Sex on the Moon: The Infamous NASA Moon Rock Heist

WILDCIDE

In the summer of 2002, a quiet but audacious plot unfolded within NASA’s Johnson Space Center. A group of interns, led by Thad Roberts, became infamous for orchestrating one of the most audacious crimes in the history of space exploration—the theft of moon rocks. Under the cover of night, they navigated through the heart of NASA’s high-security vaults, making off with hundreds of pounds of lunar material. The heist involved stealing moon rocks that had been brought back to Earth by Apollo astronauts, a crime that shocked both the scientific community and the general public. Their motivations remained shrouded in mystery—was it greed, ambition, or something deeper? As the stolen moon rocks found their way onto the black market, the FBI closed in, unraveling one of the most enigmatic crimes in modern US history. Tune in as Bailey walks us through Thad Roberts’ motivations, the planning of the crime, and its aftermath forming a gripping narrative of ambition, greed, and personal downfall.

Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, you can follow/subscribe to WILDCIDE on your favorite podcast listening app. While you’re there, please rate and leave us a review – we would really appreciate it! You can also visit our website at www.wildcidepodcast.com (merch now available!) Make sure to get updates by following us on Instagram (@wildcidepodcast) and Facebook (Wildcide Podcast).

Don’t forget Wildcide Wednesdays- new episodes drop every Wednesday at 6am EST. Interviews will drop every other Friday at 6am EST.

Art for the podcast was created by Kelly Steen. Editing/Production for the podcast by Bltzwolff ([e-mail]).

​WILDCIDE Podcast and any content posted is presented solely for general informational, educational, and entertainment purposes. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast or website is at the user’s own risk. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions.

References:

Bellamy, Dr. T. (2024, September 10). About - living with limerence. Living with Limerence - Life, love, and limerence. https://livingwithlimerence.com/about/

Carreau, M., & Khanna, R. (2002, July 24). Moon-rock heist ended dream to be astronaut. Chron. https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Moon-rock-heist-ended-dream-to-be-astronaut-2098050.php

CBS News. (2012, June 12). Confessions of a moon rock thief. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/confessions-of-a-moon-rock-thief/

Federal Bureau of Investigations. (2003, November 18). The case of The stolen moon rocks. FBI. https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/stories/2003/november/apollo_111803?ref=beautifulpublicdata.com

Goldstein, M. (2004, June 6). Sheer lunacy. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/la-tm-moonrocks23jun06-story.html

Mezrich, B. (2012). Sex on the moon: The amazing story behind the most audacious heist in history. Anchor Books.

Mezrich, B. (2011, July 9). How a student led raid to bag NASA’s precious lunar rocks. Express.co.uk. https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/books/257840/How-a-student-led-raid-to-bag-NASA-s-precious-lunar-rocks

Nordqvist, C. (2010, December 27). Falling in love hits the brain like cocaine does. Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/205973#1

Sharkey, L. (2021, April 26). How to make the “honeymoon phase” last. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/relationships/honeymoon-phase#research

Wood, B. (2011, July 22). Story of utah moon rock thief now a book, may become a movie. Deseret News. https://www.deseret.com/2011/7/22/20385817/story-of-utah-moon-rock-thief-now-a-book-may-become-a-movie/