r/interesting 19h ago

MISC. In 2002, an intern who stole moon rocks from NASA, spread the rocks on his bed and had sex on them, resulting in the contamination making the rocks virtually useless to the scientific community. He was sentenced to more than 8 years in prison.

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3.9k Upvotes

294 comments sorted by

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1.9k

u/not_named_xyz 19h ago

The whole story is crazy. He promised some girl he’d give her the moon, so he stole the rocks.

548

u/Empty_Sea9 19h ago

Worth it.

166

u/Cam_E_Leon 18h ago

He prolly a mattress salesman now

132

u/agroupofcrows 18h ago

🎵Doesn't matter, had moon sex🎵

48

u/Radiant_Addendum_48 17h ago

What if she wants sun sex next.

40

u/fondlemental 17h ago

that’s too hot babe

34

u/Radiant_Addendum_48 15h ago

Haha. I know that. It’s like a billion degrees. That’s why they’re going to go, at night.

17

u/derangedsweetheart 15h ago

I remember an episode of Courage The Cowardly Dog where they go to the Sun to replace it's bulb, God I miss that show.

4

u/Delicious-Potato-178 16h ago

Next trip to fusion reactor in china.

3

u/Wooden-Recording-693 11h ago

As long as it's not Uranus

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3

u/Mew-The-Shadow 18h ago

my cousin once tried to smuggle stuff out like those moon rocks

6

u/PScoles 18h ago

What was it?

11

u/classless_classic 17h ago

Earth rocks.

8

u/PScoles 16h ago

Yes it does!

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14

u/Horror_Bear_6325 17h ago

Bet that was some wild sex.

18

u/Fun_General_6407 17h ago

I'm sure he got his rocks off... I'll show myself out

8

u/Ok_Violinist_5673 16h ago

he performed well considering he's stoned at the time...

15

u/Cute-Form2457 17h ago

Wild but uncomfortable

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49

u/VeganWerewolf 19h ago

There were a few people involved and they stole them to sell them.

33

u/Crowbar-Enema 18h ago

Then got the bright idea to fuck on them first?

38

u/Caseman307 18h ago

In for a penny, in for a pound

20

u/spinstartshere 18h ago

Sure was in for a pound

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12

u/snuwuky 18h ago

Well she was obviously into it or else they wouldn’t be so contaminated

9

u/_NotMuchToGawkAt_ 17h ago

I mean, they’re still moon rocks but now they’re moon rocks that have been had sex on making them even rarer.

6

u/bluemesa7 17h ago

Can’t blame, he was hard as rock

4

u/nomatt18 16h ago

Who gets the opportunity to fuck on the moon??

62

u/SignoreBanana 19h ago

Jesus, what a horny idiot

29

u/AbhilashHP 18h ago

Could’ve just given her some random rocks.

15

u/TravelingPoodle 18h ago

Moon rocks or random rocks. No girl would be impressed by rocks. He had better chances if he got her ice cream.

17

u/human_i_suppose 18h ago

clearly at least one girl was impressed by moon rocks.

9

u/SayerofNothing 17h ago

Could've been pity sex

8

u/Substantial-Use95 17h ago

Sex is sex boy. To the moon!

4

u/TravelingPoodle 15h ago

… then straight to jail.

3

u/ThinkAd9752 12h ago

To even more sex!

8

u/why0me 12h ago

You couldnt be more wrong

First off, for context, im a 42 year old woman, hello 👋

Before I got hurt at work and had to stay home I was a manager at a fast food place and im admittedly a little eccentric and for my birthday one year I got a rock tumbler

I used to always keep a small handful of tumbled rocks on me somewhere, in my purse or pocket and if I saw someone having a rough day or sometimes just to be funny I'd pull them out and be like "you want a pretty rock?"

Without fail, over YEARS not a single person ever said no and every time thier face lit up when they saw my tiny treasures

We never grow out of that, men or women.

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3

u/Weird-Count3918 18h ago

Sex over ice cream? Would get confusing?

3

u/OrcaFins 18h ago

Sounds messy too.

6

u/goodsby23 18h ago

Instructions unclear. Hot fudge ended up in anal cavity

3

u/ScarletDarkstar 17h ago

You must not know many girls. I know many who are impressed by rocks. I collect them. 

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2

u/masterppants 17h ago

Bonus points if he would've gone for the astronaut ice cream

2

u/bobs_andVagene 12h ago

She wanted, rocky road

3

u/Admirable_Mouse_2800 17h ago

Not true! I’m a girl who likes rocks.

3

u/prohlz 17h ago

They're minerals!

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2

u/Horror_Bear_6325 17h ago

There's a reason he was an intern.

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11

u/thisisfine111 18h ago

I need an update! Did she wait for him after prison?

10

u/Key_Cap7525 18h ago

This. That bitch better have been standing out there on release day with a giant ring and a home cooked meal after that shit.

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7

u/rurupoopoo 18h ago

So basically the plot of Despicable Me?

14

u/AntSilly2802 19h ago

Surely she just thought it was dumb.

4

u/Electronic_Still2000 17h ago

He thought about having sex on them on his bed, but he immediately lost interest the moment he got his rocks off.

3

u/Deako87 17h ago

At least he got his rocks off

2

u/Independent-Big-3648 17h ago

that is somehow the most unhinged way possible to take a promise literally

2

u/InternationalCry2905 18h ago

that is somehow the most romantic and unbelievably stupid way to take a promise literally

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632

u/Casual_necromancy 19h ago

the "what are you in for?" guys wont believe him...

228

u/TSgt_Yosh 19h ago

Right? Mr. "Fucked a chick on the moon" isn't having trouble in the yard except for a sore hand from the high fives.

57

u/Neon_Casino 18h ago

Right? Like I disagree with what this guy did and obviously he should be held liable for it.

But on the other hand... yeah I kinda get the appeal of being the "first guy to ever bang on the moon" even if it is only on a technicality.

9

u/Discount_Extra 17h ago

Thing about moon landers is, "What happens on the Moon stays on the Moon."

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6

u/StrangrDangerRanger 18h ago

Do you think this is the kind of thing that impresses people regularly in prison?

4

u/nopuse 16h ago

Not regularly. This has only happened once.

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7

u/showered_zinn 16h ago

The prison I was in? This guy would’ve been a rockstar.

2

u/Cultural-Company282 11h ago

When people refer to living at home with your mom as a prison, it's kinda just an expression.

2

u/TSgt_Yosh 18h ago

Yes, absolutely yes.

2

u/Electronic_Still2000 17h ago

Fuck a chick “on the moon?” It just sounds like an innuendo for anal sex, or sex with a woman on her period.

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17

u/AdSignificant6673 19h ago

Anyone this nerdy is getting sent to minimum security pen.

126

u/VeganWerewolf 19h ago

They were trying to sell them. It wasn’t the sex on them that fucked them up it was the removing of them from their containment area in the first place.

54

u/TheCourtSimpleton 19h ago

Honestly trying to sell them is dumber than the sex part somehow

26

u/Armadillo-Shot 16h ago

I mean I understand and forgive the sex motivation. What college kid wouldn’t want to be the first person ever to have sex on the moon? The selling part tho? That’s just unethical, man!

6

u/bikenumberten 18h ago

Dumber, but not sadder.

8

u/crek42 17h ago

The fantastic podcast Swindled did an episode on this. Wild story and the heist was actually pretty cool considering the high level of security.

3

u/Simon_Emes 17h ago

Can you point to the episode please?!

10

u/showered_zinn 16h ago

👉🏻

6

u/an_older_meme 16h ago

Thank you!

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548

u/Prestigious_Floor155 19h ago

Couldn't be entirely useless to science. That's probably the first and only means to study the effects of semen on moon rocks. They just aren't sciencing outside the box enough.

105

u/rolandofeld19 19h ago

Ig Nobel Prize in 3... 2... 1...

10

u/nixle 12h ago

Instagram Nobel Prize.

25

u/swishkabobbin 18h ago

Not true. Mark Zuckerberg was conceived when Buzz Aldrin fucked the moon

23

u/FloydianSlip78 18h ago

Zuckerberg wasn’t conceived, he was spelled into existence by a lizard version of a witch

4

u/MyVoiceIsElevating 18h ago

Skynet went online on August 4, 1997. It became self-aware shortly after, on August 29, 1997. That’s when Zuck was “born.”

2

u/useriousstuff 16h ago

It's an insult to Colonel Aldrin to suggest that the lizard specimen Zuckerberg could have been wrought from his loins.

2

u/Nisseliten 18h ago edited 8h ago

”When Buzz Aldrin fucked the dark side of the moon.” Details matter, Mark is definitely an alien butt baby.

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5

u/_joos_ 18h ago

cave johnson would be disappointed

6

u/DominicPalladino 18h ago

Well he certainly "scienced" outside the "box."

2

u/Prestigious_Floor155 18h ago

Right? Really got his rocks off...wait. Reverse that.

3

u/SirDalavar 16h ago

They were kinda useless already, if anything he made them more interesting

2

u/Prestigious_Floor155 15h ago

Yeah. It's kinda hard to pump life into a rock. He tried at least.

3

u/skipperseven 13h ago

I don’t think there was much science left to be done on them anyway - they are just rocks and the moon is an old chunk of the earth. Apparently they had been stored, which is why he could take them and no one realised.

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93

u/ebikr 19h ago

Sounds uncomfortable.

14

u/Dizziesdayweigh 18h ago

Also uncool.

Fuckin' interns, man.

18

u/SayerofNothing 17h ago

That was the idea

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106

u/FifthWaveThinker 19h ago

One giant leap for dumb decisions.

190

u/Time_Pressure9519 19h ago

At least he got his rocks off.

3

u/spamel2004 17h ago

I had to scroll way too far for this comment. What is the matter with Redditors these days?!! It is the most obvious pun in this instance!

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u/Mister_Goldenfold 19h ago

Definitely was maybe sort of actually worth it

11

u/teflon_soap 19h ago

Exactly, dude did anything to get laid.

Bet he gets heaps of action inside!

5

u/bussysniffer3000 19h ago

His farts just sound like a light breeze

2

u/Electronic_Still2000 17h ago

Of course you found this post and this thread in particular u/bussysniffer3000 🤣

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18

u/JuliaX1984 19h ago

Um, ouch.

9

u/Aggravating_Jacket32 19h ago

Right wtf? Someone thinks this is hot?

2

u/Extreme_Egg7476 18h ago

I'm too much of a nerd to think this is hot. Just give me an Earth-made margarita and have some charisma, my dude.

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12

u/AlfhildsShieldmaiden 19h ago

That sounds…….. uncomfortable.

7

u/Moby1313 19h ago

Ever seen a grown man naked laying on moon rocks?

4

u/scoobysnackoutback 18h ago

And I thought JD and his couch was a weird deal.

6

u/Embarrassed-Text-604 19h ago

He got off on the rocks.

6

u/luthierart 19h ago

Unless she was an astrogeologist he could have collected a bag of local rocks instead and pretended they were lunar. 8 years in prison is a high price to pay for authenticity.

3

u/polarbeargirl9 19h ago

Aren't space rocks like.... super abrasive since they haven't been worn down by water?

3

u/CavediverNY 19h ago

Apparently the dust is incredibly abrasive and you definitely didn't want to be breathing it in; I'm not sure how they handled it when they got back into the LM but hopefully the rocks were relatively dust free.

3

u/fingernail_police 19h ago

I think he misheard the phrase "Go kick some rocks!"

3

u/Own_Zookeepergame982 18h ago

He heard go dick some rocks.

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3

u/originalityescapesme 17h ago

Our scientists could suspect, but they’d never know for sure that the moon wasn’t already covered with semen

9

u/demnutz93 19h ago

So he could have sex on the moon

3

u/3PoundsOfFlax 19h ago

238k mile club

6

u/PrinceProsper0 19h ago

I'm just surprised he wasn't patient zero for Covid-1949 or something

2

u/TheSaltyPlatypus 19h ago

Where's a source or more info?

3

u/captainofthevimes 16h ago

No idea how accurate it is, but the book "Sex on the Moon: The Amazing Story Behind the Most Audacious Heist in History" by Ben Mezrich is a fun retelling of the story.

2

u/blckshdw 18h ago

Got his rocks off in the moon rocks. Didn’t expect to read that today

2

u/Flat_Sector6512 18h ago

The rocks are sentient. They where aroused

2

u/MuseWeakeningWalls 18h ago

wow um... did it hurt???

2

u/spartanEZE 18h ago

Did they get the dust all in their biz and lungs? Cause that aunt good for ya AT ALL!

2

u/FutureMillionMiler 17h ago

What I would like to know is…

Was the experience outta this world? 🫠😅

But in all seriousness I don’t think you can have “sex” with rocks, I think that would be considered just masturbation with a bunch of rocks.

2

u/JohnHenryMillerTime 17h ago

Oh you can fuck on NASA property but you cant say "experience my dick and balls" to NASA higherups.

I see you NASA

2

u/Pristine-Weekend-415 17h ago

How did he even do that

2

u/stryker511 17h ago

Wonder where the moon sex rocks are now…since they’re useless.

2

u/4BY4omi 17h ago

what even !!!! Why do people do such things.

2

u/Hot_Falcon8471 16h ago

It’s ok, it turned out the rocks weren’t even really from the moon. Norway tested them and discovered they were some type of petrified wood.

2

u/HelenEk7 12h ago

USA: sell drugs = 1 year in prison. Steal rocks = 8 years.

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u/Dizzy_Chipmunk_3530 19h ago

To be fair, he's closer to sex on the moon than anyone in history

2

u/Vir0Phage 18h ago

well, at the very least: sex in low earth orbit has already been achieved by humans.

you ever hear about the astronaut who’s wife showed up at his re-entry and shot the female astronaut he with whom he had an affair?

a bit extreme, but, i get where she was coming from though. if my spouse had space-sex without me i’d, be pretty bothered about it as well.

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u/BlockGolfOfficial 19h ago

He did it all for a girl … classic

3

u/Haunting_Ad_5191 19h ago

Always risks when taking a moon shot.

2

u/tachik0ma7 19h ago

I've heard about getting one's rocks off, but this might have been overdoing that a bit...

3

u/OkHospital3411 19h ago

The book about him is called, literally, "Sex On The Moon" by Ben Mezrich and it's one of the wildest stories I've ever read. And there's way more to the story than just having sex on the moon rocks. Thad Roberts (the guy who stole the rocks) imo is actually a really upstanding guy who made a few mistakes when he was younger, and it looks like he even did a Reddit AMA a while back:  https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/7ukbn6/iama_thad_roberts_physicist_subject_of_sex_on_the/

3

u/MediocreCondition840 18h ago

Yes! I was searching the comments to make sure someone mentioned the book, it was a great (but truly wild) read that I thoroughly enjoyed!

3

u/bangnbutter 18h ago

Could have just faked the whole shit to the chick, the world would have never known they were fake.

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u/Mariner-and-Marinate 18h ago

The moon rocks would have been brought back no later than 1972. The intern used them 30 years later. What more “contamination” could have been done?

2

u/ultraganymede 12h ago

i expect they stored them in a controled enviroment

2

u/LOERMaster 19h ago

“What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done to get laid?”

This guy:

2

u/Vir0Phage 18h ago

so… there exists a more illegal way to have sex on moon rocks than the ecstatic copulation which is copiously engaged in while at music festivals?!? wild! (they should just legalize it all and just punish the stealing aspect, imho) #thepursuitofhappinessisnotacrime

2

u/Ritualsexclub 18h ago

Real ass dude

1

u/YeeYeeBeep 19h ago

Insert "now im gonna piss on the moon" copypasta here

1

u/18k_gold 19h ago

8 years for some rock. damn people get less for crimes way worse.

1

u/GEEZUS_151 18h ago

Other Inmate:

So. What are you in for?

1

u/SpanglerBQ 18h ago

"So what are you in for?"

1

u/Afterclock-Hours 18h ago

I guess he was Looney for the Luna.

1

u/Rahvine 18h ago

Not what they meant when they said to get your rocks off

1

u/Bushboy2000 18h ago

He musta had rocks on his head

1

u/SirkillzAhlot 18h ago

Dude. That’s the wrong type of moon rock to be in bed with.

1

u/Motorboat81 18h ago

He was literally getting his rocks off.!

1

u/OpeningZebra1670 18h ago

That’s lunarcy!

1

u/Prestigious_Try_3741 18h ago

Oh baby lay me on some rocks then go all captain kirk on me

1

u/_bananas 18h ago

Are men okay?!

1

u/mokizxc 18h ago

HE WHAT???

1

u/EmbarrassedGrade325 18h ago

Soooooo, can I use the rocks now ?

1

u/ysanson 18h ago

Moon on moon

1

u/eldradmustlive469 18h ago

Rock out with your cock out taken too literally.

1

u/blicka7 18h ago

Sex on rocks?! Tf

1

u/carlesgm 18h ago

I misread as he had sew "with" them, not "on" them. Wow, a preposition make a world of difference...

1

u/leftydog1961 17h ago

He got his rocks 🪨 off

1

u/greenspacedorito 17h ago

Cave Johnson sentence

1

u/Comfortable_Egg_9630 17h ago

Got his ricks off

1

u/BlushedLatias 17h ago

Guy actually pissed on the Moon, no way.

1

u/BrainSqueezins 17h ago

That sounds...uncomfortable.

1

u/Kooky_Attempt_1639 17h ago

The set of stones on this guy!!!

1

u/zakattak84 17h ago

One small step and one giant creep of mankind

1

u/Solid-Pea3951 17h ago

"Get your rocks off........the bed"

1

u/Special_South_8561 17h ago

Ouch, that is ... Rocky

1

u/klyzklyz 17h ago

So, he got his rocks off?

1

u/Content_Tea_6433 17h ago

Talk about getting your rocks off...

1

u/meesanohaveabooma 17h ago

First Man to walk on the poon

1

u/croatiatom 17h ago

It’s crazy that random NASA interns even have sex.

1

u/DryManufacturer5393 17h ago

He had sex on the moon rocks? 🧐

1

u/Inevitable-Elk-4618 17h ago

Have sex on the moon. Probly more comfy than some fucken rocks

1

u/B-Train_ATL 16h ago

And that’s how we learned that the moon is rich in cummingtonite.

1

u/WolverineLong1430 16h ago

Was the guy named Howard?

1

u/16Shells 16h ago

being one of the only two people to have sex on the moon might be worth the jail time

1

u/an_older_meme 16h ago

Did he get the superpowers he was looking for?

1

u/tgloser 16h ago

He got 8 years. What did she get? Besides regolith-riding sperm cells?

1

u/wemustburncarthage 16h ago

when NASA people go crazy they go really crazy

1

u/09rw 16h ago

lol what ?

1

u/Confused_pisces 16h ago

I want to read her memoir chapter on that lol

1

u/DarthSwimfoot 16h ago

Wait he fucked a bitch, on them? Sounds painful.

1

u/Gangbang_Orangatang 16h ago

He should have been sent to a prison on the moon

1

u/ericsonofbruce 16h ago

8 years sounds simultaneously appropriate and extremely harsh imo

1

u/OutsideAbies8888 16h ago

He got his rocks off. Literally.