The US space agency NASA recently announced that half of the moon rocks brought back to Earth from two Apollo space missions have gone missing. They were given as gifts to the nations of the world.
Moon rock collected during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 was also distributed to the same nations and US states.
There were 370 pieces gathered from the two missions. Two hundred and seventy were given to nations of the world and 100 to the 50 US states.
But 184 of these are lost, stolen or unaccounted for - 160 around the world and 24 in the US.
The rocks were distributed to countries ranging from Afghanistan to Trinidad and Tobago.
"Gaddafi's government was given two moon rocks - they're missing. Romania is missing its Apollo 17 goodwill moon rock," says Joseph Gutheinz Jr, the Texas-based lawyer and former NASA agent, who has become known as the "moon rock hunter".
His obsession began in 1998 when - still at NASA - he set up an undercover sting operation called Operation Lunar Eclipse.
He placed an advert entitled "Moon Rocks Wanted" in USA Today, to entice con-artists selling bogus moon rocks to approach him.
The rock - which weighed 1.142 grams - was offered to Gutheinz for $5m (£3.1m).
Moon rock collected during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 was also distributed to the same nations and US states.
There were 370 pieces gathered from the two missions. Two hundred and seventy were given to nations of the world and 100 to the 50 US states.
But 184 of these are lost, stolen or unaccounted for - 160 around the world and 24 in the US.
The rocks were distributed to countries ranging from Afghanistan to Trinidad and Tobago.
"Gaddafi's government was given two moon rocks - they're missing. Romania is missing its Apollo 17 goodwill moon rock," says Joseph Gutheinz Jr, the Texas-based lawyer and former NASA agent, who has become known as the "moon rock hunter".His obsession began in 1998 when - still at NASA - he set up an undercover sting operation called Operation Lunar Eclipse.
He placed an advert entitled "Moon Rocks Wanted" in USA Today, to entice con-artists selling bogus moon rocks to approach him.
The rock - which weighed 1.142 grams - was offered to Gutheinz for $5m (£3.1m).
An anonymous private collector bought 0.2 grams of lunar dust for $442,500 (£280,800).
With potential prices in this range, it is no surprise there is a lucrative black market in moon rocks, both real and fake."Moon rocks could be seen as artworks - relating in particular to the Chinese tradition of the Philosopher Stones as naturally occurring artworks reflecting the universe in microcosmic form"
