He promised her the moon — and meant it.
More than 23 years ago, NASA intern Thad Roberts hatched a daring plan to steal 17 pounds of moon rocks and a meteorite from Houston’s Johnson Space Center — priceless samples from every Apollo mission, locked in a 600-pound safe and valued at $21 million, according to the FBI.
Only 24 years old with a triple major in physics, geology and geophysics at the University of Utah, with a wife he was supporting back in Utah, and financially struggling, Roberts thought his plan was foolproof.