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. 4

The first step was finding a buyer. With help from friend Gordon McWhorter, Roberts connected online with a potential Belgian purchaser willing to pay $1,000 to $5,000 per gram.

The buyer, however, grew suspicious and alerted the FBI, who instructed him

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