Fla. collector's space collection stolen

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. (NBC) — A treasure trove of space history has been stolen from a local collector.

Pieces from historic rockets that were part of the golden age of space flight may be on their way to a scrap yard.

Artifact dealer Billy Collins was in the process of selling the collection to a European museum. The collection included parts of a Saturn rocket and other surplus equipment for NASA, which got rid of it years ago.

And Thursday morning, it was stolen from Collins.

The thieves are likely taking it to a scrap yard to be sold for a few cents a pound.

Collins is in a race to intercept the rocket parts and equipment before it's sold for scrap.

He's offering a $1,000 reward for its return, which is a lot more money than the thieves would get at a scrap yard.