How a NASA Intern’s $21 Million Moon Rock Theft Ended in an FBI Sting
In July 2002, a NASA intern orchestrated the theft of a 600-pound safe containing irreplaceable lunar samples, Martian meteorite material, and decades of scientific research notes from the Johnson Space Center. The stolen items, valued at approximately $21 million, were later offered for sale online, triggering an international federal investigation.
Thad Roberts, an intern at NASA, planned the theft alongside fellow interns Tiffany Fowler and Shae Saur. According to accounts of the case, Roberts’s motivations were partly romantic, as he wanted to give Fowler a piece of the Moon. Some of the stolen material was later placed beneath a bed in a hotel room during an intimate encounter, a gesture Roberts described as a symbolic attempt to recreate the experience of being "on the Moon."
However, the scheme quickly expanded beyond a romantic gesture into an attempt to sell the rare scientific specimens on the illegal market.
The Theft of the 600-Pound Safe
On the night of July 13, 2002, Roberts, Fowler, and Saur used their NASA identification cards to enter the Johnson Space Center. Having familiarity with the facility and its daily routines, they targeted the laboratory of NASA scientist Everett Gibson.
Rather than extracting individual specimens, the group removed an entire safe weighing roughly 600 pounds. Inside the safe were approximately 17 pounds (7.7 kilograms) of lunar samples returned by astronauts during the Apollo missions, a piece of a Martian meteorite, and Gibson’s handwritten scientific notes. Gibson reported the safe missing on July 15.
The Online Sale and FBI Investigation
By the time the theft was reported, the stolen material had already been advertised for sale online. Using the pseudonym "Orb Robinson," the seller offered the lunar samples for prices ranging between $1,000 and $5,000 per gram.
A Belgian mineral collector became suspicious of the online advertisement and alerted authorities. The FBI launched an investigation, with agents posing as relatives of the collector to communicate with the seller. Roberts, believing he was negotiating with genuine buyers, continued the discussions.
Two days after the theft was reported, Roberts provided the undercover buyers with identification numbers for the samples. These numbers directly matched records in Gibson’s inventory. Furthermore, digital evidence from the online communications traced back to servers at the Johnson Space Center and the University of Utah, where Roberts was a student.
The Orlando Sting and Arrests
The undercover agents arranged a meeting with Roberts in Orlando, Florida, on July 20, the anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Roberts arrived at the meeting accompanied by Fowler and Gordon McWhorter, a friend who had joined the scheme.
During the meeting, Roberts revealed his real identity. Investigators then accompanied the group to a hotel room where the stolen samples were being kept. Roberts, Fowler, and McWhorter were arrested in the hotel parking area, while Saur was arrested separately in Houston on the same day.
Scientific Damage and Legal Consequences
Although the FBI successfully recovered the stolen material, the theft caused irreversible damage. The lunar samples had been handled and contaminated during the incident, compromising their integrity and usefulness for future scientific study. The scientific value of such samples relies heavily on their documented, pristine condition, which was lost during the theft.
During the investigation, Roberts also admitted to stealing dinosaur bones from a museum in Utah. Roberts, Fowler, Saur, and McWhorter were charged with conspiracy to commit theft and interstate transportation of stolen property.
Roberts received an eight-year prison sentence and served just over six years before being released in 2008. The other participants also faced legal consequences for their roles in the heist.
