A woman was arrested for trying to sell the stone which allegedly came from the moon.The stone dilego a price of U.S. $ 1.7 million or about Rp14, 5 billion to the NASA researchers in disguise.
Although recognized as a lump of moon rock, NASA scientists will still be tested with standard procedures. A piece of stone about to be sold that month a woman in Lake Elsinore, California, United States.
"Maybe this is the moon stone, but must first be tested for authenticity," said Deputy Inspector General of NASA, the Gail Robinson, as quoted from page Los Angeles Times.
Women whose identity has not been published it had detained since Thursday morning.Police and NASA researchers had watched the movements of suspicious women. "He was not arrested," said Robinson.
A police report said the Riverside area, women's detention came after NASA researchers investigating this case for several months. The investigation focused on the existence of stone that came from outer space.
The result is conical. NASA researchers attempt to get the moonstone from the unknown woman. During the investigation, NASA officials finally undercover secret meeting at a restaurant of Lake Elsinore. At that time, NASA officials agreed to meet and will buy a stone valued at U.S. $ 1.7 million. The woman finally got arrested.
The rocks on the moon are classified as national treasures that are part of an artifact object. Federal law strictly prohibits the sale of objects of artefacts."This is not ordinary, someone dared to try to sell a piece of moon rock," said Robinson.
Robinsin admitted, NASA often investigate problems similar cases as much as two times a year. This was done to follow up on reports of knick knacks space on the black market.
A recent report even informed that two rocket motors from the Apollo mission that put man on the moon, were sold via the Internet.
Currently, NASA claims to have collected 2415 samples of moon rock weighing a total of about 382 kilograms. Most of the stones were collected during the Apollo missions 15, 16, and 17. In addition, the three unmanned spacecraft, the Soviet Luna, never took about 0.3 kilograms of moon rock samples back to Earth.