1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: Ridiculous Crime is a production of My Heart Radio has 2 00:00:04,280 --> 00:00:08,000 Speaker 1: What's Up? Elizabeth Darton? Another much? How are you pretty well? 3 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:10,760 Speaker 1: How about your girl? Well I'm pretty good. But listen, 4 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:13,880 Speaker 1: you know it's ridiculous. Oh I'm so glad you asked. 5 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:16,400 Speaker 1: I've been waiting to see you. Okay, you know the 6 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:19,320 Speaker 1: movie Saturday Night Fever. Yes, yeah, it's the disco movie 7 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 1: where John Travolta says, why you gotta touch my hair? 8 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:24,560 Speaker 1: Spent a lot of time on my hair? Right that movie? Okay, 9 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:28,320 Speaker 1: that's like, that's a very good Travolta by the way, 10 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:34,160 Speaker 1: but like with a little sprinkle of Jay z over. Yeah, 11 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:36,440 Speaker 1: that's so. That movie was based on a New York 12 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:39,640 Speaker 1: magazine article by a British rock journalist named Nick Cone. 13 00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:42,839 Speaker 1: Right now his article becomes the movie Saturdanight Fever. The 14 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 1: one problem was he made it all up. The article. 15 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:48,839 Speaker 1: He went out to do research for the article, goes 16 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:50,960 Speaker 1: out in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. He spends a night at 17 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: a disco called two thousand one Odyssey. But when I 18 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:54,960 Speaker 1: say at night, I mean he walked up to it. 19 00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:57,600 Speaker 1: He gets there, there's a fight outside. One of the 20 00:00:57,680 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 1: dudes gets hit vomits on his pants. Who's the hell 21 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 1: with this? Goes back to Manhattan, but before he leaves, 22 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:06,640 Speaker 1: he spots one guy standing outside the club, imagines a 23 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:09,520 Speaker 1: whole story for him, and the decides that guy reminds 24 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:11,200 Speaker 1: me of the street kid I knew back in that 25 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 1: North Irish city at dairy. And then he also throws 26 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 1: in his other cat he knew from England, and I 27 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:18,839 Speaker 1: quote my story was a fraud. I had only recently 28 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:21,280 Speaker 1: arrived in New York, far from being steeped in Brooklyn 29 00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:24,200 Speaker 1: street life. I hardly knew the place. As for Vincent, 30 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:27,320 Speaker 1: my story's hero, he was largely inspired by a shepherd's 31 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:29,640 Speaker 1: Bush British Maud who am I I had known in 32 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:32,479 Speaker 1: the sixties, a one time king of gold Hawk Road. 33 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:36,200 Speaker 1: So Saturday Fever is really about the one time king 34 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:39,760 Speaker 1: of gold Hawk Road in nineteen sixties England. Wow, the 35 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:43,279 Speaker 1: disco and cocaine added later. I knew it was based 36 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:46,319 Speaker 1: on that, but no one knew that everything was. He 37 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:48,000 Speaker 1: told that like in two thousand and one or two 38 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:50,559 Speaker 1: thousand something in an interview like oh yeah, by the way, 39 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 1: that story I wrote total fraud, made it all up 40 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:56,279 Speaker 1: like for like or whatever it was. I guess snow 41 00:01:56,640 --> 00:02:03,080 Speaker 1: would like, yeah, aniversary. He's like, but he didn't power 42 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 1: through into the club. A little puke on his pants, 43 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:07,240 Speaker 1: He's like out. I mean even it was all over 44 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:09,960 Speaker 1: the front. Just go in the club, clear yourself some space. 45 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:14,800 Speaker 1: I got something to talk about. Yeah, wow, that's ridiculous. Cool, cool, 46 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 1: that's ridiculous. You want to know what else is ridiculous, girl, 47 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 1: I'm here for it. Committing theft in order to say 48 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:23,000 Speaker 1: you've gotten busy on the moon while never leaving Earth. 49 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 1: And that doesn't make any sense. No, it dies. This 50 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:51,400 Speaker 1: is Ridiculous Crime. A podcast about absurd and outrageous capers, heists, 51 00:02:51,400 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 1: and cons. It's always murder free and one ridiculous za. 52 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:04,000 Speaker 1: I want to talk to you about space, my favorite place. 53 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:05,519 Speaker 1: When you were a kid, did you ever want to 54 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 1: be an astronaut? I was that kid who would sit 55 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:11,120 Speaker 1: there lying in bed, going, if space is expanding, what's 56 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:14,400 Speaker 1: it expanding into? Right? Does you? Did you ever want 57 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:17,480 Speaker 1: to be a criminal astronaut? Girl? Come on now, if 58 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 1: I knew that was possible, Well, let me tell you 59 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:24,639 Speaker 1: what a guy. He's a theoretical physicist. My people who 60 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: really wanted to be an astronaut, but his ardor for 61 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:32,520 Speaker 1: the calling triggered criminal impulses and he lost his shot 62 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:35,800 Speaker 1: sort of, so you're going to love him, I think 63 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 1: kind of. His name is Thad Roberts and he was 64 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:46,440 Speaker 1: born in ninety seven to serious Mormons. The classifications serious 65 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:50,360 Speaker 1: and that's serious s E R. Not like serious XM radios, 66 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:53,720 Speaker 1: not like some historical hysterical Mormons. Right, they were. They 67 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: were hardcore into it Mormons in clear Field, Utah. Alright, 68 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 1: So the nine teen years old he goes to the 69 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:05,720 Speaker 1: Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. So as you know, 70 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:08,800 Speaker 1: you know, like Mormon youth go on these mission trips. 71 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 1: This is where they learned everything they needed to know 72 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:14,480 Speaker 1: in order to go on those and spread the word there, 73 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:15,880 Speaker 1: and how to tie the tie and ride the bike? 74 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:20,360 Speaker 1: How where exactly does the name Tegas go on your 75 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:24,040 Speaker 1: short sleeves above the pocket? God bless him? Uh so 76 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:26,280 Speaker 1: there he is. He's like, you know, sometimes they go 77 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:29,279 Speaker 1: for you know, they go for two years. Sometimes they 78 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:30,720 Speaker 1: go to a foreign country. Oh yeah, I've known a 79 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:32,080 Speaker 1: lot of Mormons. I grew up a lot. They go 80 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:33,960 Speaker 1: all over the planet. I mean some of them went 81 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:36,120 Speaker 1: down South America and they get lucky sometimes they used 82 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:40,600 Speaker 1: get to Cincinnati and they're like, oh, what's up. So 83 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 1: these guys like they go to this mission camp and 84 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:48,120 Speaker 1: they learn all the techniques for door knocking, and then 85 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:50,839 Speaker 1: they also learn you know, like service things to do 86 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:53,040 Speaker 1: in the community and languages if they need to have 87 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:54,920 Speaker 1: skills and stuff that they can pass on the community. 88 00:04:55,120 --> 00:04:56,880 Speaker 1: And it's like a couple of weeks that they're there, 89 00:04:56,880 --> 00:04:59,080 Speaker 1: and there it's for a two year stint. It's like 90 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:03,679 Speaker 1: the Religious Peace Corps totally. Totally. So one night, all 91 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 1: the trainees are hanging out and there's this other guy 92 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:11,000 Speaker 1: there and he's feeling really, really guilty. He's a secret Catholic. 93 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:15,719 Speaker 1: I didn't know that Mormon's felt guilty like we did. Um, 94 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 1: So he's feeling really guilty. He'd done something terrible and 95 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:22,200 Speaker 1: he had to tell someone about it. It was weighing 96 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:26,320 Speaker 1: too heavily on his soul. So the guy confesses he'd 97 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:31,680 Speaker 1: had premarital sex with his girlfriend. Yeah, it's sometimes all 98 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:34,359 Speaker 1: the time. And then all the other missionaries they're listening 99 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:37,599 Speaker 1: intently to his story, and then one by one they 100 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:41,920 Speaker 1: start to admit their own premarital dalliances. I've done the 101 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:45,080 Speaker 1: jumping on the bed stuff. It was like an I 102 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:50,240 Speaker 1: Am Spartacus moment, except they all are actually Spartan. So 103 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:54,039 Speaker 1: by the end it's like this super emotional heavy night. 104 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:57,839 Speaker 1: At the end of it, every single one had confessed 105 00:05:57,839 --> 00:06:02,560 Speaker 1: to not waiting until marriage, and Fad is one of them. 106 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:04,719 Speaker 1: He's a stand up guy right well at the time, 107 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:07,840 Speaker 1: and so he thinks, like, I gotta get ahead of this, 108 00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:11,840 Speaker 1: and if I go to the mission president, he might 109 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:14,120 Speaker 1: be able to give me guidance, help me work to 110 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:16,560 Speaker 1: redeem myself, Like I'm just going to come clean and 111 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:18,960 Speaker 1: ask for help. So he still feels guilty, even though 112 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:20,480 Speaker 1: he's had all these other people come forward and say 113 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:22,280 Speaker 1: I'm like you man, yeah, and they're just like, oh, 114 00:06:22,279 --> 00:06:25,360 Speaker 1: I feel so good, and that is like I gotta yeah, 115 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:27,520 Speaker 1: I gotta, I gotta go, and like make this right. 116 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:31,120 Speaker 1: He's an absolution of some kind whatever they consider absolution, right, So, 117 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:34,040 Speaker 1: um no, that's not how that all went for him. 118 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:37,560 Speaker 1: He goes to the mission president. Uh, that guy was 119 00:06:37,640 --> 00:06:43,080 Speaker 1: not interested in helping that fine forgiveness or redemption. The 120 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:46,480 Speaker 1: president calls church elders together and they decide that Fad 121 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:51,719 Speaker 1: isn't worth saving. He's not worthy to serve God, wait 122 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:53,400 Speaker 1: a minute, did he get kicked out of the church. 123 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:58,000 Speaker 1: He's cast out, so he gets kicked out of the program. 124 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:00,240 Speaker 1: So he gets kicked out of the program him and 125 00:07:00,279 --> 00:07:02,160 Speaker 1: they send him back home and have the parents dealing 126 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:04,800 Speaker 1: with them. The parents ex communicate him and they kick 127 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:07,680 Speaker 1: him out of the house. Yeah, they forced him to 128 00:07:07,720 --> 00:07:09,360 Speaker 1: live in the basement. I think it was like two 129 00:07:09,360 --> 00:07:11,520 Speaker 1: months while he got his act together. They wouldn't talk 130 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:13,960 Speaker 1: to him. He had to like be out of the 131 00:07:13,960 --> 00:07:15,560 Speaker 1: house most of the day. Then he could come in 132 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:18,520 Speaker 1: and sleep and then leave. So he moves out. He 133 00:07:18,680 --> 00:07:22,080 Speaker 1: marries his girlfriend Katie. They you know, they make an 134 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:27,440 Speaker 1: official Yeah, he's totally and so he's kind of a 135 00:07:27,520 --> 00:07:32,600 Speaker 1: drift obviously. Young man nineteen. He goes to a career 136 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:35,480 Speaker 1: center and he checks out all his options and the 137 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:37,640 Speaker 1: career that jumped out at him that he felt was 138 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:42,920 Speaker 1: his calling astronaut space Zar and I want to talk 139 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:46,120 Speaker 1: to you about space. You got to respect this guy 140 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:49,160 Speaker 1: for dreaming big, right, He's not like, well I could 141 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:52,080 Speaker 1: do you know, customer service, or he's like, I'm good 142 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:54,280 Speaker 1: with tires, I'll get a job at sears. But also 143 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:55,800 Speaker 1: I like that he's like I need to get off 144 00:07:55,800 --> 00:07:59,880 Speaker 1: this planet basically part of him. Well, so he enrolls 145 00:07:59,880 --> 00:08:04,960 Speaker 1: it the University of Utah and he triple major there anthropology, Geology, 146 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:11,000 Speaker 1: and physics. Ambitious coursework. He also he goes above and 147 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:14,960 Speaker 1: beyond in rounding out his extracurriculars and all like supplemental 148 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:18,760 Speaker 1: life experiences. He was full eagle scout on it totally. 149 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:24,400 Speaker 1: He founded the Utah Astronomical Society at school. He created 150 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:28,800 Speaker 1: this like prestigious science club at the university's observatory. He 151 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:33,079 Speaker 1: volunteered on dinosaur digs with paleontology organizations. Got a ton 152 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:35,240 Speaker 1: of those, Right, I know someone who's in that department 153 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:37,679 Speaker 1: at Utah. Here's another thing you're gonna love about him. 154 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:45,600 Speaker 1: He got his pilot's license. He became a certified scuba expert. Damn. 155 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:53,440 Speaker 1: He learned Russian, he learned he learned Japanese. I have 156 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:56,920 Speaker 1: been working on my duo. I'm loving this guy. And 157 00:08:56,960 --> 00:08:59,520 Speaker 1: then he and his wife they did a charity bike 158 00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:03,000 Speaker 1: ride from Salt Lake City to San Francisco and raised 159 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:07,000 Speaker 1: almost ten thousand dollars for cystic fibrosis research. It's like 160 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:09,000 Speaker 1: one of those double cycle rides, but even more like 161 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:17,000 Speaker 1: the right he over like the drive and you have 162 00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:20,040 Speaker 1: to go over the Rockies. Yeah, he basically became the 163 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:23,720 Speaker 1: most interesting man in the world. And if that isn't 164 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:27,040 Speaker 1: the perfect astronaut resume, I don't know what is. You know, 165 00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:30,120 Speaker 1: it's like the triple major and the languages. So the 166 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:33,000 Speaker 1: next step in his path to space was to apply 167 00:09:33,040 --> 00:09:36,640 Speaker 1: to the Johnson Space Center Pathways program in Houston, Texas. 168 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:41,640 Speaker 1: It's basically internships for astra It's like a space cadet program. Yeah, 169 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:45,800 Speaker 1: it's a real space cadet people around eight her people 170 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:49,720 Speaker 1: apply every year for just fifty spots. And he got 171 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:53,640 Speaker 1: a phone interview super excited about that. He was confused though, 172 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:56,400 Speaker 1: because like the interviewer didn't talk at all about his 173 00:09:56,480 --> 00:10:02,760 Speaker 1: science work and focused primarily on the charity bike ride. Well, 174 00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:05,439 Speaker 1: it makes sense when you think about it, because like 175 00:10:05,679 --> 00:10:10,040 Speaker 1: all the people interviewing would have absolutely stellar weren't weren't 176 00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:14,280 Speaker 1: credentials right, Like, and they're all scientists. They're all scientists, 177 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:16,600 Speaker 1: Like that's the baseline you have to have that. So 178 00:10:16,679 --> 00:10:20,960 Speaker 1: now it's you know, it's like what what makes you more? 179 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:24,439 Speaker 1: What makes you extracts? I'm guessing they talked about the 180 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:29,840 Speaker 1: bike ride and they probably talked about space. This guy 181 00:10:29,920 --> 00:10:32,000 Speaker 1: Bob must Grove, he was the he was at the 182 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:34,679 Speaker 1: program like the director, and he was later quoted as saying, 183 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:39,320 Speaker 1: the folks we pick are overachievers with indicators for success 184 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:46,280 Speaker 1: on their resume. They're well rounded rather than nerds, don't right, 185 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:50,160 Speaker 1: So what they want, you know, you have to betting well, 186 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:51,839 Speaker 1: I mean you think about it too. It's like they 187 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:54,120 Speaker 1: have to have they have to be physically fit, so 188 00:10:54,120 --> 00:10:56,200 Speaker 1: they you know, you think about how are you doing that? 189 00:10:56,360 --> 00:10:59,280 Speaker 1: You're not just like powerlifting, but like what kind of 190 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:02,600 Speaker 1: like dynamic. You want people who are both like fit 191 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:05,000 Speaker 1: mentally fit physically and they're able to do all the 192 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:09,880 Speaker 1: necessary requirements of space travel and do hard Yeah, so 193 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:11,480 Speaker 1: that if you're an emergency, you want them to be 194 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:14,800 Speaker 1: able to carry the other astronaut or whatever across. If 195 00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:17,640 Speaker 1: you do charity work, then you kind of seeing things 196 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:20,000 Speaker 1: in a greater sense of like your place and things 197 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:23,320 Speaker 1: and the work that they're doing for the community. You're 198 00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:25,360 Speaker 1: thinking not only of yourself. You're the what we want 199 00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:30,520 Speaker 1: of a hero. Right, So obviously Sad accepted. He's taken 200 00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:34,800 Speaker 1: into two thousand one. He's twenty four years old. His 201 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:38,440 Speaker 1: wife is financially supporting him. He goes to the Johnson 202 00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:43,920 Speaker 1: Space Center and starts his astronaut ship. He felt a 203 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:47,000 Speaker 1: little out of place, right, like, given his history, he 204 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:49,679 Speaker 1: didn't come from a life of resources. You could imagine 205 00:11:49,720 --> 00:11:52,120 Speaker 1: that like a lot of the people there were given 206 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:54,920 Speaker 1: all these opportunities just from like how they grew up, 207 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:57,920 Speaker 1: in what families they had. That it's really easy to 208 00:11:58,480 --> 00:12:01,000 Speaker 1: go to a good school and you know, to meet 209 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:04,080 Speaker 1: all the triple major and have all these extra if 210 00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:05,840 Speaker 1: someone's footing the bill for and you don't have to 211 00:12:05,880 --> 00:12:10,120 Speaker 1: work on the side, that kind of stuff so completely. 212 00:12:10,640 --> 00:12:14,160 Speaker 1: So he's also kind of shy, and he decides when 213 00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:16,520 Speaker 1: he gets there that he has to be bold. He 214 00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:18,319 Speaker 1: has to be willing to break the rules to get 215 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:21,199 Speaker 1: what he wants. He's just like a personality shift. He's 216 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:24,440 Speaker 1: just like, I'm going to be the ultra version of me. Yeah, 217 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:26,960 Speaker 1: it's just kind of like it like clicks in him. 218 00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:29,199 Speaker 1: But even though he has this impulse to be really shy, 219 00:12:29,360 --> 00:12:32,240 Speaker 1: he's got yeah I like it. So like one time 220 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:35,480 Speaker 1: he snuck into the Space Shuttle simulator when there was 221 00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:38,719 Speaker 1: a shift change, so he like he was walking by 222 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:41,280 Speaker 1: and he sees their changing the shift on it and 223 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:44,160 Speaker 1: he cut talks to the people leaving and they're like, well, 224 00:12:44,679 --> 00:12:46,120 Speaker 1: I don't know if you're on the list. Hold on, 225 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:48,920 Speaker 1: there's another group coming. They can check you. It's okay. 226 00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:52,520 Speaker 1: So he waits and when the new group comes in, yeah, no, 227 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:55,160 Speaker 1: he's like standing there, like, are you next? Because they 228 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:57,079 Speaker 1: assumed he had been vetted by the last So yeah, 229 00:12:57,120 --> 00:13:00,680 Speaker 1: so he just like does it. Um. No, everyone gets 230 00:13:00,679 --> 00:13:03,080 Speaker 1: to do the simulator. It's a super big deal. But 231 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:06,160 Speaker 1: he did the whole act, like, you know, easily convinced 232 00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:08,560 Speaker 1: the people. He gets on there. Um. So he goes 233 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:10,760 Speaker 1: back to the University of Utah for a bit for 234 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:13,960 Speaker 1: a semester, and he meets a fellow Mormon, Gordon mcquarter. 235 00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:19,320 Speaker 1: Gordon had a tough time of things in his youth 236 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:21,880 Speaker 1: as well. His sister had died in a car accident. 237 00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:26,880 Speaker 1: He'd already been divorced with business despite his young age. 238 00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:29,720 Speaker 1: He also had a kid um, he was estranged from 239 00:13:29,720 --> 00:13:33,360 Speaker 1: his father, and he had a criminal record thanks to 240 00:13:33,559 --> 00:13:36,520 Speaker 1: stealing from his father post estrangement and then trying to 241 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:39,200 Speaker 1: pawn the stuff he took. He's had a rough road. 242 00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:44,120 Speaker 1: So they're hanging out together, they're talking probably about space. 243 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:47,120 Speaker 1: What do you think about space? Gordon liked to hang 244 00:13:47,160 --> 00:13:49,080 Speaker 1: out on the roof of a building on campus and 245 00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:55,640 Speaker 1: smoke weed and talk about aliens. Basic college stuff. So 246 00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:59,920 Speaker 1: one day Thad and Gordon there at the Utah Museum 247 00:13:59,920 --> 00:14:02,400 Speaker 1: of Natural History and they're walking around looking at stuff 248 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:04,960 Speaker 1: and talking about minerals and rocks, you know, as you 249 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:10,800 Speaker 1: do stuff, and Gordon is really knowledgeable about minerals and rocks. 250 00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:14,480 Speaker 1: It turns out, so Sad asked Gordon like, hey, man, 251 00:14:15,040 --> 00:14:17,000 Speaker 1: do you know you like how you could find someone 252 00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:20,400 Speaker 1: who would want to buy a moon rock? Gordon is like, 253 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:24,000 Speaker 1: does wait, does that have a moon rock to sell? 254 00:14:24,640 --> 00:14:28,800 Speaker 1: Not yet, but Gordon is interested. He's just looking for 255 00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:31,560 Speaker 1: a fencing case. Yeah, He's like this is interesting. See 256 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:34,720 Speaker 1: here's the thing. Back at the NASA program Sad had 257 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:37,760 Speaker 1: been in Building thirty one North and he saw a 258 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:40,800 Speaker 1: huge safe that was supposed to have lunar samples inside 259 00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:45,000 Speaker 1: from every Apollo mission. Yeah, like a bunch of them. 260 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:47,840 Speaker 1: And he'd heard scientists jokingly discussed how like if they 261 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:49,640 Speaker 1: could sell some of those rocks, they'd be able to 262 00:14:49,680 --> 00:14:52,280 Speaker 1: get funding for the research they needed because their budgets 263 00:14:52,280 --> 00:14:56,720 Speaker 1: were so tight Sad also saw that the guy who 264 00:14:56,800 --> 00:14:59,160 Speaker 1: opened the safe had been looking at something on a 265 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:02,120 Speaker 1: piece of paper taped to the top before he opened it. 266 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:06,720 Speaker 1: It's like, maybe that's the combo. I had to be 267 00:15:06,760 --> 00:15:11,520 Speaker 1: the combo people. So he's got that in the back 268 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:13,480 Speaker 1: of his mind. Right, have the safe. If you just 269 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:17,480 Speaker 1: got one of paper, that's take you'll find out. So 270 00:15:17,920 --> 00:15:20,400 Speaker 1: that's in the back of his mind. Sad. He asked 271 00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:24,800 Speaker 1: Gordon about selling some moon rock. Gordon is up. He's 272 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:27,800 Speaker 1: like that sounds fun. Um doesn't know about the plan, 273 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:30,160 Speaker 1: but it's just like, I wonder if you could find 274 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:32,160 Speaker 1: something I can move some of that's better than box eyes. 275 00:15:32,680 --> 00:15:36,680 Speaker 1: So he posts. Gordon posts on a mineral collecting website 276 00:15:36,760 --> 00:15:41,480 Speaker 1: the following message. So you say, mineral collecting website, this 277 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:43,560 Speaker 1: is like a forum for people who are like trading 278 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:46,040 Speaker 1: and swapping. Yeah. Yeah, it's just a bunch of collectors. 279 00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:56,080 Speaker 1: So he posts a message on this website that's like 280 00:15:56,280 --> 00:16:01,680 Speaker 1: the weirdest thing effort to click on, like what like, 281 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:03,800 Speaker 1: so look at you stole the moon rocks. You went 282 00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:07,640 Speaker 1: into witness protection. And that's what his email sounds like 283 00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:12,400 Speaker 1: when you read it in your head. Okay, I thought 284 00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:15,480 Speaker 1: he just left that on the forum, like play, I 285 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:18,680 Speaker 1: don't have time. No, that's what it sounds like when 286 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:27,720 Speaker 1: Gordon sends an email. Do you have all your emails 287 00:16:27,720 --> 00:16:30,600 Speaker 1: read to you like that? We all sound like hostage videos. Yes, 288 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:36,640 Speaker 1: maybe my sister with the talk to text. I'm like, okay, 289 00:16:37,160 --> 00:16:39,920 Speaker 1: it's yeah, completely Now that's what I hear in my 290 00:16:39,960 --> 00:16:43,440 Speaker 1: head every time I read an email. So he makes that. 291 00:16:43,640 --> 00:16:46,240 Speaker 1: He makes that email the he and FED They use 292 00:16:46,280 --> 00:16:50,520 Speaker 1: a fake email address with the name orb Robinson, which 293 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:53,040 Speaker 1: is a shout out to rob No one of their 294 00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:58,440 Speaker 1: favorite musicians, Roy Orbisons right there. How did you miss that? 295 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:02,960 Speaker 1: Or Robinson's sounds like when or Robinson sends an email. 296 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:10,240 Speaker 1: Enter Axel Emmerman. When we come back from this break, 297 00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:12,879 Speaker 1: I'm going to tell you about Axel and what in 298 00:17:12,920 --> 00:17:36,600 Speaker 1: the universe he has to do with Moon Rocks. Alright, 299 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:39,600 Speaker 1: we're back. I don't think there were enough ads just then. 300 00:17:39,800 --> 00:17:42,640 Speaker 1: Quite frankly, never enough for me. I'm going to write 301 00:17:42,640 --> 00:17:46,280 Speaker 1: a strongly worded letter to the editor about that. I 302 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:48,760 Speaker 1: want to talk to you about space. That's what I'm 303 00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:51,440 Speaker 1: here for that. So I'm wearing this shirt. I want 304 00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:53,919 Speaker 1: to talk to you about Axel Emmerman. Oh, you are 305 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:59,360 Speaker 1: wearing a planetary I'm for real, I know you are 306 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:04,640 Speaker 1: little space case coincidental. I don't even know me. Well, 307 00:18:04,720 --> 00:18:08,440 Speaker 1: see there it is. The universe unfolds as it should. 308 00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:11,320 Speaker 1: You are here, that's right. I want to talk to 309 00:18:11,359 --> 00:18:13,840 Speaker 1: you about space. I want to talk to about moon rocks, 310 00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:16,240 Speaker 1: and I want to talk to you about Axel Emmerman. 311 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:22,840 Speaker 1: Who is he? Actually, I'm trying. I'm confused. He's a 312 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:27,240 Speaker 1: Yeah and Axel Rose but it's not spelled okay. So 313 00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:31,920 Speaker 1: Axel Emmerman is a Belgian amateur astronomer and mineral collector, 314 00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:36,879 Speaker 1: and he's an antwerp. He sees the post, he sees 315 00:18:36,920 --> 00:18:40,920 Speaker 1: the robot post asking for you know, like anyone down 316 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:45,879 Speaker 1: to pay for rocks. He emails or Robinson and he's like, 317 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:47,960 Speaker 1: you know what, if you've got a fair price and 318 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:50,960 Speaker 1: proof of authenticity, I might be a little bit interested there. 319 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:54,679 Speaker 1: You may have a buyer on the line. So Gordon 320 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:58,919 Speaker 1: starts corresponding with Axel and then Thad takes over the negotiations, 321 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:03,399 Speaker 1: goes back to Johnson's Space Center to finish out his internship. 322 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:06,439 Speaker 1: He was still working out the details with Axel at 323 00:19:06,440 --> 00:19:09,639 Speaker 1: this time. Another risk. He took a rule he broke, 324 00:19:10,119 --> 00:19:13,440 Speaker 1: this time at the Johnson Space Center. He stepped out 325 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:18,879 Speaker 1: on old Katie, his wife. Yeah, dude, he met a 326 00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:22,679 Speaker 1: fellow intern named Tiffany Fowler. So wait, Ultra Fad is 327 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:32,679 Speaker 1: Charting Fad. Yes, dark Fad the chat so yes, he's 328 00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:35,720 Speaker 1: he starts an affair with her. He's smitten, but he's 329 00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:40,000 Speaker 1: also married you, poor Katie. So um. Fad said that 330 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:41,919 Speaker 1: he and Katie had grown apart and that they had 331 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:45,000 Speaker 1: an open marriage. Oh come on, yeah, Katie was like, 332 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:49,800 Speaker 1: she's like, there's an article in the Atlantic about this 333 00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:54,200 Speaker 1: whole mess. Katie is quoted as saying, quote, Fad has 334 00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:58,160 Speaker 1: put so much incorrect info out there, so he seems 335 00:19:58,200 --> 00:20:01,600 Speaker 1: like a hero to others instead of the lying, manipulative 336 00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:07,120 Speaker 1: person he really is. Damn woman's scorned. Okay, So I'm 337 00:20:07,119 --> 00:20:09,480 Speaker 1: going to chalk that up as not an open marriage. 338 00:20:10,480 --> 00:20:13,680 Speaker 1: Think they like the both doors have to be open. 339 00:20:15,320 --> 00:20:20,439 Speaker 1: So um, there's that just giddy and electric, not just 340 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:22,960 Speaker 1: with the thrill of new love, but also the thrill 341 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:25,479 Speaker 1: of possibly setting up a buyer for moon Rocks. He's 342 00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:27,359 Speaker 1: over the moon with all this new opportunity, and he 343 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:29,880 Speaker 1: is like, I am for sure going to steal these now, 344 00:20:30,359 --> 00:20:33,439 Speaker 1: like this is just this is all this all signs 345 00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:37,040 Speaker 1: point to steal. First step to new that criming. So 346 00:20:37,119 --> 00:20:39,640 Speaker 1: he starts concocting a plan to lift the moon rocks 347 00:20:39,680 --> 00:20:43,240 Speaker 1: from the safe um and he couldn't help but share 348 00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:46,399 Speaker 1: the details with Tiffany, his new love. And then he 349 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:49,800 Speaker 1: also in the program, also in the program, and then 350 00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:52,720 Speaker 1: he couldn't help but shift something to lose with this information. 351 00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:56,199 Speaker 1: He's jeopardizing her. Okay, go on, he couldn't help but 352 00:20:56,240 --> 00:21:00,439 Speaker 1: share also with another intern, Oh my god, named Shaye Sour. 353 00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:03,199 Speaker 1: He hasn't done it. He's sharing that he's going to 354 00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:06,240 Speaker 1: do his plan. This is the worst criminal behavi He 355 00:21:06,320 --> 00:21:09,119 Speaker 1: has a power point. He's like, please let me just 356 00:21:09,160 --> 00:21:11,320 Speaker 1: sit in there, like is this a time share? Think? No, 357 00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:14,080 Speaker 1: I just want to walk you through my intent and 358 00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:17,440 Speaker 1: my plans. But they need Shay because they need an 359 00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:22,320 Speaker 1: extra person. They can't just do it too so well 360 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:25,800 Speaker 1: because bad Tiffany and Shay are all interns at Johnson 361 00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:30,439 Speaker 1: Space Center. Um, they all had official entry badges to 362 00:21:30,480 --> 00:21:33,119 Speaker 1: get in and out and around the building one or 363 00:21:33,119 --> 00:21:36,119 Speaker 1: whatever it was. Yeah, so sad Tiffany Shay, which is 364 00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:38,960 Speaker 1: like it makes it sound like a nineties teen soap 365 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:45,760 Speaker 1: opera every time I read off these names. Zaren closure. Yeah, 366 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:48,240 Speaker 1: I want you to picture it on your picture. It's 367 00:21:48,359 --> 00:21:52,720 Speaker 1: July thirteenth, two thousand two. Hot in here by Nelly 368 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:56,960 Speaker 1: is at the top of the jar. You're a scientist, baby, 369 00:21:57,840 --> 00:22:00,439 Speaker 1: so to be precise, you're a physicist who works at 370 00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:04,919 Speaker 1: you're right, Johnson Space Center. Uh, you work at the 371 00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:11,080 Speaker 1: space Vehicle mock Up facility mocking up space vehicles. It's 372 00:22:11,119 --> 00:22:14,080 Speaker 1: located on Fourth Street at the Johnson Space Center, which 373 00:22:14,119 --> 00:22:16,719 Speaker 1: is right across the street from none other than Building 374 00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:20,000 Speaker 1: thirty one of the Safe full of space Rocks. So 375 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:22,480 Speaker 1: you decide to take a break from your late night 376 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:25,600 Speaker 1: mockups and you head over to the cafeteria for some snacks. 377 00:22:26,119 --> 00:22:28,160 Speaker 1: I don't know if the cafeteria is opened this late, 378 00:22:28,600 --> 00:22:31,879 Speaker 1: let's say this. So you walk out onto the empty 379 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:35,320 Speaker 1: sidewalk under a sky full of stars, stars that you 380 00:22:35,359 --> 00:22:40,639 Speaker 1: help explore. As you head towards the cafeteria building, you 381 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:43,280 Speaker 1: look up at the sky. You're marveling and how wonderful 382 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:47,280 Speaker 1: your life is, how exceptional your opportunities are, and how 383 00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:49,840 Speaker 1: big they are in your sphere. But how small and 384 00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:53,399 Speaker 1: insignificant they are in the grand scheme of this vast 385 00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:57,720 Speaker 1: and ever expanding universe. I'm philosophical. When you get hungry, 386 00:22:57,760 --> 00:23:00,520 Speaker 1: you get you get a little bit under your feelings. Yeah, 387 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:05,280 Speaker 1: the multitudes. They start coming out. So there's really no 388 00:23:05,320 --> 00:23:07,120 Speaker 1: one else out at this hour, and you're a little 389 00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:10,040 Speaker 1: surprised to hear the roar of a jeep engine approaching 390 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:17,680 Speaker 1: up Fourth Street and you see three people in this jeep. 391 00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:21,240 Speaker 1: They pull into the Building thirty one parking lot and 392 00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:24,280 Speaker 1: they hop out. It's like a juicy fruit commercial at 393 00:23:24,280 --> 00:23:28,440 Speaker 1: this point, Dad, Tiffany and pull up in a jeep. Okay, 394 00:23:28,480 --> 00:23:30,439 Speaker 1: so they look around, but they don't see you across 395 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:32,840 Speaker 1: the street because you'd like stepped back into the shadows 396 00:23:32,920 --> 00:23:36,679 Speaker 1: to observe them. Something isn't adding up. So I am 397 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:40,520 Speaker 1: suspicious completely. They hop out of the jeep one by one, 398 00:23:41,240 --> 00:23:43,600 Speaker 1: the woman and a man. They stripped down and slip 399 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:47,280 Speaker 1: into neoprene bodysuits. Now I am more than suspicious. Yeah, 400 00:23:47,280 --> 00:23:53,480 Speaker 1: you're suspicious that um. They strap on oxygen tanks and 401 00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:55,720 Speaker 1: then they lift a dolly out of the jeep and 402 00:23:55,760 --> 00:23:59,000 Speaker 1: they head into Building thirty one. But like they seem 403 00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:02,280 Speaker 1: so confident and what they're doing. It's like they're supposed 404 00:24:02,320 --> 00:24:04,560 Speaker 1: to be there and they must be part of their acting, 405 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:07,800 Speaker 1: like they know, I don't know teen comedy. Shoot, that's 406 00:24:07,800 --> 00:24:09,720 Speaker 1: why you like you shrug it and you head off 407 00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:12,280 Speaker 1: again into this balmy night and you figure it's one 408 00:24:12,280 --> 00:24:15,359 Speaker 1: of those like weird astronaut exercise mystery left to be 409 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:18,960 Speaker 1: unsolved precisely, no matter, you're gonna go find cookies and 410 00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:23,960 Speaker 1: cranberry juice when that. Get back to work. So back 411 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:26,960 Speaker 1: at Building thirty one, Fad and Tiffany, they're getting to work. 412 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:30,600 Speaker 1: They had on their neoprene because the safe is kept 413 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:33,560 Speaker 1: in a climate controlled room with a thermal alarm to 414 00:24:33,640 --> 00:24:37,560 Speaker 1: detect temperature changes. Yeah, so they and they had the 415 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:39,840 Speaker 1: oxygen tanks because the moon rocks were kept in a 416 00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:42,800 Speaker 1: vault with no oxygen in order to preserve them. Yeah. 417 00:24:43,080 --> 00:24:45,359 Speaker 1: I think we degraded, but yeah, yeah, So I was 418 00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:47,199 Speaker 1: wondering about this, what the conditions would be of how 419 00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:49,000 Speaker 1: they get these things out, And so far they had 420 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:51,719 Speaker 1: in a clean room in an oxygen free right, and 421 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:55,720 Speaker 1: tiff and Sad they had about fifteen minutes of air each, 422 00:24:56,800 --> 00:24:59,040 Speaker 1: just enough to get in and up a little tiny tanks, 423 00:24:59,080 --> 00:25:05,960 Speaker 1: little biddies. It's like cocktail tanks, little slippers. Um so bad. 424 00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:08,960 Speaker 1: Walked up to the six hundred pounds safe, lifted up 425 00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:11,200 Speaker 1: the slip of paper on the safe that he'd seen 426 00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:14,800 Speaker 1: the scientists check before opening it. It wasn't the combination. 427 00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:19,840 Speaker 1: It was a code that the scientists had created to 428 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:23,840 Speaker 1: be able to remember the actual combinations. I love it. 429 00:25:24,320 --> 00:25:26,639 Speaker 1: All my passwords are written out like that. Yeah, so 430 00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:32,960 Speaker 1: crap is what? Thanks? But you know, he's a budding astronaut. 431 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:36,400 Speaker 1: This guy's really really on it. He's a smart he's 432 00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:40,080 Speaker 1: a smart cookie. He has a backup plan, the dolly, 433 00:25:40,359 --> 00:25:43,240 Speaker 1: lift the whole thing out. Yeah. They wheel the dolly 434 00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:47,159 Speaker 1: over to the safe, six hundred pounds safe. He and 435 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:50,040 Speaker 1: Tiffany like struggle together. They get it onto the dolly 436 00:25:50,119 --> 00:25:52,960 Speaker 1: and heave it out. They wheel it out to the jeep, 437 00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:56,240 Speaker 1: and then with Shay's help, they somehow hoisted it into 438 00:25:56,280 --> 00:26:00,200 Speaker 1: the back of the jeep out and I will not six. Wow. 439 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:03,879 Speaker 1: They must have been like shot putting. Yeah, you know, 440 00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:05,760 Speaker 1: they probably like get up at four in the morning 441 00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:08,440 Speaker 1: and like run on the beach like an astronaut. That's 442 00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:10,199 Speaker 1: an awkward way, and you're gonna have to do like 443 00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:12,520 Speaker 1: half of the dolly to get it up. I'm sure. 444 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:14,280 Speaker 1: I'm hoping one wasn't trying to pull it up. I'm 445 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:15,959 Speaker 1: hoping they were both going to push it up. I 446 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:18,959 Speaker 1: think that they had shade deadlifted pulling it up, not 447 00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:24,400 Speaker 1: bending your knees, and and the other two just watched. Yeah, 448 00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:27,040 Speaker 1: as like up, all the discs in her back ruptured 449 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:30,600 Speaker 1: one after another. Um so it was so heavy in 450 00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:32,800 Speaker 1: the jeep that the jeep was like listing the one 451 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:34,960 Speaker 1: side I met. It was like riding on the tire. 452 00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:38,960 Speaker 1: They crean over to a motel and they wrestle the 453 00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:44,200 Speaker 1: safe into a room. Then they yeah, you know, treat 454 00:26:44,240 --> 00:26:47,440 Speaker 1: it right. They got to work cutting the safe open 455 00:26:47,480 --> 00:26:51,159 Speaker 1: with a power saw. So like imagine you're just a 456 00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:54,800 Speaker 1: lonely traveler outside of Houston, you're just staying at a 457 00:26:54,880 --> 00:27:00,960 Speaker 1: roadside motel and you just get this door. So crap, 458 00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:05,080 Speaker 1: because they went doll again. So they opened it up. 459 00:27:05,119 --> 00:27:08,960 Speaker 1: Inside the safe hundred and one grams of space rocks. 460 00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:10,760 Speaker 1: So they got into the safe. Yeah, they got into 461 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:12,480 Speaker 1: the safe right. They didn't have to go like a 462 00:27:12,560 --> 00:27:16,000 Speaker 1: jackamera or something. That's amazing. They maybe had like a 463 00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:21,040 Speaker 1: special space song. Well there's that too. So there's moon 464 00:27:21,119 --> 00:27:25,000 Speaker 1: rocks in there. There's also Martian meteorites. There's all sorts 465 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:28,360 Speaker 1: of cool stuff going on. The value of those one 466 00:27:28,880 --> 00:27:34,080 Speaker 1: one grams one million dollars. Oh wow, I had no idea. 467 00:27:34,119 --> 00:27:35,840 Speaker 1: I had literally no idea what the number is going 468 00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:39,080 Speaker 1: to be. That's way more than I Also in the 469 00:27:39,160 --> 00:27:42,760 Speaker 1: safe thirty years of notes and handwritten research from NASA 470 00:27:42,840 --> 00:27:47,239 Speaker 1: scientist Everett Gibson Jr. That's the scientists that that had 471 00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:52,439 Speaker 1: seen access. Yeah, so it should be noted that Fads 472 00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:56,119 Speaker 1: said that the notebooks weren't in the safe, just uncut 473 00:27:56,200 --> 00:28:00,800 Speaker 1: space stuff. Um. Tiffany and Shay said, yeah, the notebooks 474 00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:04,520 Speaker 1: were in there, and that threw him away. I mean, 475 00:28:04,560 --> 00:28:07,560 Speaker 1: you think he's scientists is going to disregard the work 476 00:28:07,600 --> 00:28:10,600 Speaker 1: of another size. Yeah, he's just like super into space. 477 00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:16,320 Speaker 1: He's gone full fad. Now he's achieved his greatest form um. 478 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:19,679 Speaker 1: So he tosses the notes. He's like, screw this, um 479 00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:24,119 Speaker 1: all my research, that's what's important. These guys don't know anything. 480 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:26,639 Speaker 1: So they gather up the moon rocks, they take him 481 00:28:26,680 --> 00:28:29,560 Speaker 1: to Tiffany's apartment and then they take the safe and 482 00:28:29,640 --> 00:28:32,520 Speaker 1: they drive it out to like forty five minutes outside 483 00:28:32,560 --> 00:28:34,600 Speaker 1: of town, to this small town and they put it 484 00:28:34,640 --> 00:28:38,680 Speaker 1: in a dumpster there. Okay, why not right, I mean 485 00:28:38,760 --> 00:28:43,200 Speaker 1: there are there no bodies of water exactly. Children. Um, 486 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:46,560 Speaker 1: so they cover their tracks on pretty much everything the 487 00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:49,640 Speaker 1: whole way through. It's two days before the folks at 488 00:28:49,720 --> 00:28:52,760 Speaker 1: Johnson Space Center realized the safe is gone. By the way, 489 00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:55,400 Speaker 1: he had his day off. They they're doing a lot 490 00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:58,600 Speaker 1: of other stuff. Um, and then there was zero evidence 491 00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:02,200 Speaker 1: to go on, no video, foot no fingerprints. So they're 492 00:29:02,280 --> 00:29:06,440 Speaker 1: just like they have no idea interesting video and the trio. 493 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:09,720 Speaker 1: They go back to work at their internships, uh for 494 00:29:09,880 --> 00:29:13,080 Speaker 1: like a week, acting like nothing happened. Wait, you heard 495 00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:19,440 Speaker 1: the safest. Meanwhile, sad emailing Axel, the Belgian rock fanatic. 496 00:29:20,360 --> 00:29:22,720 Speaker 1: So and they set up a meeting to make the sale. 497 00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:26,240 Speaker 1: He's gonna fly over from Belgium. Well, the prices quoted 498 00:29:26,280 --> 00:29:29,080 Speaker 1: to Axel were in the neighborhood of about five thousand 499 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:32,480 Speaker 1: and Graham, so he's moving it on the cheap. And 500 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:37,000 Speaker 1: he says, let's meet July two, which happened to be 501 00:29:37,120 --> 00:29:41,680 Speaker 1: the thirty third anniversary of the first move walk. Yeah yeah, 502 00:29:41,760 --> 00:29:45,920 Speaker 1: so um, Fad and Tiffany. They're going to meet up 503 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:50,000 Speaker 1: with Axel's brother and sister in law because Axel's like, 504 00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:54,520 Speaker 1: it's a really long drive from Belgium, and so they're 505 00:29:54,520 --> 00:29:58,240 Speaker 1: going to meet in Orlando. I got family, d He's well, no, 506 00:29:58,360 --> 00:30:02,280 Speaker 1: he has family. He his family in Pennsylvania and they're 507 00:30:02,280 --> 00:30:07,040 Speaker 1: going to drive down and they're all totally they're gonna, like, 508 00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:09,440 Speaker 1: you know, have a fun day together. Um, they're going 509 00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:13,320 Speaker 1: to meet in an Italian restaurant in Orlando. And on 510 00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:17,000 Speaker 1: the thirty third anniversary of the first moonwalk. So Fat 511 00:30:17,120 --> 00:30:21,040 Speaker 1: and Tiffany they drive straight through from Houston to Orlando overnight. 512 00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:25,200 Speaker 1: I hear that's a thing. Diapers are often included and astronauts. Um. 513 00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:28,920 Speaker 1: When they arrive, they get a hotel room. And they 514 00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:32,440 Speaker 1: had about an hour before the meeting, and Sad had 515 00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:35,800 Speaker 1: an idea. He pulled back the comforter on the bed 516 00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:39,080 Speaker 1: and he sprinkled a few a few moon rocks and 517 00:30:39,200 --> 00:30:41,720 Speaker 1: some lunar dust on the sheets, and then he pulled 518 00:30:41,760 --> 00:30:44,760 Speaker 1: the coverlet back over the bed. And then the couple 519 00:30:44,840 --> 00:30:48,600 Speaker 1: got onto the bed and proceeded to knock boots. Wait, 520 00:30:48,640 --> 00:30:50,600 Speaker 1: so they were wearing like cowboy boots and they just 521 00:30:50,680 --> 00:30:54,440 Speaker 1: bumped them. No, no not. They got busy, so they 522 00:30:54,560 --> 00:30:56,440 Speaker 1: like brought briefcases to bed and they were like, hey, 523 00:30:56,480 --> 00:31:00,360 Speaker 1: I've got my business papers, your papers. No they mashed 524 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:05,960 Speaker 1: oh like like like say Gallagher with a watermelon one 525 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:10,760 Speaker 1: of those big sledgehammers. Alright, but no, they they wanted 526 00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:12,400 Speaker 1: to be able to say they had sex on the moon. 527 00:31:15,080 --> 00:31:18,520 Speaker 1: Zaren it's getting hot in her. Nobody would be so proud. 528 00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:21,480 Speaker 1: So yeah, like on a bunch of moon gravel. They 529 00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:24,680 Speaker 1: decided to like bump uglies. Yeah that's amazing. Yeah, they 530 00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:29,480 Speaker 1: took two ugly children. I hope he was like the 531 00:31:29,560 --> 00:31:32,760 Speaker 1: one willing to lie on the moon rocks. And he 532 00:31:33,560 --> 00:31:36,280 Speaker 1: didn't you didn't clarify it, but he said it was 533 00:31:36,440 --> 00:31:40,480 Speaker 1: quote uncomfortable, no kids. And he also later you know, 534 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:42,640 Speaker 1: he was saying, well, like maybe I exaggerated and I 535 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:45,240 Speaker 1: just sprinkled a little dust on the pillow if he 536 00:31:45,320 --> 00:31:46,640 Speaker 1: had any rocks to be like having sex in a 537 00:31:46,720 --> 00:31:48,920 Speaker 1: parking lot. So I hoped it was just dust. Yeah, 538 00:31:49,040 --> 00:31:55,800 Speaker 1: it sticks leaves all your favorite things. So I mean, 539 00:31:55,840 --> 00:31:57,880 Speaker 1: I don't know how nice of a what if it's 540 00:31:57,880 --> 00:32:01,120 Speaker 1: a I mean like well, I mean, god turn a 541 00:32:01,200 --> 00:32:04,680 Speaker 1: black light on forget it um, so he says it's 542 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:09,720 Speaker 1: uncomfortable and hot in her um. Then either way, they 543 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:12,959 Speaker 1: had what they thought was sex on the moon um, 544 00:32:13,360 --> 00:32:17,120 Speaker 1: but was really just the biggest amount of semantics. Really 545 00:32:17,240 --> 00:32:21,600 Speaker 1: just Orlando exactly. We had sex in the Orlando motel room, 546 00:32:21,800 --> 00:32:27,200 Speaker 1: but it was do you remember Gordon? He goes down 547 00:32:27,280 --> 00:32:30,640 Speaker 1: to Orlando, he meets up with him there. When Sad 548 00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:35,240 Speaker 1: and Tiffany were done getting busy, done with intimate relationship, 549 00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:39,560 Speaker 1: they teamed up with Gordon headed to the Italian restaurant 550 00:32:39,600 --> 00:32:41,560 Speaker 1: to meet up with Axel's brother and sister in law 551 00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:45,720 Speaker 1: who driven from Pennsylvania. They're looking at a huge payday, 552 00:32:47,480 --> 00:32:49,920 Speaker 1: like huge. When we come back from this break, I'm 553 00:32:49,920 --> 00:33:13,120 Speaker 1: gonna walk you through the handoff, all right, Zaren when 554 00:33:13,160 --> 00:33:19,080 Speaker 1: we left off Tiffany, Thad Gordon, they're going they're going 555 00:33:19,160 --> 00:33:21,880 Speaker 1: to Orlando to sell some moon rocks to a Belgian 556 00:33:22,040 --> 00:33:24,680 Speaker 1: mineral collector named Axel Emerman. And they're looking at a 557 00:33:24,800 --> 00:33:27,920 Speaker 1: big payday, so like they want to get a giant 558 00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:30,680 Speaker 1: candy bar in exchange. Yes, they're going to trade moon 559 00:33:30,800 --> 00:33:33,920 Speaker 1: rocks for a giant Belgians have bigger chocolates. Is that 560 00:33:34,040 --> 00:33:36,680 Speaker 1: what they do, they're really good chocolate. That's why he 561 00:33:36,720 --> 00:33:38,880 Speaker 1: couldn't make the flight, right. It's like, I gotta send 562 00:33:38,920 --> 00:33:42,360 Speaker 1: family first, get a lot of money from this deal. 563 00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:46,760 Speaker 1: So Axel, like I said, sister of oz is brother 564 00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:48,719 Speaker 1: and sister in law a going. I've how people bring 565 00:33:48,760 --> 00:33:51,560 Speaker 1: their family into these crimes. Right. Well, let me let 566 00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:54,200 Speaker 1: me pause this part of the story really quickly and 567 00:33:54,280 --> 00:33:58,240 Speaker 1: focus on Axel for a bit. He's a sincere lover 568 00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:01,240 Speaker 1: of space and rocks, since igns and truth and justice 569 00:34:02,200 --> 00:34:04,000 Speaker 1: in the Belgian way. He's like, what you need to 570 00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:08,480 Speaker 1: know about me? Space rocks, truth, justice. Um. He saw 571 00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:13,000 Speaker 1: the posting from or Robinson, that really cool email about 572 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:16,040 Speaker 1: the moon rocks for sale. He's intrigued. He would love 573 00:34:16,080 --> 00:34:19,000 Speaker 1: to own a moon rock. I mean, have some knot 574 00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:21,920 Speaker 1: boot knocking of his own mind. Oh, get out of it. 575 00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:26,600 Speaker 1: So you think about the significance of it, like if 576 00:34:26,640 --> 00:34:28,239 Speaker 1: you owned a piece of the moon, not just where 577 00:34:28,280 --> 00:34:31,080 Speaker 1: it's from, but like it was collected on an Apollo mission. 578 00:34:31,680 --> 00:34:36,719 Speaker 1: The history and like the collectors type vibes that the 579 00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:40,279 Speaker 1: rarity of that exclusivity. I'm not sure that just over 580 00:34:40,360 --> 00:34:45,200 Speaker 1: the moon, oh yes, um acts. Although he's no fool. 581 00:34:46,280 --> 00:34:49,440 Speaker 1: He thought the whole thing sounded suspicious, you think, So 582 00:34:49,640 --> 00:34:55,279 Speaker 1: he contacted the FBI, what like, immediately immediate he contacts them. 583 00:34:55,760 --> 00:34:59,040 Speaker 1: The FBI took over correspondence with the orb email pretty 584 00:34:59,040 --> 00:35:02,440 Speaker 1: early on, and they tracked the initial emails to the 585 00:35:02,520 --> 00:35:05,400 Speaker 1: servers at University of Utah. So Axel was just basically 586 00:35:05,480 --> 00:35:07,680 Speaker 1: going out there as a freelance detective going, oh, this 587 00:35:07,800 --> 00:35:09,640 Speaker 1: is hanky. Let me go talk to an act like, yes, 588 00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:11,279 Speaker 1: I would like to buy the rocks. How much I 589 00:35:11,320 --> 00:35:12,880 Speaker 1: will send over to my family and they will meet 590 00:35:12,920 --> 00:35:14,960 Speaker 1: you in No, they didn't even get to that part 591 00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:19,719 Speaker 1: of it like that, that's all. And they checked with 592 00:35:19,800 --> 00:35:23,200 Speaker 1: hand like we're going to say look at me over 593 00:35:23,280 --> 00:35:26,839 Speaker 1: here too flow. So you know, truth and justice coming 594 00:35:26,920 --> 00:35:30,360 Speaker 1: from Axel. So they trace the next batch of emails 595 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:34,120 Speaker 1: to the Johnson Space Center and obviously they're like, okay, 596 00:35:34,200 --> 00:35:36,400 Speaker 1: maybe there is something to this deal. This is a 597 00:35:36,480 --> 00:35:38,480 Speaker 1: little and then the safe gets stolen and then the 598 00:35:38,560 --> 00:35:42,000 Speaker 1: rocks are missing, like oh boy boy, howdy something to do? 599 00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:47,000 Speaker 1: Orlando Italian Restaurant Scenes from an Italian restaurant hit the 600 00:35:47,080 --> 00:35:51,200 Speaker 1: Billy Joel Dad, Tiffany Gordon. They show up, they meet 601 00:35:51,239 --> 00:35:54,040 Speaker 1: the buyers bad joke that you know, I hope you're 602 00:35:54,040 --> 00:35:59,719 Speaker 1: not wearing a wire everybody, corny, Yeah, as you can 603 00:35:59,760 --> 00:36:03,440 Speaker 1: probably we tell now it's not Axel's actual brother and 604 00:36:03,520 --> 00:36:07,600 Speaker 1: sister in law. They are f b I agents and 605 00:36:07,680 --> 00:36:10,719 Speaker 1: they were indeed wearing wires because that was played back. 606 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:18,720 Speaker 1: I hope you yeah, So they're Bubba busted. They get arrested, 607 00:36:18,800 --> 00:36:22,000 Speaker 1: the trio gets arrested, and the moon Rocks at the 608 00:36:22,040 --> 00:36:23,960 Speaker 1: restaurant like once you're coming out of the restaurant like 609 00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:26,960 Speaker 1: kurb walked him. Um, and then the moon Rocks that 610 00:36:27,080 --> 00:36:29,280 Speaker 1: were back at the hotel gets secured by the FBI 611 00:36:29,560 --> 00:36:31,640 Speaker 1: and they get the claimed I hope, well no, I 612 00:36:31,719 --> 00:36:33,880 Speaker 1: mean they just very gingerly. They all put white gloves 613 00:36:33,960 --> 00:36:37,480 Speaker 1: on like they worked at Sephora and they picked him up. Um. 614 00:36:37,800 --> 00:36:41,840 Speaker 1: So Thad Tiffany and Gordon plus Old Shay back in Houston, 615 00:36:41,960 --> 00:36:45,640 Speaker 1: they get charged with conspiracy to commit theft and interstate 616 00:36:45,719 --> 00:36:51,520 Speaker 1: transportation of stolen property and Sad Tiffany Shay they all 617 00:36:51,600 --> 00:36:54,000 Speaker 1: plead guilty. Do they roll over on Gordo or did 618 00:36:54,040 --> 00:36:56,640 Speaker 1: they get out of the loop. Gordon has charged as 619 00:36:56,680 --> 00:37:00,160 Speaker 1: part of the conspiracy, but he took his chances and 620 00:37:00,239 --> 00:37:04,960 Speaker 1: went to trial and got convicted. He then jumped bail. 621 00:37:07,080 --> 00:37:11,480 Speaker 1: He went through serious mental health issues, Like really that 622 00:37:11,680 --> 00:37:15,000 Speaker 1: was about that, Yeah, and then is eventually found wandering 623 00:37:15,239 --> 00:37:22,359 Speaker 1: the desert in Utah and calling himself job you know. Yeah, 624 00:37:22,440 --> 00:37:24,160 Speaker 1: so they picked him up. By the way, when they 625 00:37:24,239 --> 00:37:27,719 Speaker 1: searched Dad's house, they stumbled across dinosaur fossils that had 626 00:37:27,800 --> 00:37:32,719 Speaker 1: been stolen from the University of Utah's natural history. Oh yeah, 627 00:37:32,840 --> 00:37:37,759 Speaker 1: he got the old fossil enhancement on his sentence. So 628 00:37:38,400 --> 00:37:41,759 Speaker 1: on to nine, two thousand three, fad Is sentenced to 629 00:37:41,800 --> 00:37:44,880 Speaker 1: more than eight years in prison. Tiffany and Shade they 630 00:37:44,920 --> 00:37:47,720 Speaker 1: got three years probation and six months of house arrest. 631 00:37:47,880 --> 00:37:49,840 Speaker 1: Well that's not bad at all. Yeah. They also had 632 00:37:49,880 --> 00:37:52,120 Speaker 1: to do a hundred and fifty hours of community service. 633 00:37:52,520 --> 00:37:55,879 Speaker 1: You know, they got lighter sentences because they weren't the masterminds. 634 00:37:56,400 --> 00:37:59,440 Speaker 1: They didn't have anything on their records. They were good students, 635 00:37:59,680 --> 00:38:01,719 Speaker 1: did they And they were probably him and they were 636 00:38:01,719 --> 00:38:08,600 Speaker 1: probably bodacious babes you know alone. Um, And so while 637 00:38:08,640 --> 00:38:11,799 Speaker 1: they didn't do time, they do have felony criminal convictions, 638 00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:17,440 Speaker 1: and that means they can never be astronauts. Gordon. He 639 00:38:17,560 --> 00:38:20,360 Speaker 1: got five years and ten months at the medium security 640 00:38:20,400 --> 00:38:23,080 Speaker 1: Federal pen in Florence, Colorado. So wait a minute, just 641 00:38:24,080 --> 00:38:26,840 Speaker 1: back this up. My man Thad Roberts started all of 642 00:38:26,880 --> 00:38:30,720 Speaker 1: this effort, learning Russian, Japanese, doing all the triple majors, 643 00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:33,040 Speaker 1: essentially to have sex in a motel room in Orlando. 644 00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:40,200 Speaker 1: Yes he did all that was shining. He got to 645 00:38:40,640 --> 00:38:43,600 Speaker 1: got to the motel room in Orlando on top of 646 00:38:43,680 --> 00:38:50,840 Speaker 1: the Yeah, okay, well well so Gordon goes to f 647 00:38:51,000 --> 00:38:54,040 Speaker 1: CI Florence in Colorado, and that's also where Sad was sent. 648 00:38:54,400 --> 00:38:56,239 Speaker 1: But I don't know if they interacted while they were there. 649 00:38:56,600 --> 00:38:59,760 Speaker 1: While they were in jail. Um, Fad studied for degrees 650 00:39:00,000 --> 00:39:06,400 Speaker 1: in physics, anthropology, and philosophy. He wrote an autobiographical screenplay, 651 00:39:07,120 --> 00:39:09,160 Speaker 1: so not a book, but a screenplay, which is like 652 00:39:09,320 --> 00:39:13,960 Speaker 1: of course, Um, he studied and researched and then taught 653 00:39:14,200 --> 00:39:19,360 Speaker 1: quantum space theory and he wrote a book, but not 654 00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:25,240 Speaker 1: like a lot of our other criminals. Book there's a book. 655 00:39:25,520 --> 00:39:28,000 Speaker 1: There's a book about all of his escapades called Sex 656 00:39:28,080 --> 00:39:31,960 Speaker 1: on the Moon, and um it's a little overwritten. It's 657 00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:35,000 Speaker 1: not he didn't write it, and um, but yeah, it's 658 00:39:35,239 --> 00:39:38,440 Speaker 1: this is not his story. Um. From cosmic purple prose. 659 00:39:38,920 --> 00:39:41,239 Speaker 1: That's what sex on the Moon is. It's like to 660 00:39:41,320 --> 00:39:44,680 Speaker 1: take some liberties I think anyway. Um. This was a 661 00:39:44,840 --> 00:39:51,319 Speaker 1: seven hundred page thesis turned book entitled Einstein's Intuition Visualizing 662 00:39:51,400 --> 00:39:55,480 Speaker 1: an eleven dimension Framework of Nature an Introduction to quantum 663 00:39:55,880 --> 00:39:59,279 Speaker 1: space theory. Wow, it sounds like something you did. It 664 00:39:59,280 --> 00:40:03,759 Speaker 1: sounds like something I read. Yeah, we'll find it for you. Um. 665 00:40:05,040 --> 00:40:07,200 Speaker 1: Like you do math and physics as a hobby, right, 666 00:40:07,320 --> 00:40:10,759 Speaker 1: My favorite thing to do. I garden and do cryptograms 667 00:40:10,800 --> 00:40:14,000 Speaker 1: and pretend to not watch TV, and then, like you, 668 00:40:14,320 --> 00:40:17,520 Speaker 1: surf and solve mysteries of the universe. One of us 669 00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:20,040 Speaker 1: is cool and smart and the other one's me. I 670 00:40:20,040 --> 00:40:23,840 Speaker 1: don't know about that, So thatad right. He wrote to 671 00:40:23,920 --> 00:40:27,239 Speaker 1: Tiffany every single day for three years when he was 672 00:40:27,280 --> 00:40:30,360 Speaker 1: in jail, but they never saw each other again, and 673 00:40:30,520 --> 00:40:33,080 Speaker 1: I don't think she answered his letters, is the impression 674 00:40:33,120 --> 00:40:38,360 Speaker 1: I got writing. Yeah, he wound up serving six of 675 00:40:38,480 --> 00:40:42,919 Speaker 1: his eight years before being released, and he's now kind 676 00:40:42,960 --> 00:40:45,960 Speaker 1: of a leading authority on the large scale structure of 677 00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:50,800 Speaker 1: the universe. So he's active in academia. He tutors physics 678 00:40:50,880 --> 00:40:54,320 Speaker 1: students at the University of Utah. He's working on a 679 00:40:54,440 --> 00:40:56,960 Speaker 1: theory he developed while in prison regarding the concept of 680 00:40:57,040 --> 00:41:01,200 Speaker 1: string theory. That's what I figured with the event. He 681 00:41:01,320 --> 00:41:04,719 Speaker 1: still wants to be a university professor someday. Um, he 682 00:41:04,840 --> 00:41:06,600 Speaker 1: still wants to be an astronaut. I wonder if I 683 00:41:06,960 --> 00:41:10,000 Speaker 1: stuff maybe Um, he wants to be an astronaut, but 684 00:41:10,040 --> 00:41:14,640 Speaker 1: like in the private sector, because like NASA doesn't do jailbirds. Um, 685 00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:17,640 Speaker 1: so you know one of those, Like I don't know 686 00:41:17,719 --> 00:41:21,319 Speaker 1: that the Amazon isn't. As judgment from what I understand, Yeah, 687 00:41:21,320 --> 00:41:23,680 Speaker 1: I think he'd fit right in. So. Um. He has 688 00:41:23,719 --> 00:41:27,479 Speaker 1: a website, Einstein intuition dot com, and it's all about 689 00:41:27,560 --> 00:41:30,719 Speaker 1: quantum space theory and his adventures because he's still a 690 00:41:30,800 --> 00:41:33,680 Speaker 1: thrill seeker. On his website, he's part of a group 691 00:41:33,760 --> 00:41:37,640 Speaker 1: called Team Death Punch and they go they go on 692 00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:41,560 Speaker 1: skydives and spelunking trips. I think I would get along. 693 00:41:41,640 --> 00:41:44,160 Speaker 1: I really do. The more I'm explaining him, I'm starting 694 00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:46,920 Speaker 1: to think. Um. He gave a ted X talk in Boulder, 695 00:41:47,600 --> 00:41:51,600 Speaker 1: Colorado in August. Um. I listened to it and I 696 00:41:52,080 --> 00:41:54,400 Speaker 1: tried really hard to understand it, but he lost me 697 00:41:54,520 --> 00:41:58,920 Speaker 1: really early on talk. Yeah, he was like thank you 698 00:41:59,000 --> 00:42:00,400 Speaker 1: for coming, and I was like, I don't know, I 699 00:42:00,680 --> 00:42:02,680 Speaker 1: don't know what you're talking about, what's going on here? 700 00:42:02,800 --> 00:42:07,440 Speaker 1: And then I just like dozed off nap. It was 701 00:42:07,520 --> 00:42:13,000 Speaker 1: really I'm sure it's brilliant, resting way above my pay grade. So, um, 702 00:42:13,480 --> 00:42:16,000 Speaker 1: remember how the Johnson Space Center was all about people 703 00:42:16,040 --> 00:42:19,160 Speaker 1: being adventurous and like interesting instead of just focusing on 704 00:42:19,440 --> 00:42:23,080 Speaker 1: giant science brain After the whole sad thing, they added 705 00:42:23,120 --> 00:42:27,880 Speaker 1: an ethics education to the training, and then they also 706 00:42:28,040 --> 00:42:32,040 Speaker 1: like seriously tightened security, bought a couple cameras. They were 707 00:42:32,040 --> 00:42:34,879 Speaker 1: a little loosey goosey back that. Yeah. Um, so I'll 708 00:42:35,000 --> 00:42:38,920 Speaker 1: end with this. When asked why he orchestrated the heist, 709 00:42:39,600 --> 00:42:43,600 Speaker 1: Dad said, quote, I mean the simple answers to say 710 00:42:43,680 --> 00:42:45,840 Speaker 1: that I did it for love. I did it because 711 00:42:45,880 --> 00:42:48,000 Speaker 1: I wanted to be loved. I wanted someone to know 712 00:42:48,200 --> 00:42:51,360 Speaker 1: that I literally cared about them that much, and to 713 00:42:51,440 --> 00:42:53,719 Speaker 1: have the symbol there to remind them of it. In 714 00:42:53,840 --> 00:42:56,560 Speaker 1: my own head, stealing something wasn't the way I looked 715 00:42:56,600 --> 00:42:58,800 Speaker 1: at it. We weren't going to take this money. We 716 00:42:58,920 --> 00:43:00,600 Speaker 1: were gonna we're gonna get it from it to go 717 00:43:00,719 --> 00:43:03,520 Speaker 1: buy yachts or a lot of cars or a big house. 718 00:43:04,560 --> 00:43:06,600 Speaker 1: We were going to live just the small kind of 719 00:43:06,719 --> 00:43:10,080 Speaker 1: lifestyle we were but fun science that might change the world. 720 00:43:10,200 --> 00:43:12,920 Speaker 1: You know. It's like, look, I was a merried man 721 00:43:12,960 --> 00:43:15,400 Speaker 1: who went to a NASA space program. I fell in 722 00:43:15,480 --> 00:43:17,719 Speaker 1: love with a girl, and then I decided I was 723 00:43:17,800 --> 00:43:20,280 Speaker 1: just going to blow up my life for her, because 724 00:43:20,440 --> 00:43:24,440 Speaker 1: like why not? Why not? Well, like the FBI um 725 00:43:25,120 --> 00:43:27,040 Speaker 1: didn't get with the whole I did it for love 726 00:43:27,360 --> 00:43:34,320 Speaker 1: things he loved Fad Roberts. So an FBI investigated I 727 00:43:34,440 --> 00:43:36,880 Speaker 1: like these, like I see love bombing is a good thing. 728 00:43:38,480 --> 00:43:41,640 Speaker 1: Well that he had only known Tiffany for like less 729 00:43:41,640 --> 00:43:44,200 Speaker 1: than a month, yes, when I guess all started. It 730 00:43:44,360 --> 00:43:46,080 Speaker 1: kind of fits the pattern of what I'm learning. Love 731 00:43:46,120 --> 00:43:48,719 Speaker 1: bombing is like this is like to the t Yeah, 732 00:43:49,000 --> 00:43:51,680 Speaker 1: and I think too messing around on moon rocks is 733 00:43:51,760 --> 00:43:54,520 Speaker 1: like that's pretty much. But also, don't forget like maybe 734 00:43:54,600 --> 00:43:57,440 Speaker 1: he had kind of a warped sense of like relationships 735 00:43:57,560 --> 00:44:00,120 Speaker 1: and sex based on how he was brought up at 736 00:44:00,120 --> 00:44:01,840 Speaker 1: the Mormons. He has the whole thing about you know, 737 00:44:01,960 --> 00:44:04,879 Speaker 1: he's been told that sex. Being truthful about sexual ruin 738 00:44:04,960 --> 00:44:09,440 Speaker 1: him in the back of his head, bad boy on 739 00:44:09,520 --> 00:44:12,279 Speaker 1: this so that there's this FBI investigator, Nick Nance, and 740 00:44:12,400 --> 00:44:17,360 Speaker 1: he said, quote Nicknace, Nick Nick Nick Nance. Um, My 741 00:44:17,520 --> 00:44:20,640 Speaker 1: impressions of Fad are that, you know, he was a 742 00:44:20,880 --> 00:44:23,640 Speaker 1: very bright and motivated student. One of his goals was 743 00:44:23,719 --> 00:44:25,799 Speaker 1: to be an astronaut, and I think that he had 744 00:44:25,840 --> 00:44:28,320 Speaker 1: his foot in the door with NASA, was well on 745 00:44:28,400 --> 00:44:30,680 Speaker 1: his way to reaching that goal. And then this one 746 00:44:30,840 --> 00:44:33,439 Speaker 1: greedy event. You know, he threw his whole life away 747 00:44:33,480 --> 00:44:38,759 Speaker 1: in one fell swoop. So greed or love wine up both. 748 00:44:39,360 --> 00:44:42,000 Speaker 1: And I think you're right that he loves yeah, clearly, 749 00:44:42,040 --> 00:44:43,840 Speaker 1: and he wanted to impress her, so he did this 750 00:44:44,239 --> 00:44:47,680 Speaker 1: insane gesture trying to make himself memorable. She would like 751 00:44:47,760 --> 00:44:49,840 Speaker 1: it was like a this is nothing will pique this, 752 00:44:50,040 --> 00:44:52,239 Speaker 1: you know nothing, no guy can do more than this. 753 00:44:52,520 --> 00:44:55,800 Speaker 1: You always remember me. That's not about her. Well, and 754 00:44:55,880 --> 00:44:58,239 Speaker 1: it's almost like he has this huge dream and when 755 00:44:58,280 --> 00:45:01,360 Speaker 1: he gets really close to it, he lets go of 756 00:45:01,480 --> 00:45:04,160 Speaker 1: all the things that help him get there, like being 757 00:45:04,239 --> 00:45:07,319 Speaker 1: in service of others. And like Katie was, don't forget 758 00:45:07,400 --> 00:45:11,920 Speaker 1: she's financially supporting him, so she's working. He's getting to 759 00:45:12,000 --> 00:45:16,400 Speaker 1: play astronaut. Yeah, and then he's out there disregards her 760 00:45:17,239 --> 00:45:19,440 Speaker 1: takes up and then also you know it takes up 761 00:45:19,440 --> 00:45:23,759 Speaker 1: with Tiffany and then tipped Port Tiffany and Shay. Everybody, everybody, 762 00:45:23,840 --> 00:45:28,720 Speaker 1: every poor everybody, um except for Axel. Yeah. Well Axel 763 00:45:28,840 --> 00:45:31,160 Speaker 1: is just an Internet cops out there going. Yes, I'm 764 00:45:31,160 --> 00:45:36,279 Speaker 1: going to the moon rocks. So, Saren, can I ask 765 00:45:36,400 --> 00:45:40,520 Speaker 1: what's your ridiculous takeaway here? What's the moral of the story? Um, 766 00:45:41,400 --> 00:45:43,719 Speaker 1: next time I go to a motel, I'm just going 767 00:45:43,800 --> 00:45:46,520 Speaker 1: to tell myself, who knows, maybe somebody could have been 768 00:45:46,600 --> 00:45:50,440 Speaker 1: dusting some moon rocks here. You're going to bring a 769 00:45:50,560 --> 00:45:56,560 Speaker 1: jar of dirt from like Mantica, California and go to Paris. 770 00:45:56,640 --> 00:46:08,000 Speaker 1: Everyone have sex on Mantica. All right, that's enough us takeaways. 771 00:46:08,200 --> 00:46:10,719 Speaker 1: I feel bad for any housekeeper that has to clean 772 00:46:10,800 --> 00:46:16,359 Speaker 1: up your hotel room. That's it. You can find us 773 00:46:16,400 --> 00:46:21,480 Speaker 1: online at Ridiculous Crime on both Twitter and Instagram. Email 774 00:46:21,560 --> 00:46:24,120 Speaker 1: us if you want it, Ridiculous Crime at gmail dot 775 00:46:24,200 --> 00:46:32,839 Speaker 1: com and other than that tune next Time. Ridiculous Crime 776 00:46:32,960 --> 00:46:35,680 Speaker 1: is hosted by Elizabeth Dutton and Zaren Burnett, produced and 777 00:46:35,840 --> 00:46:39,279 Speaker 1: edited by International Space Station mechanic Dave Kuston. We have 778 00:46:39,400 --> 00:46:44,000 Speaker 1: a Problem. Research is by undercover Pennsylvania relative Andrea Song 779 00:46:44,200 --> 00:46:47,480 Speaker 1: Sharp and Tier. The theme song is by Thomas Boys 780 00:46:47,520 --> 00:46:51,360 Speaker 1: Go to Jupiter Lee and Travis Something Something Stupider Dotton. 781 00:46:51,880 --> 00:46:55,839 Speaker 1: Executive producers are NASA's Secret Alien Underground Vault managers Ben 782 00:46:55,920 --> 00:47:04,719 Speaker 1: Bollen and Noel Brown, m HM, dass Quiet Say It 783 00:47:04,840 --> 00:47:09,200 Speaker 1: one more time? We Dequeous Crow. Ridiculous Crime is a 784 00:47:09,239 --> 00:47:12,200 Speaker 1: production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts my heart Radio, 785 00:47:12,400 --> 00:47:15,080 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 786 00:47:15,160 --> 00:47:16,560 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.