A long-lost piece of the moon coming from the state of Louisiana might have stayed missing– if not also been discarded or ruined– had the plaque on which it was mounted not attracted the eye of a Florida gun collector.The male, who was searching for wood samples to use in the repair or replacement of his broken gunstocks, acquired the Apollo 17 goodwill moon rock display without realizing what it was. The buyer, who requested to stay confidential however resides in Merritt Island, near Cape Canaveral, said that he had likely bought the plaque at a yard sales sometime over the past 15 years.”I cant even inform you the length of time I owned it for,” the man informed collectSPACE after connecting for info through a typical contact. “Im not even sure how much I paid for it. I buy plaques due to the fact that I take the wood from the plaques and I send it over to my gunstock person and he makes grips for my Colts etc.””The wood [in the plaques] is such good wood– that is what I buy them for,” he said.It was not till the past 2 years, when he was seeking a particular color wood for a repair, that he pulled the moon-rock-adorned plaque from one of the 15 to 16 boxes of plaques that he had collected for his hobby.”What the hell is this?” he remembered believing after taking an excellent take a look at what was on the plaque for the very first time. “Before I begin stripping things off, I typically take a moment to read them.”The moon on Earth: Where are NASAs Apollo lunar rocks now?Mankinds hopeThe 10-inch-wide by 14-inch-tall (25 by 35 centimeters) plaque had mounted to its top a small lucite ball embedded with a 1.142-gram (0.04 ounces) sample of lunar rock, part of a bigger piece of the moon collected by Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt in 1972. The moonwalkers devoted the rock as a sign of goodwill while basing on the lunar surface.Apollo 17 astronauts Gene Cernan (at right) and Harrison Schmitt dedicate the goodwill moon rock in December 1972. (Image credit: NASA)”This fragment is a portion of a rock from Taurus Littrow Valley of the Moon. It belonged to a larger rock made up of lots of particles of different shapes and sizes, a symbol of the unity of human endeavor and mankinds wish for a future of peace and harmony,” a metal plate affixed listed below the lucite-encased moon rock reads.Also on the plaque is a 4-by-6-inch (10-by-15 cm) flag of the state of Louisiana.”This flag of your state was carried to the Moon aboard Spacecraft America throughout the Apollo XVII mission, December 7-19, 1972,” a second metal plate reads. “Presented to individuals of the state of Louisiana by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.”Each Apollo 17 goodwill display screen consists of a 1.142-gram sample from a parent 2,957-gram stone. (Image credit: collectSPACE.com)At the direction of then-President Richard Nixon, NASA prepared nearly 200 such plaques to be presented to the 50 U.S. states, the countrys provinces and 136 foreign nations (the wording on the international-gifted plaques varied slightly, keeping in mind that they were a present from the people of the U.S. to the public of the recipient country).”I started reading it and thought, Hmm, thats a little strange,” stated the man who had bought the plaque at a yard sale. “So I went to the internet and found out, Oh! They are looking for this pup.”Lunar tradition: 45 Apollo moon objective photosMissing moon rocksThe Apollo 17 goodwill moon rock presentations were the 2nd and last time that the United States talented astronaut-recovered lunar product. The vast bulk of the 842 pounds (382 kilograms) of moon rocks and soil revived by the six U.S. moon landing missions stay in NASA vaults, with samples regularly loaned to scientists, academic institutions and museums.In addition to a piece of the moon, the Apollo 17 goodwill displays include a flag of the recipient state or nation that was flown to the moon on the last lunar landing mission. (Image credit: collectSPACE.com)Once gifted, the Apollo 17 goodwill moon rocks (and earlier, likewise talented Apollo 11 lunar sample displays) were no longer NASA or the U.S. federal governments obligation to track. For the very first 30 years after their discussion, nobody was keeping a record of where they were shown, held in storage or otherwise went.After one sample talented to a foreign nation ended up at the center of a U.S. court case to identify its rightful ownership, a volunteer-led search (spearheaded by collectSPACE) started in 2002 to find them all. To date, of the 379 known displays, the area of 171 are unknown (consisting of 3 known to be taken and one that was lost to a trash dump after a building fire). Of the moon rocks talented to U.S. states alone, New York and Delaware are missing their Apollo 11 displays (Delawares being amongst the three documented as stolen), and Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio and South Carolina have been unable to find their pieces of the Apollo 17 goodwill moon rock.Louisianas Apollo 11 lunar sample screen is held by the states Art and Science Museum in Baton Rouge. (Image credit: NASA/collectSPACE. com)Louisiana was missing both of its moon rock presents up until 2018, when a reporter with a local newspaper found the Apollo 11 screen to the Louisiana Art and Science Museum in Baton Rouge. Chief manager Elizabeth Weinstein verified the lunar sample had actually been there since 1982.”As for the piece of the Apollo 17 moon rock that was offered to Louisiana, Weinstein had no idea where it may be,” Grace Toohey with The Advocate composed in August 2018. “There is no record of its discussion or exhibit in The Advocates archives. The Louisiana State Museum and state archives and guvs office had no record of it, though the guvs workplace stated it is still looking.”Hand deliveredAfter recognizing what he had, the Florida man who had bought the goodwill moon rock reached out to Louisianas guv office. From there, he was directed to the Louisiana State Museum.”They desired me to mail it out to them,” the guy recalled. “I stated, Im not mailing this thing out to you. I will hand provide it, and with that said, that is what I did.””He did indeed turn over the moon rock to the museum,” Steven Maklansky, interim director of the Louisiana State Museum, told collectSPACE in an interview. “We did seize the rock.”Though now restored to the state to which it was initially talented, it is still unknown how the moon rock made its way to another state, not to mention turn up in a private sale. Maklansky stated the museum has no prepare for a further investigation, rather picking to focus on the outcome.”I believe it is a remarkable piece of Louisiana history. Clearly then, Louisiana State Museum would be a fitting location for it to be held for posterity and likewise offered for public screen,” he stated. “Were delighted to take belongings of this piece and to share it with our audiences.”Discussions about how and when the moon rock might go on public display were simply starting when Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana in late August. After a number of weeks near recover fro the storm, the state museum has actually now reopened, and those discussions might resume quickly.”I believe this is indeed the first piece of Louisiana history that comes from someplace aside from world Earth,” stated Maklansky. “Were delighted that our collection has widened its scope in this fashion. The reach of New Orleans and Louisiana has covered across all continents, and we like to make connections about the relevance of our culture, art and history to other locations. So, it is fantastic that we can make a connection now between Louisiana and the moon.”Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2021 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.
A long-lost piece of the moon belonging to the state of Louisiana might have remained missing– if not likewise been discarded or destroyed– had the plaque on which it was mounted not brought in the eye of a Florida gun collector.The man, who was looking for wood samples to use in the repair or replacement of his broken gunstocks, acquired the Apollo 17 goodwill moon rock screen without understanding what it was. It was part of a bigger rock composed of numerous particles of different shapes and sizes, a symbol of the unity of human venture and mankinds hope for a future of peace and consistency,” a metal plate affixed listed below the lucite-encased moon rock reads.Also on the plaque is a 4-by-6-inch (10-by-15 cm) flag of the state of Louisiana.”Lunar tradition: 45 Apollo moon mission photosMissing moon rocksThe Apollo 17 goodwill moon rock presentations were the 2nd and last time that the United States gifted astronaut-recovered lunar material. The vast majority of the 842 pounds (382 kilograms) of moon rocks and soil brought back by the 6 U.S. moon landing objectives stay in NASA vaults, with samples occasionally loaned to scientists, academic institutions and museums.In addition to a piece of the moon, the Apollo 17 goodwill displays include a flag of the recipient state or nation that was flown to the moon on the final lunar landing mission. Of the moon rocks talented to U.S. states alone, New York and Delaware are missing their Apollo 11 screens (Delawares being among the 3 documented as stolen), and Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio and South Carolina have actually been not able to locate their pieces of the Apollo 17 goodwill moon rock.Louisianas Apollo 11 lunar sample display screen is held by the states Art and Science Museum in Baton Rouge.