. Re:The dark side of the moon... by chamenos · · Score: 1

      "or are you a MIB denying the existence of ali.."

      no he didn't; everyone knows ali g is in da house.

    6. Re:The dark side of the moon... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      dont mind the others.
      they are just annother brick in the wall.

      Stirge

  3. In other news by ZaneMcAuley · · Score: 1

    ... 4 more interns at JSC have been caught trying to steal the Space Shuttle.

    --
    ----- Whats wrong with this picture? http://www.revoh.org:1234/whatswrong
    1. Re:In other news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe they could steal you a sense of humour too.

    2. Re:In other news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh no!! Well, at least they were stopped, but where will that accursed Carmen Sandiego and her gang strike again??

  4. Should have sold... by __aadhrk6380 · · Score: 5, Funny

    The rocks in their heads, instead.

    1. Re:Should have sold... by ckedge · · Score: 1

      Bah! Clearly those rocks are worthless!

  5. if it was communism... by ZaneMcAuley · · Score: 0

    they would have gotten away with it.

    --
    ----- Whats wrong with this picture? http://www.revoh.org:1234/whatswrong
    1. Re:if it was communism... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you have anything by which to qualify that statement? And are you on some kind of "posting-unfunny-things"-spree?

  6. The -REAL- conspiracy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Is the cover-up of the fact that NASA stole them first from the inhabitants of the moon.
    I had the retaining wall in my garden knocked over, parts of it stolen,
    and they left kind of striped flag on my front porch.

    1. Re:The -REAL- conspiracy by eam · · Score: 1

      What are you bitching about? We gave you a great little car.

  7. Size matters... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    It wasn't hundreds of pounds of moonrocks, moron -- it was a few ounces in a SIX-HUNDRED POUND SAFE!!!

    At least TRY to read the story next time, you sorry stupid fuck.

    1. Re:Size matters... by Chicane-UK · · Score: 1

      So I misread it.. now stop drinking caffineated coffee - it obviously affects you.

      --
      "Hey! Unless this is a nude love-in, get the hell off my property!!"
    2. Re:Size matters... by H3XA · · Score: 1

      I think that AC was upset about the fact the poster didn't even read the summary fully before posting, let alone the linked story..... the pertinent info was on the 2nd last line/sentence of short summary paragraph - even skim readers would see it.

      - HeXa

    3. Re:Size matters... by Chicane-UK · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      By professionals, I assume you mean the AC's who normally get in there and post :

      a) An article explaining why Linux is dying..
      b) A goatse.cx link..
      c) THE OFFICIAL TACO-SNOTTING FAQ by poopbot.
      d) Whatever else you can think of.

      --
      "Hey! Unless this is a nude love-in, get the hell off my property!!"
    4. Re:Size matters... by NFNNMIDATA · · Score: 1

      YOU didn't read the story either it seems. It was actually 4 ounces, although it is not possible to determine in either linked story, you sorry stupid AC. I had to go to Yahoo to find that out. The Chronicle story implies that either a) all 862 lbs collected over the years was in the safe, or b) there were two sets of 5oz each in the safe. The other article has no mention of the weight of the safe's contents.

    5. Re:Size matters... by H3XA · · Score: 1

      heh...... recursive reasoning

      - HeXa

  8. from the striking-a-blow-for-profits dept. by Em+Emalb · · Score: 1

    from the striking-a-blow-for-profits dept.

    hmmm..
    how bout...from the dumb-as-a-box-of-moon-rocks dept.?

    or

    from the dumb-as-an-early-post-mocking-the-dept-title dept.?

    Nah. This is a non-story. Stupid people doing stupid things. Happens all the time. Hell, look at this post. :)

    --
    Sent from your iPad.
  9. Local law enforcement uses eBay all the time by httpamphibio.us · · Score: 0

    There have been numerous robberies of stores in my area in the last couple months. The first thing cops used to do years ago is check pawn shops and other such stores, now their first target is eBay. These people really should have known better...

    --
    sig.
    1. Re:Local law enforcement uses eBay all the time by Bohnanza · · Score: 1

      I really think Pawnshops ought to do a better job of protecting their clients. After all, if you put a sign on your shop that says "WE PAY CASH FOR GOLD AND ELECTRONICS", you are really advertising your store as a front for burglers. The sign might as well say "ROB YOUR NEIGHBORS AND SELL THEIR STUFF HERE. WE WON'T TELL".

      --

      -----

      Sorry, I'm only a 1336 h4x0r.

    2. Re:Local law enforcement uses eBay all the time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I really think Pawnshops ought to do a better job of protecting their clients. After all, if you put a sign on your shop that says "WE PAY CASH FOR GOLD AND ELECTRONICS", you are really advertising your store as a front for burglers. The sign might as well say "ROB YOUR NEIGHBORS AND SELL THEIR STUFF HERE. WE WON'T TELL".

      Around here, the pawn shops are the first to rat on obvious thieves. They clandestinely video all transactions and have even been known to help with sting ops.

    3. Re:Local law enforcement uses eBay all the time by ergo98 · · Score: 1

      Considering that pawn shops cater, generally, to the dregs of society, I find it very hard to believe that they would do anything more than an empty gesture towards law enforcement: Pawn shops wouldn't exist without people ripping off jewellery from their parents, or B&Eing their neighbours. Perhaps pawn shops offer up a sacrifice to the law enforcement gods every now and then, but it certainly wouldn't be their norm.

      Pawn shops exist primarily because the reality is that police, at least in most places, really don't care about "petty theft": It is VERY unlikely that they would put out any effort whatsoever to check pawn shops for stolen goods, or to watch Ebay, etc. A friend's laptop was stolen from a coworker's car a while back while they ate lunch in a nearby restaurant (in the middle of the day), and they could actually visibly SEE the greasy finger prints of the culprit(s) all over the top of the window where they pulled it out. Did the police take fingerprints, even when asked to? Nope, it's "just a laptop" and isn't worth their top. At MOST most police limit pawn shop enforcement to "when someone sees something of their own for sale in a pawnshop and won't stop calling us to do something about it". Personally I find this fact, the ignorance of most police to crimes against personal property, an outrageous situation: These same police will blanket a neighbourhood with dozens of cars if someone stole a case from the liquor store or shoplifted a sharpie from Kmart.

    4. Re:Local law enforcement uses eBay all the time by LintMan · · Score: 1

      I'm not quite as cynical about cops in general as that, but I did have a similar experience:

      My apartment had been robbed by the previous (scumbag) tennant, which I know because 1) my door was locked when I got home, so the thief had a key, 2) the apt manager had just informed me the day before that they were going to change my locks becasue they never changed them when I moved in, and 3) my neighbor's kids SAW the previous tennant outside my apartment that day.

      My whole apartment had been rooted through, so I know there were fingerprints everywhere, and I *KNEW* who the thief was, and the cop assigned couldn't be bothered to take fingerprints or track the thief down. I called the cop a few times, and he said they got daily logs from the local pawn shops so they'd spot it if any of my stuff showed up. That's all he was interested in doing.

    5. Re:Local law enforcement uses eBay all the time by ergo98 · · Score: 1

      I wouldn't say that I'm overly cynical about police: I blame society just as much because, as public servants, they really are doing pretty much what we've asked for. Many people have a "oh, don't worry about it: That's what insurance is for" attitude that permeates the "personal theft is no biggie" situation, but the problem is that that encourages and breeds crime. Car thefts (and the incidental costs of them being used for joy riding, crash up derbies, etc) are a HUGE problem in my area, but again everyone has a "no biggie" attitude about it, despite the fact that in the end we all are paying for every penny of loss and damage (and, of course, because car thefts aren't heavily pursued, thieves steal cars to use as transport for even bigger crimes. It's the old broken window effect).

  10. A tribute to the FBI... by iworm · · Score: 5, Funny

    "We put two and two together," Houston FBI spokesman Bob Doguim said Monday. "We had missing rocks in Houston, and some people trying to sell them online."

    Heck, they're clever these FBI chaps, eh?

    1. Re:A tribute to the FBI... by Cpyder · · Score: 2
      Thanks... I just spilled coffee all over my keyboard while laughing my * off...

      You just made my day, thanks!

    2. Re:A tribute to the FBI... by clickety6 · · Score: 1
      It's interesting that the Feds were apparently TOLD by somebody that someone in Florida was selling moon rocks. You'd have thought they might have gone to google and done a search on "moon rocks for sale" and found them for themselves.

      Also interesting that the site that offered them was actually via the small ads on the homepage of the Mineralogy Club of Antwerp, Belgium. Seems he was trying to sell them outside the USA.

      --
      ----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------
    3. Re:A tribute to the FBI... by (H)olyGeekboy · · Score: 1

      Heck, they're clever these FBI chaps, eh? Yes, we are. I mean they! *THEY!* Damn. (I drive a big, dark blue Ford cargo van with tinted windows. My license plate is NOT FBI, and I have 4 antennae attached to the rear and roof.) Confuses the hell out of people. :)

    4. Re:A tribute to the FBI... by Anne_Nonymous · · Score: 1

      Actually, the FBI is out there actively looking for people selling moonrocks. There was an article on NPR a week or so ago about a fellow who had (legally?) bought a commemorative plaque containing a moonrock. Nixon had given the plaque to some South American country that had since gone revolutionary, and the item fell into the hands of a would-be moonrock entrepreneur in Florida. There's some sort of legal battle going on to determine the legality of ownership of the rock in the US. The point of all the OT rambling, being that, as stupid as they sound, the FBI is actually spending time hunting down real and fake moonrocks.

    5. Re:A tribute to the FBI... by PTBarnum · · Score: 1

      If I read the article correctly, the FBI was alerted to the advertisements a few months before the rocks were stolen. Unless you expect the FBI to be prescient, I don't see why they would have thought to search google for moon rocks back in March.

    6. Re:A tribute to the FBI... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      its a small lucite ball containing lunar material. not a plaque.

    7. Re:A tribute to the FBI... by Daetrin · · Score: 2

      No, but in that case you might have expected them to mention to NASA that they might want to keep a better eye on their moon rocks :)

      --
      This Space Intentionally Left Blank
    8. Re:A tribute to the FBI... by s.fontinalis · · Score: 1

      The one the treasury agents in my old appartment building drove was a Ford Aerostar, not a cargo van. It did have 4 antennas and tinted windows - and was 12 years old and in immaculate condition (the biggest give away). Not at all conspicuous

    9. Re:A tribute to the FBI... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think the newspaper writer was trying to be droll. The irony in the article is intended.

    10. Re:A tribute to the FBI... by FlemLion · · Score: 1

      Yup, they where indeed alerted.
      The guy was interviewed on Belgian radio this morning.

      It has something of an Hercule Poirot story really : a little Belgian helping the big great old FBI catch the bad guys. And at the same time also some resembles with an Internet romance, cause it all started by E-mail. The seller sending an E-mail. A concerned mineralogist sending an E-mail to the FBI, who was then coached by the FBI to keep the E-mail conversation going, untill some FBI agents could catch them, posing as his brother and sister in law.

      Nice anecdote is as well, that because the FBI did not trust people at NASA, he had to explain to the FBI how they would be able to distinguish a fake moonrock from a real one! Took some research but it must have been convincing enough :-)

    11. Re:A tribute to the FBI... by kaimiike1970 · · Score: 2

      I'm sorry, you were laughing your star off? Your asterisk off?

      I'll bet I could beat you up.

      --


      Do a google search before posting.
  11. Government property? by plumby · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Why is it government property? I thought there was an agreement that the moon was not owned by any country or government. Surely taking the rock from the moon doesn't actually mean that you then own it (as you've then stolen it from the rest of the world). If it belongs to anyone one earth, then maybe the UN, but not an individual government.

    1. Re:Government property? by MadFarmAnimalz · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Us Government property, UN property... Hmm. Am I missing a distinction in there?

      Let's not split geopolitical hairs.

      --
      Blearf. Blearf, I say.
    2. Re:Government property? by Scratch-O-Matic · · Score: 2

      The U.S. considers all lunar material brought back to Earth (so far) to be the property of the U.S., and I agree with them. They (we) are the ones who spent billions of dollars to get there and fetch it.

      One point on which I don't agree is the idea that we own it forever. Apparently there was some recent disagreement (perhaps discussed here on the dot?) that involved a moon rock that had changed hands a few times. The first change of hands (from the U.S. to a foreign dignitary) was legit, but one or more of the later transfers were not legit. I don't agree that the U.S. has a legitimate claim to it.

      By the way, and I think this came out in the earlier discussion, I think you misunderstand the concept of "ownership" of the moon. While it's true that we have agreed that the moon will not be the sovereign territory of any nation, that does not mean that materials and resources obtained on the moon cannot be owned. The point is that anyone has access to it. If anyone brings stuff back, it's theirs.

      --


      Evil is the money of root.
    3. Re:Government property? by collectspace · · Score: 1
      The U.S. is not claiming the rock you cite RE: "recent disagreement" rather enforcing its own laws.

      The rock, gifted to the country of Honduras in 1973, was smuggled back into the United States in 1995 -- the carrier never declared it at customs. The U.S. also prohibits stolen material from reentering the country and according to a law professor familiar with the Honduran legal system, the rock was illegimately obtained (for their part, the Honduran gov't is asking for the rock to be returned.)

      You can read the latest on this case, here.

    4. Re:Government property? by jaclu · · Score: 1

      If NASA retrieved those rocks, it seems fair that those rocks would be NASA prop.

      The moon itself isn't owned, so if you feel like it just go there and grab a few tons ;)

    5. Re:Government property? by great+throwdini · · Score: 3, Interesting

      One point on which I don't agree is the idea that we own it forever. Apparently there was some recent disagreement (perhaps discussed here on the dot?) that involved a moon rock that had changed hands a few times. The first change of hands (from the U.S. to a foreign dignitary) was legit, but one or more of the later transfers were not legit. I don't agree that the U.S. has a legitimate claim to it.

      Should I happen to be so lucky to recall this particular dispute correctly, the issue was that the lunar rock in question had been gifted to a foreign dignitary, subsequently stolen, and was now in process of being resold.

      Ah. Here's a reference to the lunar dispute. Seems the Feds want to reclaim a rock originally given to Honduras by President Nixon so that they may return it to the Honduran government. The person most recently in possession of the rock claimed to have bought it from a Honduran military officer who, in turn, claimed to have been given it as a gift some time ago. The Honduran gov't claims they never let it go willingly in the first place.

      And here's a 1995 lunar rock dispute, wherein the Feds claimed a rock put up for sale was stolen in the mail some twenty-odd years back. No idea what the resolution was in that case.

      Two things I note, here: (1) proposed sale of lunar material invites close scrutiny by the Feds; and (2) the Feds don't seem to be claiming ownership without end, but instead inspection and enforcement of transfer to and among individuals.

      Makes me wonder whether such intervention on the part of the Federal Government is really out of line with handling of similar national treasures. (Yes, though given as goodwill trinkets to other nations, I do believe the expense and historical value of the materials in question qualify them as such.)

    6. Re:Government property? by bbc22405 · · Score: 2, Funny
      One point on which I don't agree is the idea that we own it forever. Apparently there was some recent disagreement (perhaps discussed here on the dot?) that involved a moon rock that had changed hands a few times. The first change of hands (from the U.S. to a foreign dignitary) was legit, but one or more of the later transfers were not legit. I don't agree that the U.S. has a legitimate claim to it.

      Well, if you had read the Lunar Materials End User License Agreement that was shrink-wrapped around those rocks, you would know that the Central American government only had a non-transferable license to house and view those rocks; we actually retained ownership. That EULA explicitly prohibits resale and reverse engineering, and disclaims the rocks to be suitable for any purpose.

    7. Re:Government property? by eMilkshake · · Score: 1
      No one owns the moon, but the gob'ment owns what it hauls back from the moon. They put the labor in, you see.

      Remember, you own what you put your sweat in.

    8. Re:Government property? by LittleGuy · · Score: 3

      [i]Why is it government property? [/i]

      Procured with Government funds, perhaps?

      When individuals can send vehicles to land on the moon, scoop up samples, and return them safely, then they can do whatever with the samples.

      Rebuttal?

      --
      Mod Karma -1: I sed bad wurds. If I cep my mouf shut, I wud be at riyses.
    9. Re:Government property? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Remember, you own what you put your sweat in.

      Please tell that to the patent office.

    10. Re:Government property? by Martigan80 · · Score: 1

      Well it can't belong to the UN because not every country belongs to the UN.

      --
      This SIG pulled due to lack of funding. (This damn war is costing too much!)
    11. Re:Government property? by plumby · · Score: 2
      No one owns the moon, but the gob'ment owns what it hauls back from the moon. They put the labor in, you see.

      I suspect burglars could use that arguement. "I had to haul the TV out of his house, so it must be mine".

      Remember, you own what you put your sweat in.

      Tell that to your employer. If your contract is anything like most peoples, they own what you put your sweat in.

    12. Re:Government property? by itsnotme · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Its not like you OWN the earth either, its been around longer than any of us and we are claiming that patches of land on it belong to us exclusively. Why should the moon be any different, greed is greed.

    13. Re:Government property? by plumby · · Score: 2

      Kuwait was procured with Iraqi government funds. Does this meant that they should have been legally entitled to it?

    14. Re:Government property? by Scratch-O-Matic · · Score: 2

      the Lunar Materials End User License Agreement that was shrink-wrapped around those rocks...

      Actually, there is some disagreement here as well. The EULA was posted on a small brass placard mounted to a boulder in the center of the far side of the moon. It reads, in part, "By landing on this surface, you agree to be bound by the provisions of this license, including any future changes that may be made to it."

      --


      Evil is the money of root.
    15. Re:Government property? by the+gnat · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It's shocking how many people in this thread agree with you. As government property, it was available for research (one of the linked articles has an archived article discussing this) and held in trust for the people. In fact, that article says they get requests from institutions all over the world to study the rocks. Anyone who wants their own personal moon rocks can fund their own expedition to get them. I doubt the feds would have much of a case trying to wrest those away.

      At any rate, the point here is that these particular rocks were most certainly US property, and these assholes were trying to sell them to a private collector. I fail to see any gray area.

    16. Re:Government property? by CodeMonky · · Score: 2

      Apples and oranges.
      The moon is an unoccupied 'territory' not owned or claimed by any nation on earth.
      Kuwait is an occupied country with a government citizens.

      We went to the moon and took some rocks that (last I checked) where just chillin on the moon not being used for anything.
      Iraq went to Kuwait and took over their oil fields, equipment and all. Those where being used for something, namely providing oil and money for the people of kuwait.

      Now, if we knowlingly took the moon rocks knowing they where the fuel and income source of the moon people then your analogy would stand.

      --
      --"Karma is justice without the satisfaction"
    17. Re:Government property? by perljon · · Score: 0

      Actually, it is law that anything that is in space, and lands on American soil is considered property of the United States Government.

      I know this because of a 1997 Ohio State University week long conference on space. The SETI people there half-joked about this as the reason why the private American space program has never taken off.

      --
      This isn't the sig you are looking for... Carry on...
    18. Re:Government property? by plumby · · Score: 2

      The statement that I was replying to claimed that the reason it was US property was that it was Procured with Government funds, not that it wasn't being used by anyone else. The point was that procurement by government funds by itself is not enough justification to claim ownership by that government (and that was presented by the previous owner as the only justification needed).

    19. Re:Government property? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Iraq went to Kuwait and took over their oil fields, equipment and all. Those where being used for something, namely providing oil and money for the people of kuwait.

      That and the Iraqis raped and murdered thousands of Kuwaitis in the process...

    20. Re:Government property? by clickety6 · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Us Government property, UN property...

      Is the US still actually a member of the UN? I thought their representative just went along to the meetings for the free cookies!

      --
      ----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------
    21. Re:Government property? by Catmeat · · Score: 1
      As others have said, it belongs to the US government because the US paid to go get it.

      Even the Apollo samples that where presented to foreign heads of state where really on permanent loan to those countries. The US government has never given away or sold any lunar material, so any for sale is either fake or stolen.

      The only exception is a microscopic sample of lunar material was sold at Sotherby's a few years ago. However it was part of a couple of ounces of soil returned to earth by an unmanned Russian spacecraft. As the individual selling it had been presented with the sample by the Soviet government, it was perfectly OK for them to sell it.

    22. Re:Government property? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...or to socialists for that matter.

    23. Re:Government property? by iCEBaLM · · Score: 2

      Us Government property, UN property... Hmm. Am I missing a distinction in there?

      Yes, yes you are my arrogant american friend.

      -- iCEBaLM

    24. Re:Government property? by collectspace · · Score: 1
      Even the Apollo samples that where presented to foreign heads of state where really on permanent loan to those countries. The US government has never given away or sold any lunar material, so any for sale is either fake or stolen.
      This is not true. The 135 samples gifted to the foreign heads of state were just that, gifts. They are free and clear the property of the recepient nation and if they so chose to (under their own laws) could sell their rock to a private owner. Romania may have done just that...

      An article explaining this all is available here.

    25. Re:Government property? by CodeMonky · · Score: 2

      Oh I see.
      My mistake.

      --
      --"Karma is justice without the satisfaction"
    26. Re:Government property? by lunaman · · Score: 1

      or, indeed, to capitalists...

    27. Re:Government property? by chamenos · · Score: 1

      nah...they spent millions getting there, and getting the rocks back so its theirs.

      i went to china and i stole a piece of brick i broke off the great wall of china. after paying the airfare to and fro, the brick is mine! now i have a piece of chinese culture sitting in my trophy cabinet, not to mention the loose iron bar i plucked off the base of the eiffel tower when i went there last year.

    28. Re:Government property? by Noofus · · Score: 1

      Tell that to your employer. If your contract is anything like most peoples, they own what you put your sweat in.

      However your employer pays you for your work. Essentially they BUY what you produce from you. Thats how capitalism works, I guess. You do something. Someone gives you something valuable (money) in exchange for what you did. Both parties are happy.

    29. Re:Government property? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Obviously you are a foreigner who can not accept America's dominance over your own country. Until any kind of nwo takes place I think you should take a timeout .

    30. Re:Government property? by Dun+Malg · · Score: 2

      The point was that procurement by government funds by itself is not enough justification to claim ownership by that government

      True, but the whole "government funds" angle is quite common in governmental policy. If Joe Schome's Moon Transport was hired by the gov't to go get moon rocks, then the gov't could claim ownership of the rocks. They specify "gov't funds" as a shorhand way of saying "not only did our employees go there and get it, we paid every cent of the cost of doing so, so there's no frickin' way anyone can claim part of the loot we brought back".

      --
      If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
    31. Re:Government property? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Remember, you own what you put your sweat in.

      In that case, I own your girlfriend.

    32. Re:Government property? by JabberWokky · · Score: 2
      Kuwait was procured with Iraqi government funds. Does this meant that they should have been legally entitled to it?

      Yes. And they *were* legally entitled to it - it was theirs for awhile.

      Then about a dozen countries banded together and bought it back for the Kuwaiti people. What a nice gift.

      --
      Evan "You can buy things with money, subtlety, blood, or a combination of the three. Money and blood have finite limits".

      --
      "$30 for the One True Ring. $10 each additional ring!" -- JRR "Bob" Tolkien
    33. Re:Government property? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      i guess after spending billions of dollars to get the rocks in the first place, they feel that they have a right to use them

    34. Re:Government property? by Osiris+Ani · · Score: 1

      "The moon belongs to America...."
      - Troy McClure {The Simpsons, 4F21, "The Secret War of Lisa Simpson"}

    35. Re:Government property? by MadFarmAnimalz · · Score: 1

      You have no idea how far I am from being an American...

      I can understand your reaction, though I must ask you to go look sarcasm up in the dictionary.

      --
      Blearf. Blearf, I say.
    36. Re:Government property? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Dennis Hope owns the moon. At least according to his site. You can buy some here (not a plug). Matter of fact, I think it's a ripoff now (more so than before)... it used to be $20 for something like 1700 acres, now it's almost that for one acre. Although I have a friend who owns 17000+ acres - now that's an increase in property values.

      Anyway, these 'tards should have just bought some moon and gone on up there and picked up all the rocks they wanted.

    37. Re:Government property? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Now you know why your friends watch you so closely
      at parties.
      You clepto

  12. Who would buy these? by Myco · · Score: 5, Insightful
    What kind of idiot would buy moon rocks over the Internet for any appreciable sum of money? How exactly would you verify what you were buying? And what kind of idiot wouldn't know that any moon rocks for sale must be stolen property?

    There is, last time I checked, *one* moon rock in the U.S. (or the world?) that is in any way available to the public. You can go and touch it. I did. Whee. Looked like a rock, to me.

    1. Re:Who would buy these? by Pentagram · · Score: 1

      Where is this moon rock you can touch, out of interest?

    2. Re:Who would buy these? by WetCat · · Score: 1

      There is also some moon regolite taken from Moon
      by Soviet station Luna-12. It was on display in
      Politech museum in Moscow, Russia...
      But it's not rocks, it's like sand or dirt.

    3. Re:Who would buy these? by Trollmastah · · Score: 0

      Air and Space in Wash DC

      --

      .

      Take all good things in moderation, including moderation.

    4. Re:Who would buy these? by little1973 · · Score: 2, Informative

      "And what kind of idiot wouldn't know that any moon rocks for sale must be stolen property?"

      This is not true. You can find Moon rocks (even Mars rocks) on Earth since meteorites can tear material from the Moon (or Mars) at impact which may land on Earth afterwards.

      --
      Government cannot make man richer, but it can make him poorer. - Ludwig von Mises
    5. Re:Who would buy these? by collectspace · · Score: 2, Informative
      Lunar "touchstones" are located at the National Air & Space Museum, Space Center Houston and the Museo de Las Ciencias in Mexico. (I believe Kennedy Space Center also has a touchstone, but I am not sure.)

      You could also buy touchable lunar dust earlier this year...

    6. Re:Who would buy these? by nettdata · · Score: 2

      What kind of idiot would buy moon rocks over the Internet for any appreciable sum of money?

      Ironically, in this case, someone who would actually WANT moon rocks... these were legit!

      Hmmm... makes me re-think that whole Penis Enlargement ad I saw...

      --



      $0.02 (CDN)
    7. Re:Who would buy these? by perljon · · Score: 0

      I have some moonrock to sell to you then. E-mail me. Very reasonable prices.

      I accept VISA, CERTIFIED CHECKS, or MONEY ORDERS. (Pay Pal rips you off)

      --
      This isn't the sig you are looking for... Carry on...
    8. Re:Who would buy these? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Kennedy does indeed have a touchable moon rock

    9. Re:Who would buy these? by Peyna · · Score: 2
      Hmmm... makes me re-think that whole Penis Enlargement ad I saw...

      Perhaps this might change your mind about the Penis Enlargement Companies.

      --
      What?
    10. Re:Who would buy these? by divine19 · · Score: 1

      I would.... Its a moon rock.... so what? Could it not contain some intressting material or some of that stuff?

    11. Re:Who would buy these? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I touched it, I touched it when I was there and you didn't!!!! Hehehe, kneele before Zod!

    12. Re:Who would buy these? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Hmmm... makes me re-think that whole Penis Enlargement ad I saw...

      It's said that tying a piece of moon rock ...

    13. Re:Who would buy these? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is also a moon rock you can touch at the JSC Visitor Center in Houston. Its in the Starship Gallery. Its a really facinating place. I and my family and a close friend have been there many times. I never pass up an opportunity to touch "our moon". :)

    14. Re:Who would buy these? by Unknown+Poltroon · · Score: 1

      I aint gonna touch any damn moon rocks untill i can pick it up, put it in the pocet of my pressure suit and take it home with me.

      --
      All Troll + "offtopic" mods are meta moderated as "Unfair", because you abused the system.
    15. Re:Who would buy these? by Anonymous._.Coward · · Score: 1
      some intressting material

      Yesss, and it would be your preciousssss...

      --

      take a triptonica to subthunk

    16. Re:Who would buy these? by ckedge · · Score: 1

      The airport in Calgary has a Science exhibit (mostly aimed at kids), but it has a chunk of moon-rock on display. It's embedded in a big chunk of lucite. I was actually suprised to see it, I didn't know that NASA had given any of the moon rocks away for display purposes. (Or maybe my memory/the-display-caption is wrong, maybe it's a moon-rock via meteorite?)

    17. Re:Who would buy these? by Reality+Master+101 · · Score: 2

      And what kind of idiot wouldn't know that any moon rocks for sale must be stolen property?

      To be honest, I didn't know until now that there weren't any moon rocks in private hands. If you had asked me yesterday, I would've speculated that NASA allowed the astronauts to keep some samples that they brought back. I mean, isn't that the LEAST they could do? I'd be pissed if I went to the moon, but they didn't let me keep any souvenir. :)

      Obviously I would expect some sort of authenticity verification...

      --
      Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
    18. Re:Who would buy these? by Tablizer · · Score: 2

      (* What kind of idiot would buy moon rocks over the Internet for any appreciable sum of money? *)

      Hmmmm. Maybe I should sell "Fake Moon Rocks" via ebay or spam. Perhaps somebody wants to impress a babe or something. Don't need a real moon rock to do that since nobody without a lab can tell the difference. And, the prettier the girl, the less likely she has a lab. (No, I don't have statistics to back that.....yet.)

      "Fake Incased Moon Rock - Impress The Girls!"

      Sounds as good as any spam to me. Or how about:

      "Who needs a longer p*nis when you have a fake moon rock!"

    19. Re:Who would buy these? by guttentag · · Score: 5, Funny
      What kind of idiot would buy moon rocks over the Internet for any appreciable sum of money?
      The FBI.

      Idiot Selling Moon Rocks: "Hey, I got me some moon rocks for sale! Moon rocks! Get 'em while they're hot!"
      FBI Agent: "I'm very interested in your moon rocks. Where did you get them? I see... Where do I send the check?"

    20. Re:Who would buy these? by PatientZero · · Score: 3, Funny

      All they got was a fscking T-shirt.

      --
      Freedom to fear. Freedom from thought. Freedom to kill.
      I guess the War on Terror really is about freedom!
    21. Re:Who would buy these? by Tycho · · Score: 1

      There are three kinds of moon rocks. Those that were brought back by the Apollo missions. There were also some brought back by a lander sent by the Soviet Union. The third type is moon rocks where a meteorite landed on the moon, blasted out some rock, which made it into orbit and the rock then landed on Earth. The first type US citizens cannot own. The second type I think that maybe one or two samples are on the open market. The third type anyone can own. The only problem is that most moon rocks are basalt, which is common on the Earth, the moon, and in one class of asteroids. The only way to tell the difference between them is to date them using isotopic methods, which is expensive. Also the only places to get them are in Antartica, potentially Greenland and maybe in the middle of some large glaciers.

      --
      Impersonating Tycho from Penny Arcade since before there was a PA.
  13. price of the rocks by kbroom · · Score: 1
    "...tiny pieces of lunar soil and a famous Martian meterorite valued at more than $1 million."

    So how do put a price on that:

    • Take it to "the price is right".
    • They are universally around US 599,999.99/lb. (varying galaxy to galaxy and depending on the exchange rate).
    • Taking the rocks to the "antique roadshow".
    1. Re:price of the rocks by collectspace · · Score: 1
      For comparison: Three small lunar rocks (we're talking microscopic) returned by a Soviet robotic probe was sold at Sotheby's in the early 90s for $700,000.

      Christie's sold a lunar-dust stained patch, removed from moonwalker James Irwin's spacesuit for $310,000.

      Millimeter size cuts of dust-stained scotch tape were sold earlier this year for $6,000.

      More examples can be found here.

  14. uhm? by zmooc · · Score: 4, Funny

    oz? lbs? People living somewhere on the southern hemisphere and a harddisk access format? What do they have to do with moonrocks?

    --
    0x or or snor perron?!
    1. Re:uhm? by H3XA · · Score: 1

      its a US thing..... they are the imperial guards without a metric clue.

      heh.... Star Wars pun.... geez I suck

      - HeXa

    2. Re:uhm? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      due to the enormous joke that is the American education system (Speaking as a product of such)
      the populace here looks down at metric as being inferior and difficult.
      after all why just count in units of 10 when you can go in units of 12, then 3, then 5,280 for distance. much easier (heh...).
      Oz. = ounces I dont remeber the metric equivalent. there are about 16 Oz. to the pound (Lb.)
      1 Lb. (pound) weighs 2.2 kilograms

      hope that helps those who live in the civilized countries of the world a bit.

      Stirge

      Stirge

    3. Re:uhm? by Deluge · · Score: 1

      That's LBA, not lbs. Still, point taken :)

  15. 21st century student life is obviously harsh... by Elphin · · Score: 1

    ....thrown in jail just for mooning!

  16. You got that all wrong... by cnelzie · · Score: 2, Funny

    They would have gotten away with it, if it weren't for those kids and that dog!

    -.-

    --
    If you ignore the other uses of a tool, does that make the tool less useful, or you less useful?
  17. Stupid!!! by DaEvOsH · · Score: 1

    These guys should get a Darwin award ASAP for their stupidity.

    I hope they get a nice, large boyfriend in jail to remind them of their get rich fast idea.

    1. Re:Stupid!!! by tisaak · · Score: 1

      They didn't spontaneously remove themselves from the genetic pool, so they can't.

    2. Re:Stupid!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There's always the possibility in prison that they'll learn the joys of same-gender sex, which will effect the same results.

    3. Re:Stupid!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ummm.. Darwin Awards are only given to those geniuses who REMOVE THEMSELVES FROM THE GENE POOL in a stupid way... general stupidity and lack of common sense doesn't qualify them. (otherwise I imagine there'd be a lot more nominees!)

  18. other stolen rocks.. by Fuzzums · · Score: 5, Interesting

    one year ago there was a big diamond theft in amsterdam. No guns were used.
    the diamonds wee carried out thtough the front door in a microwavebox!

    [http://www.preciousgemstones.com/gffall01.html# th iev]
    $8 Million in Diamonds Stolen in Microwave
    In the Netherlands, a 25-year-old man calmly walked out of the offices of Amsterdam's Gassan Diamonds carrying a box stuffed with uninsured diamonds. He had arrived at the office with the box at the start of the working day, saying it contained a microwave oven. Benno Leeser, director of the 56-year-old family-run firm said, "He came with a microwave in the box, but he left with the diamonds." The suspect, said to be a former army cook who had worked for the firm since April, has vanished without a trace.

    --
    Privacy is terrorism.
    1. Re:other stolen rocks.. by GigsVT · · Score: 2, Funny

      The suspect, said to be a former army cook

      Hey I saw him in that action movie. It's a good thing they didn't try to fuck with him.

      --
      I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
    2. Re:other stolen rocks.. by Dthoma · · Score: 1
      "He came with a microwave in the box, but he left with the diamonds."

      Sounds like a fair trade to me!

      --

      Note to M1-ers: a curt but otherwise insightful message is not "Flamebait" or "Troll".

    3. Re:other stolen rocks.. by RazorJ_2000 · · Score: 1

      Yah, Siegal only bends over for the Mob...

      --
      pi=sigma{n:0-infinity}[(1/16)^n][(4/(8n+1))-(2/(8n +4))-(1/ (8n+5))-(1/(8n+6))]
    4. Re:other stolen rocks.. by ImaLamer · · Score: 2

      sounds like how we stole beer when i worked for a grocery store... worked next to the cooler, had an apple box cases fit right in.

  19. The "Moon": A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    It amazes me that so many allegedly "educated" people have fallen so quickly and so hard for a fraudulent fabrication of such laughable proportions. The very idea that a gigantic ball of rock happens to orbit our planet, showing itself in neat, four-week cycles -- with the same side facing us all the time -- is ludicrous. Furthermore, it is an insult to common sense and a damnable affront to intellectual honesty and integrity. That people actually believe it is evidence that the liberals have wrested the last vestiges of control of our public school system from decent, God-fearing Americans (as if any further evidence was needed! Daddy's Roommate? God Almighty!)

    Documentaries such as Enemy of the State have accurately portrayed the elaborate, byzantine network of surveillance satellites that the liberals have sent into space to spy on law-abiding Americans. Equipped with technology developed by Handgun Control, Inc., these satellites have the ability to detect firearms from hundreds of kilometers up. That's right, neighbors .. the next time you're out in the backyard exercising your Second Amendment rights, the liberals will see it! These satellites are sensitive enough to tell the difference between a Colt .45 and a .38 Special! And when they detect you with a firearm, their computers cross-reference the address to figure out your name, and then an enormous database housed at Berkeley is updated with information about you.

    Of course, this all works fine during the day, but what about at night? Even the liberals can't control the rotation of the Earth to prevent nightfall from setting in (only Joshua was able to ask for that particular favor!) That's where the "moon" comes in. Powered by nuclear reactors, the "moon" is nothing more than an enormous balloon, emitting trillions of candlepower of gun-revealing light. Piloted by key members of the liberal community, the "moon" is strategically moved across the country, pointing out those who dare to make use of their God-given rights at night!

    Yes, I know this probably sounds paranoid and preposterous, but consider this. Despite what the revisionist historians tell you, there is no mention of the "moon" anywhere in literature or historical documents -- anywhere -- before 1950. That is when it was initially launched. When President Josef Kennedy, at the State of the Union address, proclaimed "We choose to go to the moon", he may as well have said "We choose to go to the weather balloon." The subsequent faking of a "moon" landing on national TV was the first step in a long history of the erosion of our constitutional rights by leftists in this country. No longer can we hide from our government when the sun goes down.

    1. Re:The "Moon": A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by kzinti · · Score: 0, Troll

      The fake moon landing: an analysis of "photographs" brought back from the "moon" show that the "landing" was faked. Read on:

      NASA Fakes Moon Landing!

      --Jim

    2. Re:The "Moon": A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by bailout911 · · Score: 2

      Please, I'm sure you think it's funny to spew out garbage about the moon landing being a hoax, but some of us take science a little more seriously. Just in case you're serious about the moon landings being fake, here's some real scientific information about why they can't be fake.

      --
      --Stupid Sig Here--
    3. Re:The "Moon": A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by kzinti · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      OK, my first reaction was "What a fscking moron!"... but then I remember that the Slashdot Effect exceeded that poor guy's pathetic Tripod hourly bandwidth limit, and I realize maybe you haven't actually seen the photographic analysis at that site. So I'll be kind, withhold judgment, and I'll only say: wait until Brainsluice is back online, then go look at the pictures yourself. Then, if there's still any question in your mind about whether I'm serious, we'll have a real debate about taking one's pet issues (or one's self?) too seriously.

      --Jim

    4. Re:The "Moon": A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by Marx_Mrvelous · · Score: 3, Interesting

      If you're referring to any of the following "proof" that the landings didn't take place, then you need to do some real research:
      1. There was no crater under the lander.
      2. The shadows should have been completely dark.
      3. There are no stars in the night sky.
      4. You can see the letter "N" (or something) on a "prop" rock.
      5. You can see a reflection of a video camera, or an incorrect reflection (3rd spaceman, etc) in a visor.
      All of these "proofs" have been easily disproven. I'll enumerate:
      1. There will never be one, they approached the moon at several feet/sec. Do you hit the parking space at 100MPH?
      2. Simple physics: Light reflects. There are no truly dark shadows anywhere there is a light source that can reflect.
      3. The cameras were set to very fast exposure due to the extreme brightness so the stars did not have time to expose the film. (In addition, I beelive that there are stars in some of the real NASA pictures.)
      4. This is a scratch in the film; the real photo does not have this (or other imperfections that have been added by bad photocopies).
      5. I won't go into detail on all of them, but the imfamous "3rd spaceman" is actually an editied picture: again, it is not present in the originals.
      Go to the webpage previously referenced, it explains everything in detail.

      --

      Moderation: Put your hand inside the puppet head!
    5. Re:The "Moon": A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by kzinti · · Score: 1

      If you're referring to any of the following "proof" that the landings didn't take place, then you need to do some real research...

      Have you even seen the moon photos at the tripod site I mentioned? It IS real research! The photos are real, the analysis CONCLUSIVE. See the photos, they're 100% convincing!

      Oh, you guys are just too MUCH fun...

      --jim

    6. Re:The "Moon": A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by Jacer · · Score: 1

      Of course the moon exists! Dr. Evil put a laser on it, and Mr. Powers saved the day, with the help of himself from ten minutes from now, or was it ten minutes from then...

      --
      --fetch daddy's blue fright wig, i must be handsome when i release my rage
    7. Re:The "Moon": A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by crawling_chaos · · Score: 2
      On point 3, several of the astronauts commented that stars were not visible to the naked eye during lunar day. There was too much light bouncing off the surface. Stars won't appear just because the sky is black. Anyone who believes otherwise should try to find stars in the night sky in a brightly lit parking lot on Earth. The lunar surface is incredibly bright during the day, due to the lack of an atmosphere and a fairly high albedo. That's why they had the sunscreens down on their helmets 90% of the time.

      No that this changes the intent of your post in any way, of course. I just thought you might find it interesting.

      --
      You can only drink 30 or 40 glasses of beer a day, no matter how rich you are.
      -- Colonel Adolphus Busch
    8. Re:The "Moon": A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by NanoGator · · Score: 2

      "On point 3, several of the astronauts commented that stars were not visible to the naked eye during lunar day..."

      I think the lack of stars proves that Nasa landed on the moon. I mean think about it: If Nasa was really making a TV stunt, they would have had a starry background. That's the way TV worked those days, you give people what they expect.

      The 'hoax proof' is a rather comic read. They even had a version of it aired on FOX. Their 'expert photographer' knew absolutely nothing about how light works. That's pathetic. Somebody took some 'astronaut toys' and recreated the photos this guy panned. Heh it produced the same type of lighting.

      There's a book called 'Light-Science & Magic' by Hunter and Fuqua that goes into detail about how light works with photography. It doesn't talk about the moon specifically, but it does show how areas of light cause interesting shadows. I can imagine most anybody visiting Slashdot enjoying that book for one reason or another. It really helps you appreciate the pictures Nasa was able to take of the moon.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    9. Re:The "Moon": A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by WinDoze · · Score: 1

      there is no mention of the "moon" anywhere in literature or historical documents -- anywhere -- before 1950

      1929

    10. Re:The "Moon": A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by Xerithane · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The analysis isn't conclusive because it's not only done by a bunch of tin-foil hat wearing people who think Art Bell should be president, but completely flawed.

      Have you seen the original photos? I mean the originals. The real originals.

      Let me tell you a story, it's about Mars. You see, Mars has this face on it, right? It's a human face, that's how the story goes, if I recall. I saw the original feed. I had access to all of those images. Every single mars image we have ever taken, straight from the archives.

      You know what? All those "Mars Face" images are doctored. In a really easy way, just playing around with overlay and contrast and you get a very nice face.

      If you think that analyzing photographs and only photographs is considered real research than you really do need to take a forensics course when you get into college. If it would have been real research they would have explained and counter-proofed all the rebuttals.

      Such as why there is no crater. Which I think is the stupidest one of all. We are talking landing at less than 2 feet per second. 2 feet per second. You jump harder than that dipshit. I don't see craters forming on NBA courts everywhere. Hell, I don't see craters forming out in the dirt when you jump up and down.

      Anyway, go open your eyes read up on light reflection on the moon and physics, and you will see that you sound like a complete fucking moron right now trying to say this is a hoax.

      --
      Dacels Jewelers can't be trusted.
    11. Re:The "Moon": A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by Xerithane · · Score: 1

      Wooo.. sorry - I finally got through to see the site.

      hehe.

      Uhm, .. hehe ..

      No hard feelings mate?

      --
      Dacels Jewelers can't be trusted.
    12. Re:The "Moon": A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by Tablizer · · Score: 2
    13. Re:The "Moon": A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by chascarrillo · · Score: 1

      You can actually detect stars on at least some of the NASA photos. Pop 'em into Photoshop (or your image editor of choice), select the sky, and adjust the levels. There's several that I've found that do show stars after enhancing the image - assuming that they're not compression artifacts (unlikely) or imperfections in the camea (I'm completely unable to judge that).

    14. Re:The "Moon": A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by kzinti · · Score: 1

      Wooo.. sorry - I finally got through to see the site. hehe. Uhm, .. hehe

      Well, at least ONE other person on Slashdot knows I'm not a complete moron!

      --Jim

    15. Re:The "Moon": A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by Xerithane · · Score: 1

      I do have to say though that you gave me one of the biggest laughs I've ever had on slashdot. Granted, it was mostly at my own expense.

      I gotta thank you for that one.

      --
      Dacels Jewelers can't be trusted.
    16. Re:The "Moon": A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by PatientZero · · Score: 2

      "Texas Moon" is slang for a bare ass, like "full moon." Therefore, "Under a Texas Moon" refers to someone singing under someone else's bare ass. ;)

      --
      Freedom to fear. Freedom from thought. Freedom to kill.
      I guess the War on Terror really is about freedom!
    17. Re:The "Moon": A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by crawling_chaos · · Score: 2

      I would guess that those photos were taken in the "afternoon" or "morning" periods when the sun wasn't as bright.

      --
      You can only drink 30 or 40 glasses of beer a day, no matter how rich you are.
      -- Colonel Adolphus Busch
    18. Re:The "Moon": A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except that is is generally the kind of thing lefties will say about the righties. Except for the gun thing.

      We all know peniless hippies can't finance or influence this kind of expensive plot.

    19. Re:The "Moon": A Ridiculous Liberal Myth by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As for not being able to see stars in the moon photos... why would you see them?

      Anyone watch the NASA channel? When they do their camera shots from outside the Space Station or the shuttle the sky is always pitch black. Why? Not only because of the fact the contrast of Earth against the emptiness of space or the sun, but also because space is so vast and empty that you really can't see starlight most of the time! Yeah, it's really that empty. I would even wager that if you were to leave our solar system you'd be more likely to see almost pitch black in every direction.

      Believe it or not space isn't like Star Trek, Star Wars, or B5. It's more like 2001 A Space Oddesey. ... next thing you know someone will claim the space missions were faked because you couldn't hear the roar of the engines. After all, rocket engines are hella loud and you shoudl be able to hear them in space, right?

  20. Huh? by neksys · · Score: 2

    Is there a market out there to make any money off this? I mean - if I ran across "L@@K - real MOON ROCK from SPACE MISSIONS!!!!! N/R!!!!!!!" on eBay, I'd assume it was just a joke at best, or a scam at worst. I mean, sure, you can sucker someone into paying $100 for a fake moon rock, but a million or so for a rock that, as far as the public is concerned, may or may not be real? It doesn't seem like all that great a plan - perhaps it would've been better to contact some private collectors directly.

    1. Re:Huh? by MadFarmAnimalz · · Score: 2

      Please permit me to refer you to the authority on demand creation for potentially bogus merchandise.

      Glad to help out.

      --
      Blearf. Blearf, I say.
    2. Re:Huh? by evilempireinc · · Score: 1

      According to the article the students contacted a mineral collectors group directly. I think the idea was that the buyer and the students were to meet in person to sell the stuff so that way niether of them would get ripped off ( seller actually has rocks , buyer actually has $ ).

      --
      we can rebuild this sig. we have the technology
  21. Re:Rocks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I bet their nice and funny to when their all gang fucking your mother for rent money. Whats the matter white boy some Man bust a load in you ma and yo saw it? Awe poor icle child, musta left you scared for life. Well with any hope :D

  22. Motivation by Walt+Dismal · · Score: 1

    Obviously the moon rock thieves felt their profits could be, er, sky-high.

  23. Rocket Guy by dowobeha · · Score: 1

    I don't see why they didn't just try to convince Rocket Guy to let them borrow the rocket so they could go up pick some lunar rocks of their own! :)

    --
    I am concerned about any program, any piece of hardware, any treaty, any law that treats me as a consumer, not a citizen
  24. "Adventures" at NASA by collectspace · · Score: 2, Interesting
    The wonders the web holds. One of the defendents identified by agents as the ring leader maintained an autobiography on NASA JSC's Co-Op website (since removed by NASA but archived by collectSPACE.com).

    Quoting Thad Roberts:

    "At NASA I have been assigned to the coolest department of all. Formally known as the Earth Science and Solar System Exploration Division (ESSSE) it is now know as the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division (ARES). Most of the people in my building are Geologists, and that's how I got in here.

    "There are so many potential adventures to be had in my building."

    Somehow, I don't think NASA had his type of adventures in mind...

    (More on this story here.)

  25. Waddaya know? by DuranDuran · · Score: 1
    --
    "You can justify anything by putting it in quotes, adding a famous name and making it a sig" - Albert Einstein
  26. MiB2 by af_robot · · Score: 1

    Oh right, he must be the same guy who sells deneauralizer on ebay...

  27. Does this answer your question? by chevelleSS · · Score: 2, Informative
  28. Deserve the punishment anyway... by Knacklappen · · Score: 1

    ...not for being so dumb for getting caught but for stealing the things in the first place. As already being pointed out by others:
    - The Sceptics View: It's from the moon but looks like a rock, big deal...
    - The Business Man's View: Who can you sell that stuff to, without any certificate of authenticity?
    - The Geek View: These things belong to the scientific community, not high-bidding assholes (same goes for art)

    Puhish them, why not giving them 6 months (probation?)? This is not the same as sneaking into school one night with a key that happens to open the door to the chemistry lab and stealing some magnesium and other cool stuff... ummm... That was only hypothetical and you can't prove anything!!

    --


    Excellence: Moderate (mostly affected by comments on your karma)
    1. Re:Deserve the punishment anyway... by guybarr · · Score: 1

      why not giving them 6 months (probation?)?

      why not give them several years in prison were they apparently belong ?

      or, alternatively, they could allways finance the next mission to the moon to replace what they stole ...

      --
      Working for necessity's mother.
  29. Where is the news? by pieterh · · Score: 3, Interesting

    What is the real story here? 10oz of rock fragments for $2000-8000 per oz = $20-80k, not really a million dollar heist. This amounts to a theft of around 1/1400th of the total brought back from the moon. Big deal. It's the price of one new car.
    It's maybe worth commenting how law enforcement is starting to use the Internet to cross reference thefts with sales. But seriously: doing manual searches of e-Bay is not what I'd consider automation.
    Summer time... and the news is slow.

    1. Re:Where is the news? by drsoran · · Score: 2

      I wonder if the FBI was actually the ones to notice it or if the NASA engineers browsing eBay for shuttle replacement components saw it and tipped them off.

    2. Re:Where is the news? by bbc22405 · · Score: 1
      What is the real story here? 10oz of rock fragments for $2000-8000 per oz = $20-80k, not really a million dollar heist.

      I'm guessing that you, and the writer for the Houston Chronicle article, were on the engineering team for that probe that crashed into Mars because they mixed up metric and US units. If you read the article, and convert the units, you learn that the total final asking price of these rocks was more than $566,000, and perhaps much more.

    3. Re:Where is the news? by UM_Maverick · · Score: 4, Informative

      Not exactly...it was 2-8K per GRAM, not per ounce. At 28.4 grams per ounce, this becomes $568K-$2.2 million. So yeah, it really is a million-dollar heist.

      Also, the FBI didn't find it themselves...they were tipped off by "a belgian rock hound"

  30. ...can't...resist... by McCart42 · · Score: 5, Funny

    It'll be interesting to see them use the defense that "it was the moon rock gnomes!" ...can't resist this one.

    1. Steal moon rocks.
    2. ???
    3. Profit!

    --
    "I may be quite wrong." - Socrates
    1. Re:...can't...resist... by H3XA · · Score: 1

      in a related matter.... if they are college students, why aren't they stealing panties from the girls dorms instead of moon rocks - maybe they like sniffing moon rocks more.. [Decency filter activated]

      - HeXa

    2. Re:...can't...resist... by the+way,+what're+you · · Score: 1

      Hello, they work for NASA... they have a better chance of coming face to face with moon rocks than girl's panties.

      --
      example.org - powered by Linux!
    3. Re:...can't...resist... by Mr+Guy · · Score: 2

      Are you kidding?

      Can you imagine the panty removal power of:

      "Actually, I AM a rocket scientist..."

      or

      "I have tomorrow off, NASA believes even astronauts should get a break once in a while."

      You don't need to BE an astronaut or rocket scientist, you just need the NASA id badge.

    4. Re:...can't...resist... by lunaman · · Score: 1

      I've tried the first one, it doesn't work. Of course, maybe I should have tried it more than a couple of miles away from JSC... local women just aren't impressed by that.

    5. Re:...can't...resist... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      While we're beating dead horses...
      One of the theives was heard to say:
      "All your moon rock are belong to us."

    6. Re:...can't...resist... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you remember the story, they tried to *sell* the rocks for a profit (100% profit). The second phase would be "Sell the rocks". There's nothing like a good underpants gnome reference, but this was nothing like a good underpants gnome reference.

  31. Sorta makes you wonder... by BlackMesaResearchFac · · Score: 0

    Obviously it's a small sample size (3 of the 4), but it sort of makes you wonder about the types of people wanting to join NASA these days.

    You would think these would be some of the brightest people in the world and yet 3 of them were dumb enough to pull this stunt. It was a complete failure before it started. You can't sell moon rocks without raising flags somewhere. It's mind boggling how what one would assume to be very logical minds not being able to deduce that.

    --
    -- Scientist: You aren't going to leave me here, are you? Boagh! Thump...
  32. I think it's sad. by CountBrass · · Score: 1

    Probably just a moment of utter stupidity and now their lives are screwed. Bet they're wishing they could slingshot around the sun...

    --
    Bad analogies are like waxing a monkey with a rainbow.
  33. thank you, you stupid fucking intern by xeeno · · Score: 2, Insightful

    for making life hard for the rest of us at NASA. Because of this, every person interning at NASA is going to be put under the microscope.

    1. Re:thank you, you stupid fucking intern by The+Dobber · · Score: 3, Funny

      Yeah right. NASA willl probably form a team to review the issue and come back with the suggestion of A) decreasing the standards for internship B) increasing the compensation.

      As for the FBI, gotta love those analytical skills
      To quote:

      "We put two and two together," Houston FBI spokesman Bob Doguim said Monday. "We had missing rocks in Houston, and some people trying to sell them online."

      Wow.

    2. Re:thank you, you stupid fucking intern by cnkeller · · Score: 1
      "We put two and two together," Houston FBI spokesman Bob Doguim said Monday. "We had missing rocks in Houston, and some people trying to sell them online."

      Obviously one of those rare times that a rocket scientist isn't working for NASA....

      --

      there are no stupid questions, but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots

  34. First Monica... by faithfriends · · Score: 1

    First Monica, now the space guys, giving interns a bad name forever...

    Jeremy
    Faith Friends

    1. Re:First Monica... by HiQ · · Score: 1

      Yeah, but at least Monica gave a whole new impulse to the cigar industry...

    2. Re:First Monica... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      yeah, i almost did something really, really stupid (not on this scale but bad) when I was 19, it's funny how sitting around and partying with 3-4 people on a regular basis can lead you down an incredibly stupid path. ESPECIALLY is one of the people has an idea that, although it sounds really stupid at first, just keeps growing on you, and he just keeps bringing it up week after weeek....oh well. As you say, this was a terrible mistake for all of them.

  35. Money on the the Moon! by invid · · Score: 2

    For any far reaching businessman, the Moon means ready cash. Heck, and $8000 an ounce, this should make a private enterprise trip to the Moon financially viable. Send up an unmanned probe with a big scoop and bucket and you should be able to get a few hundred pounds back no problem. 100 pounds of the stuff will get you almost 13 million dollars. With all the money leaving the stock market, the rich need to invest in something. Forget gold, invest in Moon rocks!

    --
    The Moore-Murphy Law: The number of things that will go wrong will double every 2 years.
    1. Re:Money on the the Moon! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow, you're so smart, will you be my financial adviser? I'll pay you in moon dust.

      See, the problem with your idea is supply and demand. Right now there is very little supply, so that scarcity drives the price way up. If you set up an enterprise to bring back hundreds of pounds of the stuff, suddenly you have plenty to go around, and the price drops accordingly. Now your investment is about as smart as buying Enron stock.

    2. Re:Money on the the Moon! by invid · · Score: 2

      If you bring, lets say, a ton of it back to Earth, it will still be a rare enough commodity to make money on. Take a few visible grains, put them in clear resin in cheap $2 rings and sell them on The Home Shopping Network for $50 bucks a piece. "Get your cosmic moon ring!" Sure, the price will go down, but it will still be rarer than diamonds.

      --
      The Moore-Murphy Law: The number of things that will go wrong will double every 2 years.
  36. I don't get it by The+Mutant · · Score: 3, Interesting
    How on earth did they expect to get away with it, considering its relatively (in italics since I'm assuming folks like these would have clear knowledge) well known that possession of moon rocks by US citizens is illegal.

    Its even been discussed on /. before.

    Now that being said, its very common in the art world for works of art - sometimes priceless ones at that - to be stolen and to disappear into private collections.

    And I could fully understand if any one of these geeks took the rocks and stashed them away in their bedrooms. Hell, who wouldn't want a chunk of the moon in their bedroom?

    But to try to sell on the 'Net?!??

    I'm missing something here, but I guess its because was assuming they were bright.

    1. Re:I don't get it by HiQ · · Score: 2

      This law then doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Considering the fact that, given the effort, it is perfectly legal to visit Antarctica, plus the fact that a lot of material from Mars, and even probably from the moon, can be found there, it is very well possible to own this kind of material, without the need to ever visit the actual moon/planet(s).

  37. mod this up ^^^ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    funny and hilarious!

  38. Too many Pink Panther movies? by ianscot · · Score: 1

    Okay, so just how did they get the lunking big safe out? This wasn't only a few ounces of moonrock. It was a few ounces of moonrock, several bits of the Martian meteor that had the suggested microbial signatures in it, and a BIG safe around them: a 600-pound safe. How do you check out of the NASA building lugging a 600-lb safe? Where do you dispose of it later? Why didn't NASA have an alarm on any of this stuff? Guess we'll find out now.

    At $8,000 U.S. per gram, the outside price, the moon rocks (5 oz = around 142 grams) would have fetched a little over a quarter million bucks each for the four kids. The low end, $2000, would get around 71 grand apiece. The meteor would have added to that some. Was it worth the risk of having no career?

    The good news is that the "Belgium (sic) rock hound" and his friends knew when they'd be over the line. Fencing something unique isn't always this hard; stolen original paintings end up in private collections, for example. The people on the other end of this had consciences.

    --
    "Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
    1. Re:Too many Pink Panther movies? by elh01 · · Score: 1

      Okay, so just how did they get the lunking big safe out?

      It's not as hard as you think. I worked at JSC about 6 years ago. Yes, it's hard to get through the front gate, but once you get badged (3 different badges in my case) you can get a pretty broad access to the facility. Different areas of JSC had different access requirements (mission control, computer simulation facility, geologic samples). From his bio, he said he worked in the astromaterials department, so obviously he had access to these rocks.

      As far as lugging a 600 lb safe/container out of the building, it's not that difficult. First of all, security protocol is not that tight. I remember going to a secured library one day and the door was propped open with a box marked TOP SECRET (old DOD era mission info). People are a little more focused on the job at hand. Security was never really pushed very hard on us (although I assume that will change now). People were always lugging heavy equipment back and forth, and there are pallet jacks and loading docks at most of the buildings. Getting the safe out would have been no major effort.

      What I wonder is why they needed 4 people to do this? If Roberts had access, then that's all he needed. I could see having his college buddy help him with the heavy lifting, but why involve the two girls? Maybe trying to impress them? Maybe the girls were the brains of the operation? Of course, I use the term "brains" loosely.

  39. Good ole days by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This reminds me of the time we tried to sell some uranium we stole from the nuclear plant on ebay. It was all fun and games till my arm fell off.

  40. Not exactly... by No+Such+Agency · · Score: 2

    Unlike the moon rocks, the TV in your example belongs to somebody else to begin with. The moon rocks were just sitting there on the moon until the US Gov't. (admittedly not my favorite institution) spent $billions to bring them back for scientific analysis. Therefore, I'd say they're the "owners". And it's not like they don't release the data to the scientific community by publishing it. That's far more useful than giving away the rocks themselves.

    --
    Freedom: "I won't!"
  41. Obligatory Mooninites quote by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Life isn't about material goods. It's about taking material goods when others aren't looking!

  42. What do you bet.... by CaffeineAddict2001 · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... one of them tried to smoke the moon rock in thier crack pipe.

    1. Re:What do you bet.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      that was a pretty good one. Props to you. I bow down.

  43. Rock hound? by Strike · · Score: 1

    Why on Earth would anyone be a self-proclaimed "rock hound"? I mean, does this include precious gems (I hope, for sanity's sake), or does a "rock hound" just have some screwed up fetish for rough earthen materials?

    If someone were to walk up to me and say "Hey man, I'm a rock hound," I would assume:
    a) the person is just insane, or
    b) they are trying to sell me crack
    Did this guy call up the FBI and say he was a "rock hound"? Had I taken the call I would have said "sorry, buddy, you want our buddies in the DEA *click*" Sure, we would have lost the case and it would have been all my fault, but it would have struck a blow for common sense.

    1. Re:Rock hound? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Rock hound" is the term for amateur collectors of rock and mineral specimens. Usually, it's not just any old rock they would be interested in, but rocks having some special characteristic (such as beauty or, in this case, scientific significance). A professional "rock hound" would be a mineralogist or a petrologist.

  44. More Background Information by clickety6 · · Score: 1


    Here:
    http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-072 202a.html

    and more moon rocks for sale here:

    http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-121799a.ht ml

    (possibly!)

    --
    ----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------
  45. Obligatory Simpsons Quote: by dr_dank · · Score: 2

    "I've got moon rocks in my nose!"
    -Ralph Wiggum

    --
    Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
  46. You have to be the dumbest idiot by $criptah · · Score: 1

    ...if you have an internship at NASA and you still manage to fuck it up, just because you want to sell some moon rocks online. With the same luck, you can go down to Arizona desert, find some odd looking rocks, pack them up and sell them, its not like everybody knows what a 'real' moon rock looks/feels like. If those kids had more brains, they would work really hard for NASA so they could get a job there and then sell some real documents to our not-so-friendly countries like China, North Korea, Iraq, etc. Now because of those stupid kids our tax payers will have to pay more taxes, so NASA can start reviewing applicants more precisely upon hiring.

    1. Re:You have to be the dumbest idiot by Gennette · · Score: 1

      eh, having an internship with NASA isn't that special. And NASA isn't hiring now anyway...not even former interns that don't steal rocks. I sure wish I'd thought to take something while I was working there. I might have gotten away with it too.

  47. What do you want from Valley Dudes? by Steve+Franklin · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Thad, Tiffany, Sean, and, um, Shae.... Need I say more?

    --
    Hic iacet Arthurus, rex quondam rexque futurus.
  48. Not even cute. by kyoko21 · · Score: 1

    Off topic: Man, did anyone see the video feed? She wasn't even that cute... lol! At least if she was kind of cute it would have been worth the effor to check out the video feed... :-) hehehehe

  49. Yeah, throw the book at 'em. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The eBook, that is.

  50. Bible proves the moon can't orbit the earth. by dpbsmith · · Score: 2

    "And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night." Ergo, the God-given purpose of the moon is to provide light during the night. Ergo, there cannot be such things as moonless nights. Ergo, the moon cannot orbit the earth.

    1. Re:Bible proves the moon can't orbit the earth. by Batou · · Score: 1

      I'm hoping that this was modded up as "funny".

      The only thing the Bible has "proven" over the years is the propensity of dull-witted people to believe anything they're told.

      --
      "Oh my God! The dead have risen! And they're voting Republican!" - Bart Simpson
  51. These Belgian rock hounds... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are they just native to Belgian or is that tbe place one can procure them? Are they a recognized breed by the Westminster Kennel Club?

    I did a lookup on Google and could find no information regarding the duration of the breed so that I'd know what to look for in pedigree. As you can deduce I'm quite interested so any further information you could supply would be appreciated.

  52. The Moon Landing was Faked. by teamhasnoi · · Score: 2
  53. Not that "dumb"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Famous art has been stolen and successfully offloaded onto the black market in a similar fashion for quite awhile. I'd dare say it wasn't the idea that was lacking but the execution.

  54. Moonseed! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ever read the book Moonseed? Forget about the property theft - the saftey of the entire world is at stake here!

  55. Hey, Ann Coulter is trolling /.! by alienmole · · Score: 1

    This sounds exactly like Coulter's new book!

  56. The price of spamming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Interesting that the FBI didn't find these kids themselves - they were told about them by an anonymous Belgian geologist. And how did the Belgian geologist find out about them?

    They spammed his club's newsgroup.

    There's a moral there.

  57. Too late once again.. by kemster · · Score: 2, Funny

    .. Damn it. I knew I should have used Buy It Now. Now the auction is gone :( No moon rocks for me, and I was all ready to paypal those guys too.

  58. I was a co-op at NASA JSC... by dsr9996 · · Score: 1
    And these people really surprise me because all the other co-ops and interns had three things in common:
    1) They loved NASA and the space program,
    2) They were all very intelligent, and
    3) They all very honest from all my dealings with them.

    That was about 3 years ago, but still, to steal something from the people who have given you the privilege to work at a prestigious place and given you the opportunity for once-in-a-lifetime experience is baffling.

    The reason they were probably able to steal the stuff is because co-ops are trusted so much there. It is almost unquestioned that the people who pass the screening process have a true desire to work at NASA and are of good moral character. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case, and now future co-ops and interns will probably not be given as many privileges and have access to as many areas as before.

    It's a shame...

    --
    "It's always that rotten million that spoil it for the other 11."

  59. Atleast it wasn't crack rock by C.U.T.M. · · Score: 1

    Their parents can be proud knowing that they were caught trying to sell moon rock instead of crack rock.

    I can see the market for 'My college kid sells moon rock' bumper stickers sky rocketing. Time for someone to make a quick buck.

  60. Hmm. by mindstrm · · Score: 2

    Okay.. so if I'm in the US of A, and I pick up a rock off the ground, and take it home to Costa Rica...

    have I 'stolen' US Property?

    1. Re:Hmm. by sosentos · · Score: 1

      No but if I pick up a rock from the US and take it to my house in Costa Rica and put it on my table. And then if you come in and take the rock from my table then you have stolen from me.

    2. Re:Hmm. by plumby · · Score: 2

      If it's a valuable rock (which I'm assuming the moon rock is), then quite possibly. You've probably breached someone's mineral rights.

    3. Re:Hmm. by CrazyDuke · · Score: 1

      You have to have the permission of whoever owns the property. Any gold artifacts found apparently belong to the US government. If they find out you have some and haven't told them, the feddies show up.

      --
      Any sufficiently advanced influence is indistinguishable from control.
    4. Re:Hmm. by _Sprocket_ · · Score: 2

      JSC houses a considerable collection of rocks they picked up from the ground from various sites around the world. They are meteorite fragments. In fact, this very case involved not just lunar rocks but samples of the infamous Mars meteorite. What do you think JSC security would think about you waltzing in there and just picking one or two up to take home?

      Many museums have extensive rock and mineral collections. Some consist of precious stones. Some are simply examples of more common minerals. You would find the same kind of reaction from their security if you decided to take home a sample from there too.

      Now - what if you launched your own moonshot a'la Salvage1. Then you would be free to pick up as many rocks as you wished and take them home to Costa Rica. Or begin a brisk business on eBay and complicate the FBI's future lunar sample theft investigations.

  61. Narf by Zabu · · Score: 1

    Pinky: "Naaaaaarrff! Oh, Brain! Aren't they beautiful!"

    Brain:"Yes, Pinky. Are you pondering what I'm pondering?"

    Pinky: "I think so, Brain, but don't you think Microsoft already has a software package that limits the spread of ideas?"

    Brain: "No, Pinky! I mean Moon Rocks! Look at them! The moon is the symbol of everything. Every creature looks up to it at night. If some genius were able to go in to the JSC and take the moon rocks he could use the power of the moon to force the masses to conquer the astrology pages, even the palm readers and eventually the world! And I, Pinky, am that genius."

    Pinky: "But, Brain, how are we going to get the moon rocks"

    Brain: "Simple. There interns are underpaid and young, they could easily steal the moon rocks and bring them to me, then I will have the power of the moon and then- the world!"

    Pinky: "Lets sell them on ebay..um..-narf!"

    --
    It's all good.
  62. Step 2... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sell moon rocks on Ebay (preferably without getting caught)...

  63. Boy did I get the wrong image in my mind... by NanoGator · · Score: 2

    "FBI Arrests 4 College Interns For Stealing Lunar Materials"

    When I read this headline, the first image in my mind was of college kids building a rocket and 'stealing' lunar materials. I can see some MIT kids getting drunk and doing exactly that heh. As for the FBI getting involved: Anybody remember that Simpsons quote "The Moon belongs to America." :)

    --
    "Derp de derp."
  64. Here's what went down... by Gennette · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Here's what I get from reading the actual article in the Houston paper, rather than just reading the little summary. Four friends decide it would be funny to post something about selling moon rocks. They haven't stolen the rocks at this point, and they probably don't really intend to. They have some good laughs over it, I'm sure. Then, someone actually replies about wanting them! (someone that is just a front for the FBI) Encouraged by the huge amount that he is supposedly willing to pay, they are enticed to actually steal the rocks. In fact, they don't even steal them till after the undercover FBI people set up a price and meeting place. By this point, they feel like they're in too deep to back out. The joke has gone too far. They feel they have no choice but to actually follow through. Hello entrapment! (anyone who actually read it, feel free to discuss...others please don't comment)

    1. Re:Here's what went down... by Binky+The+Oracle · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You wouldn't happen to be their defense lawyer, would you? Because that's exactly the argument I'd take to try to make to weasel out of this. "It's ahl a gubmint cohnspeerasee yah honah! These heah rocket wizahds was TRICKED into a life ah crime!"

      I'm not a lawyer, but if I recall correctly, entrapment only occurs when the enforcement organization actively initiates the transaction or crime.

      For example, let's say that the FBI puts two and two together (as they're apparently good at doing) and thinks that Senator Hollings is on the take. They call him up, offer him some money in return for some legislation, and pay him off. Well, ok, that's not a great example because we already know he's on the take, so this is just a sting proving his behavior. ;-)

      Instead, let's say your local police force sends an undercover officer to your house and the cop convinces/coerces you to take his gun and hold up the convenience store down the street. He goes with you and arrests you when you pull out the gun in the store. That's entrapment.

      If, however, I start asking around about where I can get a gun fast and the police get tipped off and start an undercover operation to catch me doing whatever it is I'm planning, that's not entrapment.

      Regardless of their original intent, at least one of these four posted an email saying they had lunar materials for sale on a web site and subsequently followed through with the theft and attempted sale. Their intent could conceivably have bearing on sentencing, but shouldn't on whether or not they're guilty of the crime. They said they had moon rocks for sale, they stole moon rocks, they tried to sell the stolen moon rocks. Period.

      (And yes, I read the Chron article.)

      --

      Slashdot comments... splitting hairs since 1997.

  65. Thad Roberts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    One of the arrested interns, was a student of mine when I was a teaching assistant at the University of Utah. He was quite a people-pleaser, but as I recall, had little academic ability. I was told, that he commonly cheated his way through classes. I can't substantiate such a claim, but given the difficulty he had with freshman physics, I don't find it difficult to believe.

    He was instrumental in starting the University of Utah Astronomical Society, though this was probably largely a social exercise for him, as his knowledge of astronomy was weaker than that of the average high-school student.

    Thad was quite fond of fantasizing about his future career as a Noble prize-winning astronaut (email was astronaut_thad@yahoo.com at one point). As great as my doubts were at the time about him achieving his ambitions, it seems quite unlikely that he shall succeed at this point; though it would be untrue to suggest that recent events are anything short of shocking, my perception of Thad as someone with a proclivity for dishonesty was apparently not entirely unjustified.

    I thought a little (scandal-mongering) biographica would be appropriate, as I doubt very much any of the major news sources are likely to interview me.

    Disclaimer: I am not presently affiliated in any way with the University of Utah, NASA, or Thad Roberts.

    1. Re:Thad Roberts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Funny, when I was at the Univerisity of Utah a decade ago (and my father, several decades earlier) there already was an astronomical society on campus. Oddly enough there was also an observatory on campus, although it got VERY little use due to the light pollution of the valley. -- everyone prefered to go for a bit a drive either east of campus to Little Mountain or west out past Dugway.

    2. Re:Thad Roberts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The astronomical society collapsed and was reborn. The observatory still exists, and is the focus of the present society's activities, largely because they're too stupid to really care about light pollution, though they also drive elsewhere. There also used to be a photo lab in the South physics building, but that too has fallen into disuse; if I were to start using it, I could claim that I was the founder of the physics phootgraphy society, or whatever.

  66. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  67. spacesuit dust by peter303 · · Score: 2

    I recall the dust on lunar space suits was auctioned to public by a private collector at one time.

  68. Can you say M-O-N-O-P-O-L-Y? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you are the only legitimate source of moon rocks then you have a monopoly and can set your own price.

  69. Ahh by mindstrm · · Score: 2

    But the moon rock is not valuable because of some inherent value. It's valuable because it's from the moon. There is no shortage of moon rock; it's not unique, nothing has been 'stolen' from the moon.Anyone else who goes there can get truckloads of it.

    So to say that the US has 'stolen' the rock from the moon because they don't have rights to the moon is absurd.

  70. Was this part of an FBI Sting? by KE1LR · · Score: 1
    This seems to dovetail with a story that I heard on NPR on July 16th (story link) about a man in Guatemala who had a real moon rock that he wanted to sell - a wafer of rock about the size of a fingernail brought back by an Apollo mission (17?) that had been given, mounted on a plaque, by the Nixon administration to the Guatemalan government in gratitude for something or other and eventually came, through a route that is still unclear, into the hands of this individual.

    Meanwhile (and this is where the dovetail comes in) the FBI had set up in Florida and posted advertisements in magazines in order to lure people who were selling fake moon rocks over the net and in other places. When the Guatemalan man attempted to contact them and sell his (real) rock (for a seven-figure sum) the FBI was stunned to find that there was actually a real moon rock out there because they hadn't expected to find any.

    The whole thing is now tied up in litigation because the US claims that the rock doesn't properly belong to its current owner because it was given to the Guatemalan government/people.

    I wonder of the students saw the same ad and figured they could make some big bucks.

  71. One of these things is not like the other... by Binky+The+Oracle · · Score: 2

    One of these things is not like the other... tell me, can you guess which one?

    (Scroll down and look at the photos and descriptions)

    When I first saw the lineup I laughed out loud:

    • Thad Ryan Roberts, NASA co-op, Age: 25, Worked at the Neutral Buoyancy Lab Mission Operations Directorate. Triple major at University of Utah.
    • Tiffany Brooke Fowler, NASA intern, Age: 22, She worked in Biological Systems in Space and Life Sciences. Recent graduate of Texas Lutheran University. From Odessa.
    • Shae Lynn Saur, NASA intern, Age: 19, Worked in Structural Engineering with Thermal Design. Worked last summer in the X-38 program. Pursuing a B.S. in engineering from Lamar University.
    • Gordon Sean McWorter, Age: 26

    Just look at those photos and descriptions and then try to guess which one was saying (in his best Steve from Dell voice), "DUDE! Like, if you could get some of those rocks, we could make... like... I bet at least 200 bucks!" (Suppressed laughter to hold his smoke)

    Incidentally, I bet the University of Utah, Texas Lutheran University, and Lamar University are oh so happy with having their names displayed so prominently. Shining alumni indeed!

    --

    Slashdot comments... splitting hairs since 1997.

  72. Drat! Foiled again! by de_boer_man · · Score: 1

    Oh, GREAT.

    I FINALLY get a great idea that is going to make me MILLIONS, and now I'm too scared to go through with it. You see, I was going to market and sell pieces of stone sculpted into shapes resembling the buttocks of various celebrities.

    But now I can't. I don't want the feds busting me for the sale of "Moon Rocks."

    Back to the drawing board...

    --
    .sig wanted. Inquire within.
  73. You know .. by cje · · Score: 1

    .. I should start charging royalties each time this thing gets reposted. :)

    --
    We're going down, in a spiral to the ground
  74. Gives a whole new meaning... by Guru2Newbie · · Score: 0

    ...to the phrase "get your rocks off!"

  75. International Waters by TamMan2000 · · Score: 1

    International waters belong to no nation, but the fish pulled out of the water belongs to the fisherman who caught them.

    Same with the rocks from the moon being US property

    --
    "I'll have a Guinness, no wait, make that a Coors Light" -Grad student I work with, who shall remain anonymous...
  76. What is really interesting... by cr0sh · · Score: 2
    What I find really interesting about this story (as well as the assertations I have read of it being illegal for an American to own lunar surface artifacts) is the high value placed on these things.

    While I understand that the properties of lunar dust and rocks is unique, it is still just "dirt". Nothing really that special. What makes these things so valuable isn't their properties, or the rarity - but rather the amount of money and time it took to go there and get them, and bring them back.

    The only way these items could ever drop in value would be if travel to the moon became more routine, especially if artifacts were brought back. However, I wonder if certain interests want to prevent this from happenning.

    Here we are, the world, a couple of years into a new millenium, and the greatest acheivement ever in mankind's history happened 30 years ago, and has never been repeated. Instead, we wage war on each other, stifle each other's rights, are ground up and spit out, and if we are lucky, we die leaving a little something behind for our children.

    So fucking pathetic.

    --
    Reason is the Path to God - Anon
  77. Standard procedure for such incidents... by Shirloki · · Score: 1

    "Yes, let us pull down his pants and spank him with the moon rocks."

  78. You have found the Dragon! by chascarrillo · · Score: 1
    You hit the nail on the head. Check out McWorter's entry out from a Shaolin Guestbook:

    I am ever growing. I am ever discovering another ability or talent coursing through me. The energies of balance. The Yen and the Yang. I am light and darkness and accept Zen. I have never felt so much power in the Christian world! I am real! Connected with all of nature where the power of life trully resides to discipline, teach, and reveal. I am sad at my lonely position. I dream of finding a master to learn the Shaolin. To be the Dragon I was meant to be. 03/03/76. I was born in the year of the Dragon. I hold to the spinning enegies of it's balance. I yearn to fly and feel my chi seeking flight. Searching Searching...I learned guitar on my own. I've never gone to college, but I excel in computers, dance, philosophy, and science. I will seek into the universe and find the Dragon.

    Wow.

    This is the right person; the fractalized@yahoo.com address was connected to the email sent to the Belgian rockhounds according to the Houston Chronicle article.

  79. At last! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Finally someone else has taken the "most idiotic thing done with moon dust" award away from me! Woohoo!

    My father was an astronaut back in the apollo days - and the mission scientist on 14 (at least I think it was 14). Anyway, the crew brought back a flag for him covered in moon dust (and I'd assume others, but I don't know about that). It's this little orange flag - and they'd mounted it with a plaque. You can imagine my father's horror when many years later, he ran into me trying to clean up the "dusty old flag in the glass case" with a vacuum.

    In my defense, I was a kid - although I think I was old enough to read at the time, so who knows what the hell I was thinking. Needless to say, he put it far out of my reach after that.

    Moral of this story? Be very wary of children armed with cleaning materials. That, and if you wait long enough, someone will always out do your own idiotic actions. :)

  80. Nothing like having the balls to use your name. by glrotate · · Score: 1

    Guess you don't have any.

    Anynonymous Coward Bitch.

    1. Re:Nothing like having the balls to use your name. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Having something interesting to say and posting it but not giving your name, is a damn far sight better than not having anything interesting to say, so saying something stupid and assinine instead, and posting it under your lame assed sorry pseudonym, "glrotate".

  81. Re:other stolen rocks..not vanished without a trac by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Get your facts straight, he is captured. A few weeks or so later, all the diamonds were recovered.

  82. Religious Freaks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Here's some email from one of the crooks, from http://www.shaolin.nl/guestbook/html/april2001.htm l. Evidentally he's so brain damaged that he doesn't think that "Thou Shalt Not Steal" applies to him. Maybe it was a conspiracy to supress the asteroid with possible evidence of Life on Mars, because it could interfere with the Church's ability to have sex with little boys.

    Name:Gordon Mcwhorter
    Email:fractalized@yahoo.com
    Location: Salt Lake Sity, Ut America
    Date: Tuesday, April 24, 2001 at 19:46:47
    Comments:

    I am ever growing. I am ever discovering another ability or talent coursing through me. The energies of balance. The Yen and the Yang. I am light and darkness and accept Zen. I have never felt so much power in the Christian world! I am real! Connected with all of nature where the power of life trully resides to discipline, teach, and reveal. I am sad at my lonely position. I dream of finding a master to learn the Shaolin. To be the Dragon I was meant to be. 03/03/76. I was born in the year of the Dragon. I hold to the spinning enegies of it's balance. I yearn to fly and feel my chi seeking flight. Searching Searching...I learned guitar on my own. I've never gone to college, but I excel in computers, dance, philosophy, and science. I will seek into the universe and find the Dragon.

  83. You mean increase the standards by systemaster · · Score: 1

    Decreasing the standards would have nothing to do with preventing this from happening, however increasing them might. As for your second idea, increasing compensation may have the desired effect.

    --
    LinuxWorx
    Spelling errors are intentional as are gramatical error
  84. Across state lines... by BigBadaboom · · Score: 1

    Hmmm...

    Did the FBI make them travel from Houston to Tampa just so they could add 'crossing state lines' to the charges? :(

    If so, does that qualify as entrapment?

  85. When I get a new intern... by newestbob · · Score: 0
    ...I lay down the law right away.

    I say "You can behave and be like Monica, or you can disobey me and end up like Chandra, the choice is yours."

    That usually sets them straight.

  86. moderating anonymous slander by john82 · · Score: 1

    All things considered, there is no reason for such a post (I was a TA ...) to be +2. We have no proof that the poster is Elvis, let alone a former TA for one of the accused (emphasis on the word accused pending a trial). Since this is merely an accusation and possibly slander (IANAL), it should not rate above -1 when it's posted as AC.

    I realize that I'm offtopic here, but what exactly are the guidelines for moderation in this case?

  87. Yanks never set foot on the moon by Macfox · · Score: 1

    So where did these rocks come from "really"?

    I read some where, the japs are well on their way to mapping the moon in about two years, so no doubt the truth will be revealed then.

    So what happens to these theifs then? :)

    --
    Area51 - We are watching...