[meteorite-list] NASA moonrock theft and more information Delete if N/A

From: drtanuki <drtanuki_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed Sep 21 14:26:33 2005
Message-ID: <20050921182631.19928.qmail_at_web53213.mail.yahoo.com>

Dear List,
  I have been given permission to post this from the
senders involved from another list. Sorry IF for some
reason I missed this on the MetList. Some parts have
been deleted to prevent private email addresses from
being sent. Thank you to Axel Emmermann for his
honesty and guts regarding this case. The story
behind the story is very interesting!!!!
  To find the article you will have to do a websearch
for the publication, as I do not have a link. If
someone wants to provide a link please do as I have
deleted the attachment of the article do to copyright
and bandwidth. If this is a repeat please forgive me
and DELETE. Thank you. Sincerely, Dirk Ross...Tokyo



> Subject: FW: [Rockhounds] Moon rock thief info
> request
> Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2005 14:25:49 +0200
>
> Hi Dirk,
>
> The story that I wrote about the moonrock heist
> appeared as I wrote it
> (unedited, they just printed it) in Geology Today
> Volume 18 Number 5
> Sept/Oct 2002 ISSN 0266-6979.

> I send this document to you so you may read the
> relevant parts about zap
> pits etc...
> Do keep in mind that this is copyrighted printed
> matter and that you should
> ask for written permission from Blackwell Publishing
> prior to publication of
> the content on your website.
>
> Regards
>
> Axel

> --- Axel Emmermann
> wrote:
>
> > Hi ,
> >
> > it was of course an embarrassment that an intern
> > could break security so
> > easily.
> > But on the other hand: many of the brighter
> students
> > got to study at JSC and
> > became real assets to the scientific world. As a
> > result of what Thad Roberts
> > did, stringent rules now apply and it's almost
> > impossible to get in as a
> > student.
> > It's the old story of broken trust.
> > I like people and organisations who are open and
> > trusting. I dislike
> > paranoiacs... Therefore I believe that Roberts'
> > crime was one to society,
> > rather than just NASA.
> >
> > The damage to NASA was great and came at a time
> when
> > they were still
> > recovering from the loss of face that the
> Challenger
> > explosion caused. Then,
> > not to forget, the first trial in the moonrock
> case
> > was postponed in the
> > aftermath of the Columbia tragedy. Defense lawyers
> > of the thieves claimed
> > that the jury would over-sympathize with NASA so
> > close after the event.
> > All this took place over a period of time in which
> > ESA and NASA were
> > seriously competing for the commercial launches of
> > several large sattelites
> > and ESA was lyig slightly ahead in the race.
> >
> > Thad Roberts is serving his 8 years in a
> > correctional facilty where he would
> > rather not be. According to a whitness in the case
> > he has lost 25 pound and
> > looks really desperate. He has been severely
> beaten
> > by a giant inmate who
> > wanted to make him his "white wife". Roberts
> doesn't
> > like me. When Roberts
> > gets out of Florence FCI, Colorado on 1/30/2009 I
> > will look over my shoulder
> > and worry a little
> > (http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/LocateInmate.jsp). I
> knew
> > this
> > day would come even before I contacted the FBI and
> > foiled Roberts plan.
> >
> > When the FBI contacted me after he arrest they
> said
> > that they had not
> > mentioned my name to the press and that Roberts
> may
> > still believe that I was
> > an undercover agent. I doubt it. The story was in
> > several newspapers in the
> > USA. I gave a phone interview to a reporter of a
> > newspaper in Tampa where
> > Roberts was held. A friend of mine nearly got a
> > heart attack when he saw me
> > giving an interview on his TV... in SPAIN. Another
> > one in Germany. Somebody
> > sent me a newspaper with my photo in it from
> > Australia. Roberts knows.
> >
> > Actually it's a pity that this event didn't make
> it
> > to the nationwide news.
> > Not for my personal glory or any form of reward
> > (although I'm not averse to
> > it ;-))) but because of the message it gives.
> > I have this personal view on civilisation... I
> think
> > the best definition of
> > being civilized is that you look out for your
> > neighbour. If he does the same
> > for you then you feel safe. That is civilisation:
> > safety! Not the amount of
> > scientific knowledge of the quality of your
> weapons.
> > The awareness of the
> > necessity of caring for and watching over your
> > neighbour needs to transcend
> > ANY religeous or nationalistic feeling. If it
> > doesn't, civilisation
> > crumbles...
> > Long time ago, watching over each other was the
> ONLY
> > way. Any fight with any
> > foe was personal! People had to personally engage
> > the enemy or their village
> > or tribe would be wiped out. Nowadays, we often
> > think that the watching and
> > fighting is done by the government and that our
> > personal safety lies in
> > avoiding as much personal risk as possible. That
> is
> > an ill thought.
> > People should be reminded that civilisation is
> > personal, not government
> > issued! If you, wherever you may live on his
> planet
> > ,sit back and watch
> > events happen, than you are in fact inviting ultra
> > right thinking to sneak
> > into your government. You sacrifice your civil
> > rights... you give them up to
> > be replaced by draconic measures by the
> aurhorities
> > o fight off terrorism
> > and crime.
> >
> > On of my good friends (I think you know him, Don
> > ;-)))) once sent me a quote
> > from the English philosopher Edmund Burke:
> >
> > "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is
> > for a few good men to do
> > nothing".
> >
> > It is typical of the human need to absolve oneself
> > of guilt and
> > responsability that this quote made it to the
> > Hollywood movie "Tears of the
> > Sun". You cannot do nothing when you're called
> upon
> > to do your part and act
> > as civil behavior requires and still call yourself
> > good. Just my view of
> > civilisation. The message didn't get through... I
> > don't know the why and
> > wherefore but I feel that much more could have
> been
> > done with this event as
> > a message to the general public.
> > I wish it had.
> >
> >
> > Forever yours to serve
> >
> > Axel
> > The story was pretty well-circulated among
> > rockhounds/mineral lists, but
> > because Axel is a list member, the story got a lot
> > of attention here.
> > It was covered pretty well in the Houston press,
> but
> > barely got a nod in
> > the national news. NASA, or someone in that
> sphere
> > of influence,
> > obviously wanted to keep it quiet. You must admit
> > it was an
> > embarrassing episode: lunar samples and research
> > notes stolen by
> > interns, and, let's face it, a non-American
> > instrumental in the
> > recovery. Personally I thought they could have
> > played the angle of
> > international cooperation and friendship, but then
> > again I can be
> > naievely indealistic at times.
> >
> > Several of us wrote to NASA asking to give Axel an
> > award. Their response was non-committal,
> and
> > they did want to
> > wait until after the convictions; Axel did get
> some
> > significant
> > memorabilia as an award, but certainly not as much
> > as he deserved.

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> >
> http://lists.drizzle.com/mailman/listinfo/rockhounds


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Received on Wed 21 Sep 2005 02:26:31 PM PDT


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