Apollo 14 Astronaut Sued for Trying to Sell Lunar Camera

NASA is suing former astronaut Edgar Mitchell to get back a camera that went to the moon over 40 years ago on the Apollo 14 mission.

Armed with information from a New York auction house where Mitchell tried to pawn off the 16mm Data Acquisition Camera, the federal government is asking District Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley to order the prompt return of the lunar camera.

“Defendant Edgar Mitchell is a former NASA employee who is exercising improper dominion and control over a NASA Data Acquisition Camera,” government lawyers wrote in the lawsuit filed in federal court.

According to Mitchell’s lawyer however, the ex-astronaut received permission from NASA to take the camera, which was one of two that went to the moon during the 1971 Apollo 14 lunar mission.

Mr. Mitchell explained that during the moon mission era, he and other astronauts were allowed to take mementos from the space crafts, and had they not brought them back, those items would have been destroyed.

“It’s utter nonsense. We have dozens of pieces. All of us who flew to the moon,” said Mitchell.

Below is filmed footage from the Apollo 14 lunar landing:

via Boston