Stolen Apollo Moon Dust Recovered

[Telrad]

The US has recovered a scattering of moon dust stolen from Nasa after the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, just as it was about to be sold at auction.

The dust was smuggled out of Nasa by a staff photographer who gathered it from a camera the astronauts used on the lunar surface, officials said.

Nasa investigators discovered the dust - affixed to a scrap of tape - at a St Louis auction house this month.

It is illegal in the US to possess moon rocks or moon dust.

"It wasn't much to look at, but I will never be that close to the moon again,"

BBC News - Stolen Apollo 11 moon dust recovered

[spaceboy]

How interesting. Why is it the case I wonder that 1) He was the first person to touch moon dust with bare hands & 2) it is illegal to possess moon rock or dust ?

[Telrad]

Apparently it is illegal for individuals to own moon material from the Apollo missions.

[John]

You can own lunar material that arrived as a meteorite fall - I used to have one or two specimens of that, but the US Government did make it illegal for anyone to own a sample returned from one of the US missions. I believe a sample returned from one of the Russian missions was auctioned a few years back so I guess that's OK but they bought back far less than the US missions did.

As to why this is - better ask the US Government or NASA

[reddoss]

In the USA moon rocks and dust are classified as 'national treasures' and can not be sold.

[John]

In the USA moon rocks and dust are classified as 'national treasures' and can not be sold.

I see you are from Cardiff. They have a nice lump of moon rock (Apollo 17 I think ?) in the National Museum, Cardiff. Some nice meteorites as well

[John]

Apologies, it's Apollo 12:

Moon Rock from the Apollo moon landing | Rhagor

[reddoss]

I see you are from Cardiff. They have a nice lump of moon rock (Apollo 17 I think ?) in the National Museum, Cardiff. Some nice meteorites as well

Thanks for the info, I will take a look at the moon rock when Cardiff Museum opens again on Tuesday.

The museum also has probably one of the best collections of French Impressionist paintings outside of Paris, New York or London thanks to two very rich sisters who collected them from the early 1900's to when they dies in the 1950's & 60's. (10 of which are by Monet).