The $ 400,000 beetle auction has been stopped by NASA. The beetles carried large amounts of lunar soil that had been fed to them in 1969.
NASA has formally requested an RR auction in Boston to stop the sale of dust and dust collected from the moon, which was fed to beetles during the Apollo mission in 1969.
The test was performed that year to determine if the moon’s soil was pathogenic or dangerous. A NASA lawyer has now stated in a statement to the RR auction that the dust and dirt are still legally owned by the federal government.
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NASA stops $ 400,000 beetle auction
On Thursday last week, an RR auction announced that it would sell the materials from the 1969 experiment, which included a vial containing about 40 milligrams of lunar soil and three beetle carcasses, for as little as possible for $ 400,000. But the auction was canceled.
NASA stated in its letter that samples of the Apollo 11 mission still belong to NASA and the Federal Government, and that no person, entity, or university is allowed to keep them for analysis or exploitation, let alone for sale or for sale. Auction. On this basis, NASA requested the auction to:
Do not facilitate the sale of any of the items containing the lunar test on the Apollo 11 mission (beetles, slides and post-demolition test specimens) by stopping the bidding process immediately.
In another June 22 letter, a NASA lawyer asked RR to work with the current owner of the materials and equipment to return them to the federal government. During the Apollo 11 mission, more than 21.3 kilograms of lunar soil were brought to Earth, some of which were gradually fed to insects, fish and other living organisms to determine whether they were dangerous or harmless.
The beetles, which ate lunar soil but were taken to the University of Minnesota, were described and studied by an entomologist named Marion Brooks. Brooks told the Minapolis Tribune in October 1969:
I did not find any evidence that these substances are infectious.
According to the newspaper, Brooks has not found any evidence that these substances are toxic or have any other negative effects on them. Brooks died in 2007, but the dust and beetles were never returned to NASA and were displayed at Brooks’ home.
Brooks’ daughter, however, decided to sell the material in 2010, and it was eventually put up for sale by an unnamed person at an RR auction. RR auction lawyer Mark Zaid said
It is not uncommon for a third party to claim ownership of what is being auctioned.
The auctioneer said NASA should have made the initial pursuit and claim of ownership at a time when Brooks’ daughter was selling the items, but NASA claimed in its letter that it was unaware of the previous sale. “NASA has a track record of tracking space program issues,” Zaid said.
We have worked with NASA before and have always worked with the US government on cases where it has made a claim.
He said that in any case, the RR auction wants to act properly and within the law. Zaid said the auction currently holds the materials, but the decision on whether or not to cooperate with NASA is with the owner.
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