The Malta lunar sample displays are two commemorative plaques consisting of small fragments of Moon specimen brought back with the Apollo 11 and Apollo 17 lunar missions and were given to the people of Malta by United States President Richard Nixon as goodwill gifts.

Description

Apollo 11

Main article: Apollo 11 lunar sample display

At the request of Nixon, NASA had about 250 presentation plaques made following Apollo 11 in 1969. Each included about four rice-sized particles of Moon dust from the mission totaling about 50 mg.[1][2] The Apollo 11 lunar sample display has an acrylic plastic button containing the Moon dust mounted with the recipient's country or state flag that had been to the Moon and back. All 135 countries received the display, as did the 50 states of the United States and the U.S. provinces and the United Nations.[1]

The plaques were given as gifts by Nixon in 1970.[1]

Apollo 17

Main article: Apollo 17 lunar sample display
Message on Apollo 17 plaque

The sample Moon rock collected during the Apollo 17 mission was later named lunar basalt 70017, and dubbed the Goodwill rock.[3] Pieces of the rock weighing about 1.14 grams[2] were placed inside a piece of acrylic lucite, and mounted along with a flag from the country that had flown on Apollo 17 it would be distributed to.[3]

In 1973 Nixon had the plaques sent to 135 countries, and to the United States with its territories, as a goodwill gesture.[3]

History

A 2014 aerial view of Mdina and its walls

The Maltese Apollo 17 display was stolen from the Museum of Natural History in Mdina in 2004.[4] The Maltese flag that had flown on the Apollo 17 mission was left behind.[5] As of 2012, the Apollo 17 Maltese "goodwill Moon rock" is still missing.[6]

The Maltese Apollo 11 display given to Malta is housed in the Gozo Museum of Natural Science in Gozo, Malta.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Pearlman, Robert. "Where today are the Apollo 11 goodwill lunar sample displays?". CollectSPACE. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Tales of lunar rocks through the years". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Associated Press. 2012-05-23. Archived from the original on 2023-02-06. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  3. ^ a b c Pearlman, Robert. "Where today are the Apollo 17 goodwill lunar sample displays". CollectSPACE. Archived from the original on 2012-10-15. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  4. ^ Pearlman, Robert (May 21, 2004). "Moon rock stolen from Maltese museum". collectspace.com. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  5. ^ "$5M moon rock stolen from Malta museum". Valletta, Malta: Gannett. Associated Press. May 21, 2004. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  6. ^ Gutheinz, Joseph Richard (November 2004). "The Maltese moon rock". In Search of the Goodwill Moon Rocks: A Personal Account. Geotimes. Retrieved November 2, 2012.

Further reading

External links

Lunar sample displays
The Moon
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