Re: [meteorite-list] Collector's Morals Let FBI To Moon Rocks Sale
Hello Everyone, I emailed Mr. Emmermann yesterday, thanking him for his assistance in capturing the thieves. This was, in part, his reply to me: >I do not feel that I deserve so much credit... >I just chose NOT to turn away while I saw a crime in >progress. That's in fact a logical thing to do because, if >you think about it, wouldn't the world be a better >place if that were common practice? Nice guy, eh? -Walter --- Walter Branch, Ph.D. Branch Meteorites 322 Stephenson Ave., Suite B Savannah, GA 31405 USA www.branchmeteorites.com - Original Message - From: "Ron Baalke" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Meteorite Mailing List" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, July 26, 2002 8:31 PM Subject: [meteorite-list] Collector's Morals Let FBI To Moon Rocks Sale > > > http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/space/1507785 > > Collector's morals led FBI to moon rocks sale > By MARK CARREAU and ROMA KHANNA > Houston Chronicle > July 25, 2002 > > As it turned out, Belgian rock collector Axel Emmermann > had a conscience. > > The 50-year-old chemist with a passion for > phosphorescent minerals was a poor prospect for a > bizarre offer to buy moon rocks and meteorites stolen > from NASA's Johnson Space Center. > > When Emmermann and others in the Mineralogy Club of > Antwerp, Belgium, received an e-mail inquiry in > May titled "Priceless Moon Rocks Now Available," he > reported the strange overture to the Tampa, Fla., > office of the FBI. > > Last weekend, his tip led to the FBI's recovery of 10 > ounces of moon rocks and meteorites stolen from JSC > earlier this month as well as the arrest of a NASA co-op > student, a summer intern and a third suspect. A > second NASA summer intern was arrested in Houston > on Monday and charged in the heist as well. > > "I know Neil Armstrong, his successors and a lot of > brave men risked their lives getting those stones, and > they belong to the American public, the American > government and NASA," Emmermann said Wednesday > in a telephone interview from his home in Mortsel, south > of Antwerp. > > "I couldn't bring myself to buy anything. It's > wrong, and no one should make money out of those > rocks. I find it appalling and immoral." > > Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first to > walk on the moon 33 years ago this week, as > the commander and pilot of Apollo 11. Five more > Apollo missions reached the lunar surface with 10 > more astronauts before the program ended in > December 1972. > > All told, they returned to Earth 842 pounds of lunar > rock and soil, which was stored at Johnson. > > According to federal authorities, Thad Ryan > Roberts, 25, the NASA co-op, along with interns > Tiffany Brooke Fowler, 22, and Shae Lynn Saur, > 19, broke into a NASA lab on July 13 and > removed a 600-pound safe containing 5 ounces of > moon rock and 5 ounces of meteoritic material. > > While investigators placed the scientific value of the > recovered moon rock and dust at $1 million, the value of > the rare material to collectors is estimated at more than > $565 million. > > According to the FBI, Roberts and Fowler late last week > drove the stolen materials to Orlando, Fla., where they > expected to sell at least some of the rare cache to people > they thought were Emmermann's brother and > sister-in-law. Roberts and Fowler were met in Florida > before the transaction by Gordon Sean McWhorter, 26, of > Utah, an unemployed friend of Roberts', authorities said. > > The strange caper began on May 9, when the Mineralogy > Club of Antwerp, which maintains a prominent Web site > for rock collectors, received the unsolicited moon rock > e-mail from "Orb Robinson" that stated in part, "If you > have an interest in purchasing a rare and historically > significant piece of the moon, and would like more > information, then please contact me." > > Emmermann received a similar e-mail that stated in part, > "Greetings, My name is Orb Robinson from Tampa, Fl. I > have in my possession a rare multi-karat moon rock I am > trying to find a buyer for ... " > > As the investigation unfolded, authorities identified "Orb > Robinson" as Roberts and the source of his e-mails as > computers at the Johnson Space Center, the Houston > Public Library and the University of Utah. Roberts > attended the Utah school, where he was majoring in > physics, geology and geophysics. > > While Emmermann's fellow club members dismissed > thee-mail pitch, he could not. > > "Robinson, I thought, was probably quite an educated > man," Emmermann recalled. "So, I took him seriously, > and I said let's look into this." > > The Belgian responded and after a further exchange > decided "Orb Robinson" would not be so brazen if he > were attempting to peddle materials that were > counterfeit. > > On May 24, Emmermann used e-mail to alert the FBI > office in Tampa, which coincidentally is the site of a > federal task force that specializes in the investigation of > Internet crime. > > O
[meteorite-list] Caveat Impactor
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/26jul_nt7.htm Caveat Impactor NASA Science News An asteroid with almost no chance of hitting Earth made big headlines this week. July 26, 2002: I slid a dollar bill across the counter, and the cashier handed back a lottery ticket. The odds for winning: 1-in-250,000. A long shot, but you never know. Walking out of the store, ticket in hand, I glance at a newspaper. "Tony Phillips wins the lottery!" the headline declared. Gosh, I thought, that seems premature ... not to mention weird. Indeed, it's fiction. For one thing, I never buy lottery tickets. But mainly, no one would write such a headline based on such slender odds. Yet that's what happened this week, in real life, to an asteroid. On July 9, 2002, MIT astronomers discovered 2002 NT7, a 2 km-wide space rock in a curious orbit. Unlike most asteroids, which circle the Sun in the plane of the planets, 2002 NT7 follows a path that is tilted 42 degrees. It spends most of its time far above or below the rest of the solar system. Every 2.29 years, however, the asteroid plunges through the inner solar system not far from Earth's orbit. After a week of follow-up observations, researchers did some calculations. There was a chance, they concluded, that 2002 NT7 might hit our planet on February 1, 2019. The odds of impact: 1-in-250,000. "Space Rock 'on Collision Course'," a headline declared days later. "Asteroid Could Wipe Out a Continent in 2019," another one warned. Really. "In fact," says Don Yeomans, the manager of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program at JPL, "the threat is minimal. One-in-250,000 is a very small number." The odds are not only low, but also uncertain. Yeomans explains: "We've been tracking 2002 NT7 for a very short time--only 17 days so far," Meanwhile, the asteroid takes 2.29 years to orbit the Sun. Predictions based on such a small fraction of an orbit are seldom trustworthy. It's becoming a familiar routine: Astronomers discover a near-Earth asteroid. With only meager data at hand, they can't rule out a collision in the distant future. Headlines trumpet the danger. Finally, the alarm subsides when more data lead to a better orbit--one that rules out an impact. "As far as the public is concerned," says Jon Giorgini of JPL's Solar System Dynamics Group, "it just isn't worth getting worked up about an object with a couple weeks of data showing a possible Earth encounter many years from now. Additional measurements will shrink the uncertainty by a large amount--and Earth will (almost certainly) fall out of the risk zone." Already this is happening for 2002 NT7. The calculated probability of a collision with Earth is shrinking as astronomers add new data each day. "I suspect it will take only a few more weeks (or maybe months) to completely rule out an impact in 2019," says Yeomans. Giorgini explains further: "When we calculate an asteroid's position (based on measurements made at a telescope), the result isn't a single point in space. Instead, it's a volume of space where the asteroid could be with some probability. We deal with probabilities, not absolute answers, because the measurements contain errors." For example, optical data can be corrupted by twinkling and refraction in Earth's atmosphere. (Radar is better, notes Giorgini, but no radar data have yet been obtained for 2002 NT7.) "When you project this initial probability region years into the future, it naturally expands. For a newly discovered object with only a few days tracking, the uncertainty region can easily grow to cover a big part of the inner solar system. Because Earth is in the inner solar system, and can potentially cut through this volume of smeared out probability, we end up with finite impact probabilities." "A finite probability, however, is not really a prediction of impact," he cautions, "but a statement that one is possible." Of course, many things are possible. Like the newspaper headline "Tony Phillips wins the Lottery!" But most of them do not happen. JPL lists asteroids like 2002 NT7 on their Internet "risk page" not to raise an alarm, says Yeomans, but to alert astronomers when new discoveries merit attention. "It's important that we continue tracking these asteroids to refine their orbits," he says. The more observers, the better. What's an ordinary person to do? The next time you see a headline "Killer asteroid threatens Earth!" ask yourself two questions: Have we known about this space rock for more than a week or so? (If not, check again in a month. It probably won't be considered a killer then.) And what are the odds of impact? If you're more likely to win the lottery, there's probably nothing to worry about. Editor's note: Big asteroids have hit Earth before and it's only a matter of time before one threatens us again. Will it be years, decades, millions of years? No one knows. The point of this article is not that we are safe from asteroid strikes. We are not safe. Rather, we hope to give reader
[meteorite-list] cumberland falls & morasko
I'll be quick! 1. 1.774 grams Cumberland Falls (picture)$325.00 2. Morasko whole individual $250.00 Please let me know! = Steve R.Arnold, Chicago, IL, 60120 I. M. C. A. MEMBER #6728 The Midwest Meteorite Collector! Collecting Meteorites since,June, 1999!!! Website url http://stormbringer60120.tripod.com __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better http://health.yahoo.com __ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Please unsubscribe me from the list
Thanks in advacne for unsubscribing me. Guy Seligman __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better http://health.yahoo.com __ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] (no subject)
why do I get double messages from the list?? Rosie
[meteorite-list] Collector's Morals Let FBI To Moon Rocks Sale
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/space/1507785 Collector's morals led FBI to moon rocks sale By MARK CARREAU and ROMA KHANNA Houston Chronicle July 25, 2002 As it turned out, Belgian rock collector Axel Emmermann had a conscience. The 50-year-old chemist with a passion for phosphorescent minerals was a poor prospect for a bizarre offer to buy moon rocks and meteorites stolen from NASA's Johnson Space Center. When Emmermann and others in the Mineralogy Club of Antwerp, Belgium, received an e-mail inquiry in May titled "Priceless Moon Rocks Now Available," he reported the strange overture to the Tampa, Fla., office of the FBI. Last weekend, his tip led to the FBI's recovery of 10 ounces of moon rocks and meteorites stolen from JSC earlier this month as well as the arrest of a NASA co-op student, a summer intern and a third suspect. A second NASA summer intern was arrested in Houston on Monday and charged in the heist as well. "I know Neil Armstrong, his successors and a lot of brave men risked their lives getting those stones, and they belong to the American public, the American government and NASA," Emmermann said Wednesday in a telephone interview from his home in Mortsel, south of Antwerp. "I couldn't bring myself to buy anything. It's wrong, and no one should make money out of those rocks. I find it appalling and immoral." Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first to walk on the moon 33 years ago this week, as the commander and pilot of Apollo 11. Five more Apollo missions reached the lunar surface with 10 more astronauts before the program ended in December 1972. All told, they returned to Earth 842 pounds of lunar rock and soil, which was stored at Johnson. According to federal authorities, Thad Ryan Roberts, 25, the NASA co-op, along with interns Tiffany Brooke Fowler, 22, and Shae Lynn Saur, 19, broke into a NASA lab on July 13 and removed a 600-pound safe containing 5 ounces of moon rock and 5 ounces of meteoritic material. While investigators placed the scientific value of the recovered moon rock and dust at $1 million, the value of the rare material to collectors is estimated at more than $565 million. According to the FBI, Roberts and Fowler late last week drove the stolen materials to Orlando, Fla., where they expected to sell at least some of the rare cache to people they thought were Emmermann's brother and sister-in-law. Roberts and Fowler were met in Florida before the transaction by Gordon Sean McWhorter, 26, of Utah, an unemployed friend of Roberts', authorities said. The strange caper began on May 9, when the Mineralogy Club of Antwerp, which maintains a prominent Web site for rock collectors, received the unsolicited moon rock e-mail from "Orb Robinson" that stated in part, "If you have an interest in purchasing a rare and historically significant piece of the moon, and would like more information, then please contact me." Emmermann received a similar e-mail that stated in part, "Greetings, My name is Orb Robinson from Tampa, Fl. I have in my possession a rare multi-karat moon rock I am trying to find a buyer for ... " As the investigation unfolded, authorities identified "Orb Robinson" as Roberts and the source of his e-mails as computers at the Johnson Space Center, the Houston Public Library and the University of Utah. Roberts attended the Utah school, where he was majoring in physics, geology and geophysics. While Emmermann's fellow club members dismissed thee-mail pitch, he could not. "Robinson, I thought, was probably quite an educated man," Emmermann recalled. "So, I took him seriously, and I said let's look into this." The Belgian responded and after a further exchange decided "Orb Robinson" would not be so brazen if he were attempting to peddle materials that were counterfeit. On May 24, Emmermann used e-mail to alert the FBI office in Tampa, which coincidentally is the site of a federal task force that specializes in the investigation of Internet crime. Over the summer, the FBI coached Emmermann in a series of e-mail negotiations with the mysterious moon rock merchant. Eventually, the Belgian persuaded "Orb Robinson" to meet with his brother and sister-in-law in Orlando, fictitious participants in the scheme who were really undercover investigators. Just a few days before the encounter, FBI agents messaged Emmermann that they were preparing arrest warrants. On Tuesday, authorities formally acknowledged that he had played a pivotal role in the case. The Belgian said the case made him recall that in 1978, the U.S. ambassador to his country made the rare loan of some heavily guarded moon rocks to the Antwerp club for an exhibit. "We have paid our debt to NASA in full by stopping this conspiracy," Emmermann said Wednesday. Meanwhile, Roberts and McWhorter appeared in a Tampa federal court hearing on Wednesday to seek release on bail. During the appearance, McWhorter "shot his mouth off," said his court-appointed attorney. Dan
[meteorite-list] cumberland falls & morasko
I thought about 2 weeks ago you were looking for cumberland falls? Jamie
[meteorite-list] THANKS/Jake
Hi all; We have just returned from vacationI am disturbed by alot of what I read in my mailbox...wow. anyway: "My gram's worth" is, and has been from the beginning of the IMCA that: IMCA=AUTHENTICTY ( and related issues to authenticity only...) Thats it. Nothing else concerns the IMCA...not racism views of members, not political views of members , not religious views of members...not fights among members...not sexual preferences of members etc etc etc...simply the AUTHENTICITY of meteorite material by a reputable group. It is my hope that the IMCA can remain focused on it's founding objective. Hope all are well! Jake Jake Delgaudio The Nature Source Meteorites & Fossils Queensbury, NY 12804 Member: The Meteoritical Society Member: AAPS/American Association of Paleontological Suppliers Member: International Meteorite Collectors Association #4262 webiste: www.nature-source.com phone: 518-761-6702 Fax: 518-798-9107 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Please ignore any old posts - Thank you!
Dear List, I posted this message to the list on the 23rd but for some un-known reason my posts have not made it out of the electron vault until Art re-subscribed me today. Therefore if you see any strange or outdated posts from me to the list please ignore... Thank you, Paul +++ Dear List, If anyone from Utah would like to make an impact on tv here you go! Thanks, Paul Greetings. I'm a tv feature reporter who's looking for stories...here in Utah. I was wondering if you might know any meteorite hunters here in my state...who might be willing to talk to me about meteorites. Thanks for any help you can give me. Peter Rosen [EMAIL PROTECTED] 801 973 3210 1 800 367 5888 x3210 Paul Harris [EMAIL PROTECTED] Jim Tobin [EMAIL PROTECTED] The Meteorite Exchange, Inc. http://www.meteorite.com MeteoriteTimes.com Magazine http://www.meteoritetimes.com PMB#455 P.O. Box 7000, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 USA FAX Number(310) 316-1032 __ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] meteorite hunting
I currently reside in central texas and saw a discovery special on "hunting". Let me know of any good resources I need to learn more on the issue, and whether west Texas is a good area to search. Thanks, -D _ Join the worlds largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com __ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Steinbach
Hello list, What a great day it is. I hope you all are enjoying it as well. I have some small pieces of the historic Steinbach, Germany; an unusual Silicated Iron found in 1724 for sale today. If interested in photos and prices, please contact me off list. Thanks, Steve Arnold www.meteoritebroker.com
[meteorite-list] mass extinction
Hello List, I have been getting e-mails from the list on two different subjects; 26 million year mass extinctions and the sun actually being made of iron. I wonder if these two subjects are related. We all know that the sun has cycles. I am curious if the sun has a cycle every 26 million years that could be hurtling catastrophic sized hunks of iron on a collision course with earth? Could solar flares be the source of our iron meteorites? Could anyone in the list tell me if they think there is any logic to this theory of mine? I would appreciate any feedback. Tom _ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com __ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] (no subject)
ARG!! You are a SPAMMMER! ;-) Matteo --- Rosemary Hackney <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > why do I get double messages from the list?? > > Rosie > = M come Meteorite - Matteo Chinellato Via Triestina 126/A - 30030 - TESSERA, VENEZIA, ITALY Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sale Site: http://www.mcomemeteorite.com Collection Site: http://www.mcomemeteorite.info International Meteorite Collectors Association #2140 MSN Messanger: [EMAIL PROTECTED] EBAY.COM:http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better http://health.yahoo.com __ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Mars Odyssey THEMIS Images - July 22-26, 2002
MARS ODYSSEY THEMIS IMAGES July 22-26, 2002 o Frosted Sand Dunes (Released 22 July 2002) http://themis.la.asu.edu/zoom-20020722a.html o Nepenthes Mensae (Released 23 July 2002) http://themis.la.asu.edu/zoom-20020723a.html o The So-Called 'Face on Mars' in Infrared (Released 24 July 2002) http://themis.la.asu.edu/zoom-20020724A.html o Acidalia Planitia (Released 25 July 2002) http://themis.la.asu.edu/zoom-20020725a.html o Pandora Fretum Crater (Released 26 July 2002) http://themis.la.asu.edu/zoom-20020726a.html All of the THEMIS images are archived here: http://themis.la.asu.edu/latest.html NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. __ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] putting an end to it!!
Good evening list. I hope you all are well and am looking to a great weekend. I just want to let you all know that I want to put this whole" racist" thing behind me and this great group of collecters. When I emailed Matteo about the whole spamming thing, I took offence to it, but not on a racist attitude. I said, thanks alot pisano! That and that alone was meant as a friend, not a racial slur at all. I can hardly wait to meet Matteo.I have since apoligized to Matteo in private. And he as well has let me know about his feelings. All water under the bridge!And to Mr. Bourland, I'm sorry we had to have this whole mess blow up like this! But I hope somewhere down the pike we can meet and be friends, and just look back and say, wow what a firestorm that caused. Because as humans, we have to move on and get on with life. I am sorry you stepped down of the IMCA, but you did what you thought was best for you. I hope you can stay in some capacity and continue to to devote your time and energy to this great group.I had to finally put my 2 cents in to finally put this whole mess behind me. I love people, but I know in my heart I am no racist! I,m going to a Milwaukee brewer game tomorrow, and I looking forward to a great weekend. I hope you all out there have a great weekend out there, where ever you are. p.s. I LOVE METEORITE COLLECTING = Steve R.Arnold, Chicago, IL, 60120 I. M. C. A. MEMBER #6728 The Midwest Meteorite Collector! Collecting Meteorites since,June, 1999!!! Website url http://stormbringer60120.tripod.com __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better http://health.yahoo.com __ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Strange theories and proof (and micromounts!)
Before I make any decisions regarding some of the more exotic theories that have cropped up recently on this board (the Nemesis star, the sun being a giant ball of glowing iron, etc.) would someone (or someones) please direct me to some reputable sources of information on these subjects? Moon landing hoax websites et. al. need not apply; I have no trouble finding conspiracy theorists. I know the Nemesis theory has been around a while, I believe even Isaac Asimov talked about it, but I am not up to speed on the newest information. And I haven't seen anything but the one secondhand press release on the iron sun theory. And finally, just to make this post marginally about meteorites, is there a consensus on what constitutes a micromount? Mass? Lower limit? Upper limit? Crumbs in a gelcap? One pinhead fleck in a jewel box (my Chassignite)? I would love to have a saucer sized slab o' Esquel (who wouldn't?) but money and storage constrain me, and while I have a few bigger pieces, I am a micromount collector and proud of it. Tracy Latimer __ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Four Charged In Theft Of Apollo Moon Rocks and ALH84001 Meteorite From JSC
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/front/1504496 Four charged in theft of moon rocks Material from Houston worth $1 million By MARK CARREAU Houston Chronicle July 23, 2002 FBI agents put their deductive skills to work in nabbing four people suspected of stealing a safe from NASA's Johnson Space Center that contained tiny pieces of lunar soil and a famous Martian meteorite valued at more than $1 million. "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." Two men and a woman were arrested in Orlando, Fla., over the weekend as America quietly marked the 33rd anniversary of the first Apollo moon landing. Another woman was arrested in Houston on Monday. Three of the four suspects in the bizarre case were working at Johnson this summer as college interns or co-ops as they pursued careers in space science and engineering. A tip to authorities from a Belgian rock hound in late May led authorities to the suspects. The FBI monitored and coached the Belgian in his electronic communications with the suspects and eventually enticed them to bring the stolen materials to Florida. None of the four charged in the case was alive on July 20, 1969, when Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin piloted their spindly spacecraft to a breathtaking landing in a lunar boulder field. Those arrested by the FBI on Saturday night in the parking lot of an Italian restaurant near the Orlando airport were: o Thad Ryan Roberts, 25, a co-op student from the University of Utah, who was employed by Johnson's Mission Operations Directorate at the water tank where astronauts train for spacewalks. o Gordon Sean McWorter, 26, identified as a friend of Roberts' from the University of Utah. He was not employed by NASA. o Tiffany Brooke Fowler, 22, an intern and recent biology graduate of Texas Lutheran University in Odessa, who was employed by Johnson's Space and Life Sciences Directorate. The fourth person, arrested on Monday in Houston, was Shae Lynn Saur, 19, a student from Lamar University in Beaumont. She was employed by Johnson's Structural Engineering and Thermal Design division. Saur was released on $25,000 bond in Houston, and Fowler was freed on bail in Florida. McWorter and Roberts were being held at the Orange County (Fla.) Jail. Roberts, who authorities said was a ringleader in the caper, as well as Fowler and Saur were dismissed by NASA on Monday, likely ending any chance of future space program careers. Roberts, McWorter and Fowler were apprehended in Florida after driving there from Houston. They were lured to Orlando by undercover agents who had arranged to buy samples of the lunar and meteorite samples. Saur did not participate in the 900-mile drive because she planned to complete a scuba diving certification, authorities said. All four were charged with conspiracy to commit theft and transport in interstate commerce of government property, including 53 samples of rock weighing 5 ounces and 165 fragments of meteorite, also weighing 5 ounces. The meteoritic material included a fragment of ALH 84001, a rare Martian meteorite. In 1996, NASA scientists made the still-disputed claim that ALH 84001 might contain fossilized evidence of ancient microbial life. According to the FBI, Roberts, Fowler and Saur stole a 600-pound NASA safe containing the materials from a laboratory in a curatorial facility at Johnson. The moon rocks and soil collected by the Apollo astronauts as well as meteorites collected from remote sites of the world are stored in the facility for scientific study. All told, six Apollo missions launched between July 1969 and December 1972 landed on the moon. A dozen astronauts returned to Earth with 842 pounds of soil and rock. The safe containing the materials was stolen from the NASA lab on July 15, though the theft was not noticed for two days. The theft was reported to NASA's security forces, the agency's inspector general and the FBI on July 17, said NASA spokeswoman Eileen Hawley. Sara Oates, a spokeswoman for the FBI in Tampa, and Hawley said they could not comment on how the two men and the woman managed to remove the safe from the lab. "How the safe was removed is part of a (continuing ) investigation," said Hawley. "Until we fully understand all the circumstances, it would be premature for me to say whether we need to re-evaluate our security processes." Though the theft was reported in mid-July, the case dates back to May 24, when agents assigned to an FBI Internet crime task force in Tampa received an e-mail from a Belgian citizen who claimed membership in the Mineralogy Club of Antwerp. The so-far-unidentified Belgian informed authorities in Florida the club had received an e-mail from an "Orb Robinson," later traced by investigators back to Roberts, McWorter, Fowler and Saur, that proclaimed, "Priceless Moon Rocks Now Available." Posted on the club's Web site, i
