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Time of India
4 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
NASA intern Thad Roberts stole $21 million in moon rocks from Johnson Space Center for love; shocked the world
Source: LADbible In one of the most audacious and bizarre crimes in NASA history, Thad Roberts , a 24-year-old intern, stole moon rocks valued at $21 million in 2002, driven by romance rather than greed. Alongside his girlfriend Tiffany Fowler and fellow intern Shae Saur, Roberts executed a meticulously planned burglary at Houston's Johnson Space Center , using authentic NASA badges, rewired security cameras, and Neoprene suits to bypass alarms. Their theft of 17 pounds of lunar samples included historic moon rocks from Apollo missions 1969–1972. While Roberts claimed the act was 'for love,' the FBI revealed he had attempted to sell the rocks. This extraordinary heist destroyed priceless scientific research and shocked the world, blending science, crime, and obsession in an unforgettable story. $21 million moon rock theft at Johnson Space Center shocks scientists worldwide On a July night in 2002, Roberts, Fowler, and Saur infiltrated Building 31 at Johnson Space Center. Roberts and Fowler donned Neoprene bodysuits, which allowed them to bypass thermal alarms, while Saur acted as a lookout. Using a power saw, they cracked open a 601-pound safe containing moon rocks and meteorites, including samples from every Apollo mission. The stolen lunar samples were worth approximately $21 million and represented decades of scientific research. The planning and execution demonstrated not only audacity but also technical sophistication, showing how a combination of insider knowledge and determination can circumvent the most secure facilities. Source: Live Science by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Use an AI Writing Tool That Actually Understands Your Voice Grammarly Install Now Undo Who is Thad Roberts? From NASA Intern to mastermind behind the $21 million moon rock theft Thad Roberts graduated from the University of Utah with a triple degree in physics, geology, and geophysics, making him highly qualified to work at NASA. He met Tiffany Fowler, a 22-year-old stem cell researcher, and the couple quickly became romantically involved. Roberts reportedly told Fowler he wanted to 'give her the moon,' framing the theft as a grand romantic gesture. According to , the FBI considered financial motives, Roberts maintained that the act symbolized devotion rather than profit. Moon rock theft ends with FBI arrests and millions in NASA lunar samples lost Roberts and Fowler's motivation went beyond romance—they symbolically 'had sex on the moon' by placing stolen lunar samples under a blanket during intimate moments. Roberts later stated, 'No one had ever had sex on the moon before,' underscoring the bizarre, almost surreal nature of the crime. While Roberts claimed love was the driving factor, the FBI discovered he had negotiated with a Belgian buyer willing to pay up to $5,000 per gram, proving the theft had financial implications. The heist came to a dramatic end when Roberts and Fowler traveled to Orlando to meet the potential buyer, only to be apprehended by undercover FBI agents. Saur and Gordon McWhorter, who helped arrange the sale, were arrested shortly afterward. The investigation revealed that the theft had caused irreversible damage: the moon rocks were now 'virtually useless to the scientific community,' and three decades of NASA research notes were destroyed as reported. Moon rock theft from NASA leads to jail, house arrest, and fines Thad Roberts pleaded guilty to the theft of moon rocks and other NASA artifacts, serving over six years of an eight-year prison sentence before his release in 2008. Tiffany Fowler and Shae Saur received house arrest, community service, and were required to pay restitution to NASA. Gordon McWhorter was convicted at trial for his involvement in the theft and sentenced to six years in prison. Also Read | NASA and Google collaborating together to boost astronaut health on Moon and Mars missions
Mint
5 days ago
- Science
- Mint
When a NASA intern stole $21 million worth of Lunar rocks— to impress his girlfriend
In 2002, a shocking theft rocked NASA, literally. Former NASA intern Thad Roberts, along with his then-girlfriend Tiffany Fowler and two other friends, stole 17 pounds (7.7 kg) of lunar samples valued at $21 million. The motive? According to Roberts, it was to impress his love interest. But the FBI later revealed there was also a financial angle. The bizarre incident, detailed by People magazine and later in Ben Mezrich's 2011 book Sex on the Moon, saw the young intern and his team go to extreme lengths to pull off the heist. They tampered with security cameras, donned Neoprene bodysuits, and carried authentic NASA badges to access the highly secure Building 31, where the moon rocks were stored. At the time, Roberts was a 24-year-old prodigy with triple degrees in physics, geology, and geophysics from the University of Utah. During his internship at NASA, he met 22-year-old stem cell researcher Tiffany Fowler. The two quickly became romantically involved and moved in together within weeks. Roberts soon shared his audacious plan to steal moon rocks, which piqued Fowler's interest. They enlisted another NASA intern, Shae Saur, to help. On a July evening, Roberts and Fowler entered Building 31 while Saur kept watch, monitoring the compromised security system. The couple accessed an airless lab, removed a safe containing lunar samples, and later cracked it open with a power saw. In one of the strangest twists, Roberts reportedly placed some of the moon rocks under his bedcovers, claiming it was a symbolic gesture of 'having sex on the moon.' Speaking to CBS in 2012, he said: 'I mean, the simple answer is to say that I did it for love. I did it because I wanted to be loved. I wanted someone to know that I'd cared about them that much. And to have the symbol there to remind them of it. It was more about the symbol of what we were doing… And no one had ever had sex on the moon before. I think we can safely say that.' Roberts also claimed Fowler was unaware of the rocks under the blanket, though he hinted she might have felt them during their intimate moment. While Roberts maintained it was an act of love, the FBI uncovered another motive: money. Investigators found that he had been in contact with a potential buyer from Belgium who offered between $1,000 and $5,000 per gram for the rocks. When the buyer became suspicious of their origin, they alerted the FBI, triggering an undercover operation that led to the arrests. Roberts pleaded guilty in 2002 to stealing the moon rocks and was sentenced to eight years in prison. He also admitted to stealing dinosaur bones and fossils from the Natural History Museum in Salt Lake City while at the University of Utah. He served just over six years before being released in 2008. Fowler and Saur pleaded guilty and were given house arrest, community service, and ordered to pay restitution. Another accomplice, McWhorter, was sentenced to six years in prison. Roberts and Fowler ended their relationship after the incident.
NDTV
5 days ago
- Science
- NDTV
When NASA Intern Stole $21 Million Of Lunar Rocks, Kept Them Under Bed For "Sex On The Moon"
In 2002, former NASA intern Thad Roberts and his accomplices, including his ex-girlfriend, pulled off a daring heist, stealing 17 pounds of moon rocks worth $21 million. The motive behind the theft was to impress Roberts's love interest. According to the FBI, the thieves went to great lengths, rewriting security cameras, wearing Neoprene bodysuits, and even obtaining authentic NASA badges. Some of the stolen lunar samples were bizarrely stashed under Roberts' bed, to have "sex on the moon," as reported by People. Thad Roberts, a 24-year-old whiz kid with a triple degree in physics, geology, and geophysics from the University of Utah, landed an internship at NASA. There, he met Tiffany Fowler, a 22-year-old stem cell researcher working in the tissue culture lab. The two quickly became a couple, moving in together within weeks. Roberts shared his audacious plan to steal moon rocks with Fowler, which piqued her interest. They also included a third person, Shae Saur, also a NASA intern, to help. On a July evening, the trio arrived at Building 31, where the precious samples were stored. Roberts and Fowler entered the building, while Saur kept watch and monitored the tampered security cameras. Wearing Neoprene bodysuits, the couple made their way to the airless room and escaped with a safe containing the moon rocks, which they later cracked open using a power saw. Thad Roberts placed moon rocks under the bed covers, later claiming it was a symbolic gesture to represent having "sex on the moon". He reportedly put the rocks under the blanket without telling his partner, Tiffany Fowler, but implied she might have felt them during their intimate moment. When asked why he went through with he heist, he told CBS in 2012, "I mean, the simple answer is to say that I did it for love. I did it because I wanted to be loved. I wanted someone to know that I'd cared about them that much. And to have the symbol there to remind them of it." 'It was more about the symbol of what we were doing, basically having sex on the moon. It's more uncomfortable than not, but it wasn't about the comfort at that point. It was about the expression. And no one had ever had sex on the moon before. I think we can safely say that," he added. However, the FBI revealed that Thad Roberts' moon rock heist was financially motivated, with Roberts in contact with a potential buyer from Belgium. The buyer was willing to pay $1,000 to $5,000 per gram for the rocks. However, when the buyer grew suspicious about the rocks' origin, they contacted the FBI instead. This led to an undercover operation that ultimately caught Roberts and his accomplices. He pleaded guilty in 2002 to stealing moon rocks and was sentenced to eight years in prison. He also admitted to stealing dinosaur bones and fossils from the Natural History Museum in Salt Lake City while attending the University of Utah. Roberts was released from prison in 2008, two years early, after serving over six years. Tiffany Fowler and Shae Saur pleaded guilty and received house arrest, community service, and restitution orders, while another accomplice, McWhorter, was sentenced to six years in prison. Roberts and Fowler reportedly went their separate ways after the incident. The story was later documented in Ben Mezrich's 2011 book, "Sex on the Moon".
News18
5 days ago
- News18
‘Babe, Let's Have Sex On The Moon': When NASA Intern Stole Lunar Rocks Worth $21 Million
Last Updated: In 2002, NASA intern Thad Roberts, with accomplices including his girlfriend, stole moon rocks worth $21 million. Roberts claimed love, but the FBI found financial motives. A man promised her woman the Moon — and meant it. Twenty-three years ago, in July 2002, a NASA intern, Thad Roberts, and his accomplices, including his ex-girlfriend, pulled off an out-of-this-world heist by stealing 17 pounds of moon rocks worth $21 million. According to the FBI, Roberts, then 24, went to great lengths to carry out the dead-of-the-night burglary. He rewrote security cameras, wore Neoprene bodysuits, and managed to get authentic badges of NASA to steal 17 pounds of moon rocks and a meteorite from Houston's Johnson Space Center– priceless samples from every Apollo mission, locked in a 600-pound safe, reported People. Roberts, then a 24-year-old whiz kid with a triple degree in physics, geology, and geophysics from the University of Utah, arrived at NASA for an internship. There, he met Tiffany Fowler, a 22-year-old who worked in NASA's tissue culture laboratory. The two quickly became a couple, moving in together within weeks. Not long after, he told her about his idea to steal moon rocks, which was said to have intrigued her. During an interview with the LA Times in 2004, Roberts had said that he did it for love. 'I was in love with Tiffany (his then-girlfriend),". He added, 'In my mind, I was thinking, 'Baby, I'd give you the moon.' It would be a romantic start to our relationship." Soon after getting into a relationship, they decided to steal the moon rocks. The duo roped in a third person, Shae Saur, also an intern at NASA. One July evening, the three interns pulled up to Building 31, where the moon rocks were being housed. Roberts and Fowler entered the building, while Saur kept watch and monitored the tampered security cameras. Wearing Neoprene bodysuits, the couple made their way to the airless room and escaped with a safe containing the moon rocks, which they later cracked open using a power saw. Additionally, Roberts placed moon rocks beneath the bed covers, later claiming the couple had 'sex on the moon" as a symbolic gesture. 'I took some of the moon rocks and placed them underneath the blanket on the bed… I never said anything but I'm sure she could feel it," he told CBS News in 2012. 'I mean, the simple answer is to say that I did it for love. I did it because I wanted to be loved. I wanted someone to know that I'd cared about them that much. And to have the symbol there to remind them of it," he said when asked on carrying out the daring heist/ 'It's more uncomfortable than not, but it wasn't about the comfort at that point. It was about the expression. And no one had ever had sex on the moon before. I think we can safely say that," he added. However, the FBI revealed that Roberts' moon rock heist was financially motivated, with him in contact with a potential buyer from Belgium. The buyer was willing to pay $1,000 to $5,000 per gram for the rocks. However, when the buyer grew suspicious about the rocks' origin, they contacted the FBI instead. This led to an undercover operation that ultimately caught Roberts and his accomplices. Roberts pleaded guilty in 2002 to stealing moon rocks. He also admitted to stealing dinosaur bones and fossils from the Natural History Museum in Salt Lake City while he was attending the University of Utah, the Deseret News reported. He was released two years early from prison in 2008 after serving more than six years of an eight-year sentence. Fowler and Saur pleaded guilty and were given 180 days of house arrest, 150 hours of community service, a three-year prohibition, and ordered to pay more than $9,000 in restitution to NASA. Roberts and Fowler reportedly never met again after being caught and jailed. The story was later documented in Ben Mezrich's 2011 book, 'Sex on the Moon". About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from More News18's viral page features trending stories, videos, and memes, covering quirky incidents, social media buzz from india and around the world, Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Wild story of NASA intern who stole lunar rocks worth $21 million, kept them under bed for ‘sex on moon'
A NASA intern stealing lunar rocks worth $21 million to impress his love and eventually stashing some of them under his bed to have 'sex on the moon" may sound like the plot of a bad sci-fi comedy, but it actually happened in real life. Thad Roberts was jailed for stealing lunar rocks when he was an intern at NASA. ( Former NASA intern Thad Roberts and his accomplices, one of whom was his ex-girlfriend, rewrote security cameras, wore Neoprene bodysuits, and managed to get authentic badges of the space agency to steal 17 pounds of moon rocks in 2002, reported People. Why did he do it? During an interview with the LA Times in 2004, Roberts said he did it for love. 'I was in love with Tiffany [His then-girlfriend],'. He added, 'In my mind, I was thinking, 'Baby, I'd give you the moon.' It would be a romantic start to our relationship.' "I mean, the simple answer is to say that I did it for love. I did it because I wanted to be loved. I wanted someone to know that I'd literally cared about them that much. And to have the symbol there to remind them of it,' he told CBS in a 2012 interview. However, according to People, the FBI said that the crime was financially motivated, adding that he had been in contact with a buyer from Belgium. The buyer was willing to pay $1,000 to $5,000 per gram for the rocks. However, after becoming suspicious about the rocks' origin, the buyer contacted the FBI, leading to an undercover operation to nab Roberts and his team. 'Sex on the moon' On the day he was about to meet the buyer, Roberts put some rocks under the blanket in his bed. "I take some of the moon rocks, and I put 'em underneath the blanket in the bed," Roberts said, adding that he and Fowler had sex over it. 'I never said anything, but I'm sure she could feel it. She never said anything directly, either, but it was more about the symbol of what we were doing — you know, basically having sex on the moon,' he told CBS. 'It's more uncomfortable than not, but it wasn't about the comfort at that point. It was about the expression. And no one had ever had sex on the moon before. I think we can safely say that,' he added. About the heist: Roberts, who was 24 when he joined NASA, had three degrees in physics, geology, and geophysics, reported the People. There, he met 22-year-old Tiffany Fowler, who worked at a NASA tissue culture laboratory. Soon after getting into a relationship, they decided to steal the moon rocks. The duo roped in a third person, Shae Saur, also an intern at NASA. Together, they stole the rocks. They were arrested during the undercover operation. Though the rocks were recovered, the FBI said that they were 'virtually useless to the scientific community.' There was a fourth accomplice, Gordon McWhorter, who helped Roberts find the buyer. Roberts pleaded guilty in 2002 and was sentenced to eight years in jail. However, he was released in 2008, two years before completing his sentence. Fowler and Saur also pleaded guilty. They were each given 150 hours of community service and kept under 180 days of house arrest. They were ordered to pay over $9,000 in restitution to NASA. McWhorter was found guilty during the trial. Following that, he was sentenced to six years in jail. What happened to the lovers? Reportedly, Roberts and Fowler never met again after being caught and jailed. Where is Thad Roberts now? According to his website, during his days in prison, he started spending time by 'teaching, exercising, wrestling with the mysteries of modern physics, and exploring new axiomatic assumptions that might explain them.' In jail, he wrote a 700-page manuscript for his book Einstein's Intuition, which claims to explore the mysteries of modern physics. Currently, he works as a theoretical physicist for a private think tank.
