Moon Rocks

Wanted : Moon Rcks

Earth may get more rocks in 2018, when NASA plans a manned lunar landing. Until then, as scientists and collectors know, supply and demand are worlds apart. The only sources ? Rare lunar meteorites  soil from soviet probes, and the 842 pounds of rubble carted back by Apollo astronauts from 1969 to 1972. NASA keeps most of its 1,500 rock cache in Houston, lending out 400 samples a year for research and display. President Nixon and Ford gave pea size "goodwill" slivers to 134 countries, 50 states and Puerto Rico.

For other interested parties, auctions can be a legal option if the rock for sale isn't United State government property  At sotheby's in 1993, aSoviet sample fetched $ 442,500. ON eBay, a meteorite cut can go for $ 40 to $100,000, depending on sizemquality, and authentication. Then there's the black market. Joseph Gutheinz, a former NASA investigator, says Apollo rocks that have vanished over the years can turn up with five million dollar tags. "They simply mean more and more as the years go by." - Jeremy Berlin