EARTH: A decade-plus of tracking lunar larceny

In the back alleys of the world's capitals and the ballrooms of presidential palaces exists a black market that preys on the imagination of some and the greed of others. These black-market items are not of this world: They are moon rocks, collected decades ago by six Apollo missions and three unmanned Soviet missions to the moon.

For the past decade, former NASA investigator Joseph Gutheinz Jr. has been tracking this lunar larceny - with a good bit of success. In the March feature "A Memoir: A Decade-Plus of Tracking Lunar Larceny," Gutheinz recalls some of the most famous thefts and losses of the Apollo moon rocks. He also details how he and his students have helped uncover some of these thefts and helped recover several of the missing rocks.

Read more of this crime-fighting memoir in the March issue, as well as other analytical stories on topics such as how remote sensing is helping aid agencies prepare for famine before it strikes, how oil and water helped the U.S. and the Allies win World War II, and who should be paying for cleanup after wildfires and landslides strike.

More information:
These stories and many more can be found in the March issue of EARTH, now available digitally (www.earthmagazine.org/digital/) or in print on your local newsstands.

Provided by American Geological Institute