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".