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Junkyard Owner Saves Lunar Rover Prototype (vice.com)
An anonymous reader writes: On Tuesday, Slashdot users learned that a man in Alabama sold a lunar rover prototype for scrap metal. We now learn that the junkyard owner has saved this important piece of scientific history. The man claims that, upon receiving the prototype at his scrap facility, he set it aside because he knew exactly what it was.
it's OK - they had to wait until Tuesday to collectively mock all the people who live in Alabama. Now that they've realized that a junkyard owner there knows more about space history than they do, they can take the whole day Friday to reflect on how much the experience has caused them to grow as individuals.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
Where Rick offered 500 bucks for it, Big Hoss asked whether the moon landing was faked, the old man mentioned the Navy and Chum sat on it.
According to the article NASA knew exactly where it was, that it was not destroyed and had even come to inspect it.
"NASA knew it was still available. In my mind, they tried to play a trickery game. They wanted me to loan it to them, but I think they just wanted to get it into their possession. They offered me [perks], they offered me everything but cash," the junkyard owner said. "NASA told me when they came out to inspect it that they had looked for it for 25 years. It is the von Braun, the first and last they made. I was told it is the rarest of all the units."
So what's the deal?
whooooosshh. You must be from Mississippi.
The Junk dealers is ALWAYS going to know how much it's really worth (and if he's not sure he'll put it aside until he does know) and I highly doubt he's going to voluntarily hand it over without receiving a check for how much it's worth.
One of the prime profit opportunities in the junk business is to receive items that aren't junk. Dealers are always on the lookout for special non-junk items they can make a bundle on because some ignorant dumbass sold it to them for a few cents a pound. It's not that much different than the pawn business where they are always on the lookout for antiques and other items they know are worth far more than the owner believes.
When I heard this story I was at first incredulus that the guy didn't walk across the street and tell the neighbor what it was. Then I realized that the chances the Junk dealer wouldn't put it aside and determine the worth before melting it down was near zero. Then I realized the guy that didn't walk across the street basically screwed over the neighbor by not telling him how much it was worth with the side realization that he may have cut a side deal with the junk dealer by tipping him off.
More like:
Junk Yard: You can have it for $FAIRLY_LARGE_SUM, or I'll sell it to the highest bidder. But out of deference, I'm willing to give you first access without bidding.
NASA: Give it to us for free, or we will use legal acton (which is why junkyard owner brought in lawyers and kept silent).
NASA probably lied to try and cast doubt on the authenticity of what he had to reduce the selling price so they could get it cheaper. Far more believable than your absurd fantasy of the junk yard owner threatening to melt down a priceless artifact.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Except back then in Alabama everybody knew about it. We kept track of everything space related, even prototypes. Von Braun lived in Alabama!!!! Huntsville was the very heart of the space program. Still is! We're pretty well-informed down here.
I was born in 1953, grew up about 16 miles from the junkyard (60 miles from Huntsville), and I would have recognized the damned thing. I'd recognize nearly anything related to the space program from that era. Most everybody I know would.
Weren't you recently complaining in another thread about people posting sexist/racist comments?
If you're going to go around making bigoted and stereotypical remarks yourself, perhaps you shouldn't whine when other people do it.
I've always wondered. If a couple in Alabama get a divorce, are they still brother and sister?
This is only true when the people working the counter or the scales or other forms of receiving have a financial stake in the company. When they do, they're willing to bend company procedures. Sometimes it's because they know something is actually worth more than its scrap value or because it has real sentimental value and should be preserved rather than junked, and sometimes it's because the owner or partner actually has a heart and is willing to take less than the completely-parted-out value for something in order to sell it whole to someone that wants the whole thing.
My experience is mostly with automotive wrecking yards. The big recyclers aren't much fun to deal with, the staff doesn't care and just goes through the motions. The small private wrecking yards usually have the owner right there in the office, and sometimes one can buy whole cars with title for much less than he'd get if he's willing to sit on it for a couple of years to part it out, as he likes cars too and actually does restore them and values others that do the same.
Unfortunately there are less and less owner-operator types anymore.
As for this particular man, I don't have a problem with him making some real money selling the rover back to NASA or some other government agency. He's arguably the first person to care about it for quite some time, and it's not his problem that NASA and the other intermediate owners didn't value it at the time as much as he does now. If I were in his shoes I'd be tempted to restore it myself, just to be able to claim that I did, if no one was willing to come to a price I was willing to agree to.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.