Woman sues NASA over moon-dust

An American national named Laura Cicco has sued the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) over a piece of the moon that was reportedly gifted to her by Neil Armstrong.

The resident of Cincinnati, Ohio has filed a lawsuit in a federal court stating that Neil Armstrong was friends with her father, which is why he gifted her that piece from the lunar surface when she was 10 years old.

Cicco decided to file the lawsuit due to NASA’s history of seizing lunar material from citizens, her attorney said.

The Washington Post has reported that Cicco’s father Tom Murray was a pilot with the US Army and spent a lot of time with Armstrong.

The woman claims that the vial of the moon was given to her sometime in the 1970s. Neil Armstrong gave her the vial of moon dust along with a handwritten letter, the woman claims.

“There’s no law prohibiting private citizens from owning materials from the moon and Cicco is the rightful and legal owner of the moon dust,” said her attorney.

Scientists after analysing the vial of dust, have said that it is “likely” to be a sample from the lunar surface.

Cicco also cited another case in her lawsuit where NASA seized lunar mementoes from a California woman which was gifted to her by her late husband who was an Apollo programme engineer.