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[i]This moon rock had been given to Honduras by President Richard Nixon in 1973. However, after a coup in 1975, the rock was given as a gift to a Honduran military colonel, and then sold and fell into private hands in 1995. To conduct the sting, the agents had to come up with $5 million — the price set by the seller. The seller also demanded proof of the money before he would sell the 1.142 gram lunar rock. Due to the high price, Joseph Gutheinz, who led the investigation, said the sting operation reached an impasse. "None of the federal agencies would put up the money," Gutheinz said. Gutheinz decided to call the wealthy businessman to ask for $5 million. "I told him I was running a sting operation," Gutheinz said. "I needed the $5 million to get back the moon rock." "No problem!" Gutheinz recalls Perot saying.[/i]
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T O P I C R E V I E WdomEccentric billionaire (and former presidential candidate) Ross Perot deserves our respect for buying lots of Russian space memorabilia auctioned by Sotheby's in 1993 and loaning it to the National Air and Space Museum's collection. RIP Most of the Soviet space objects displayed in the [National Air and Space Museum's Space Race gallery] were purchased by The Perot Foundation of Dallas, Texas. Before purchase, some of these items had suffered from years of neglect and deterioration; others were in danger of being lost or destroyed. The Perot Foundation intends to hold these artifacts in trust for eventual return to the Russian people. Meanwhile they have been placed on loan to the Smithsonian Institution.GACspaceguy.SpaceCadet1983.star51L.ManInSpace.Robert PearlmanLesser known than his loan of Russian space artifacts to the Smithsonian, Ross Perot also assisted NASA in the recovery of a goodwill moon rock. This moon rock had been given to Honduras by President Richard Nixon in 1973. However, after a coup in 1975, the rock was given as a gift to a Honduran military colonel, and then sold and fell into private hands in 1995.To conduct the sting, the agents had to come up with $5 million — the price set by the seller. The seller also demanded proof of the money before he would sell the 1.142 gram lunar rock.Due to the high price, Joseph Gutheinz, who led the investigation, said the sting operation reached an impasse. "None of the federal agencies would put up the money," Gutheinz said.Gutheinz decided to call the wealthy businessman to ask for $5 million. "I told him I was running a sting operation," Gutheinz said. "I needed the $5 million to get back the moon rock.""No problem!" Gutheinz recalls Perot saying.Grounded!.Kevin T. Randall.1202 Alarm.Joel Katzowitz.capoetc.Kite .Gilbert.MB.Jeff.bengutteryFort-Worth Star Telegram: Perot gave $5M to NASA sting operation to recover a moon rock. That’s not the whole story. Operation Lunar Eclipse would’ve crumbled without Perot, Gutheinz said. In fact, he said, the mission could’ve ended on multiple occasions, as they spent months trying to convince a smart and suspicious man they truly wanted to buy a moon rock.Along the way, they relied on some quick thinking, a little bit of luck and the help of the Texas billionaire Perot.
Most of the Soviet space objects displayed in the [National Air and Space Museum's Space Race gallery] were purchased by The Perot Foundation of Dallas, Texas. Before purchase, some of these items had suffered from years of neglect and deterioration; others were in danger of being lost or destroyed. The Perot Foundation intends to hold these artifacts in trust for eventual return to the Russian people. Meanwhile they have been placed on loan to the Smithsonian Institution.
This moon rock had been given to Honduras by President Richard Nixon in 1973. However, after a coup in 1975, the rock was given as a gift to a Honduran military colonel, and then sold and fell into private hands in 1995.To conduct the sting, the agents had to come up with $5 million — the price set by the seller. The seller also demanded proof of the money before he would sell the 1.142 gram lunar rock.Due to the high price, Joseph Gutheinz, who led the investigation, said the sting operation reached an impasse. "None of the federal agencies would put up the money," Gutheinz said.Gutheinz decided to call the wealthy businessman to ask for $5 million. "I told him I was running a sting operation," Gutheinz said. "I needed the $5 million to get back the moon rock.""No problem!" Gutheinz recalls Perot saying.
To conduct the sting, the agents had to come up with $5 million — the price set by the seller. The seller also demanded proof of the money before he would sell the 1.142 gram lunar rock.
Due to the high price, Joseph Gutheinz, who led the investigation, said the sting operation reached an impasse. "None of the federal agencies would put up the money," Gutheinz said.
Gutheinz decided to call the wealthy businessman to ask for $5 million. "I told him I was running a sting operation," Gutheinz said. "I needed the $5 million to get back the moon rock."
"No problem!" Gutheinz recalls Perot saying.
Operation Lunar Eclipse would’ve crumbled without Perot, Gutheinz said. In fact, he said, the mission could’ve ended on multiple occasions, as they spent months trying to convince a smart and suspicious man they truly wanted to buy a moon rock.Along the way, they relied on some quick thinking, a little bit of luck and the help of the Texas billionaire Perot.
Along the way, they relied on some quick thinking, a little bit of luck and the help of the Texas billionaire Perot.
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