http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/1934964
Trial opens in theft of moon rocks Associated Press June 2, 2003 ORLANDO, Fla. -- The theft of a collection of moon rocks and meteorites from the Johnson Space Center in Houston last summer also involved 33 years of handwritten notes by a top NASA scientist studying the origins of the universe, a federal jury was told Monday. The disappearance of the six green cloth-bound journals came out as a trial over the break-in got under way in Orlando. Gordon McWhorter, 27, is accused of arranging the sale of the stolen items for Thad Roberts, a once-promising science student and aspiring astronaut from the University of Utah. Roberts, 26, and two others pleaded guilty to burglary. Roberts is to testify today against his old friend. The stolen items were recovered July 20 at a local hotel after undercover FBI agents used e-mails to negotiate their purchase. The writer of the missing journals, Everett K. Gibson Jr., described what was stolen as samples from each of the six Apollo lunar missions and pieces of what may be the most scientifically important rock in the world -- a Martian meteorite found in 1984 in Antarctica that Gibson said shows signs of the possibility of life on Mars. Gibson, on assignment in London, testified via videotape. The specimens were allegedly stolen July 15 by Roberts and two other NASA interns. One, Tiffany Fowler, testified Monday about the theft and their arrests. Fowler, 23, said McWhorter didn't know that she and Roberts had stolen moon rocks from NASA until McWhorter met them in Orlando the night they were arrested. "He was surprised and seemed somewhat impressed," said Fowler, in today's Orlando Sentinel. She described herself as Roberts' former girlfriend. The third intern, Shae Lynn Saur, 19, is on the government's witness list for the trial. THE SUSPECTS Thad Ryan Roberts NASA co-op Age: 25 Worked at the Neutral Buoyancy Lab Mission Operations Directorate. Triple major at University of Utah. Tiffany Brooke Fowler NASA intern Age: 22 She worked in Biological Systems in Space and Life Sciences. Recent graduate of Texas Lutheran University. From Odessa. Gordon Sean McWorter Age: 26 Shae Lynn Saur NASA intern Age: 19 Worked in Structural Engineering with Thermal Design. Worked last summer in the X-38 program. Pursuing a B.S. in engineering from Lamar University. ______________________________________________ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
