List of Apollo lunar sample displays

Apollo 17 Goodwill message

This is a list of lunar sample displays from the Apollo program that were distributed through the United States and around the world. They include samples from the Apollo 11 and Apollo 17 missions conducted by NASA in 1969 and 1972.

The Apollo 11 mission to the surface of the Moon returned a few dozen pounds/kilos of lunar material (mainly rock and dust), and the US put about 0.05 grams in small display cases and gave one apiece to the 50 U.S. states, to the nations of the world, and to political entities like the U.S. territories under administration.[1] This was done again with an Apollo 17 sample (Lunar basalt 70017).[1] There are a few samples from Apollo 15 on display.

## United States

[edit]

Listing

Giftee | Apollo 11 | Apollo 17 | Apollo 15
Alabama | Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery[2]
Alaska | Alaska State Museum, Juneau[2][3]
American Samoa | Jean P. Haydon Museum, Pago Pago[3] | \-
Arizona | Arizona Historical Society, Tucson[3] | University of Arizona Mineral Museum, Tucson[2]
Arkansas | Arkansas Museum of Discovery, Little Rock[4]
California | San Diego Air & Space Museum, San Diego[4]
Colorado | Colorado State Capitol[3] | Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum, Golden[2]
Connecticut | Museum of Connecticut History, Hartford[2][3]
Delaware | Unknown - stolen in 1977[3] | Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs[2]
District of Columbia | District of Columbia Office of Public Records[3] | \-
Florida | Museum of Florida History, Tallahassee[2][3]
Georgia | Georgia State Capitol, Atlanta[3] | Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Atlanta[2] | Tellus Science Museum, Cartersville[5]
Guam | Guam Museum, Hagatna[3] | \-
Hawaii | Hawaii State Archives[6]
Idaho | Idaho State Historical Society, Boise[2][3]
Illinois | Illinois State Museum, Springfield[2][3]
Indiana | Indiana State Museum, Indianapolis[2][3]
Iowa | State Historical Museum, Des Moines[2][3]
Kansas | Kansas Museum of History, Topeka[2][3] | Kenneth Spencer Research Library, Lawrence[2]
Kentucky | Kentucky Historical Society, Frankfort[2][3]
Louisiana  | Louisiana Art and Science Museum, Baton Rouge[7] | Louisiana State Museum, New Orleans[8]
Maine | Maine State Museum, Augusta[2][3]
Maryland | Maryland State Archives, Annapolis[2][3]
Massachusetts | Museum of Science, Boston[2][3]
Michigan | Michigan Historical Museum, Lansing[3] | Unknown - missing since 1972[9] | Calvin University, Grand Rapids[10]
Minnesota | Minnesota Historical Society, Saint Paul[2][3]
Mississippi | Department of Archives and History, Jackson[2][3]
Missouri | Missouri State Museum, Jefferson City[2][3]
Montana | Montana Historical Society, Helena[2][3]
Nebraska | University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln[2][3]
Nevada | Nevada State Museum, Carson City[2][3]
New Hampshire | McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, Concord[2][3][11]
New Jersey | New Jersey State Museum, Trenton[3] | Unknown - missing since 1976[12][13]
New Mexico | Palace of Governors, Santa Fe[3] | Roswell Museum and Art Center, Roswell[2]
New York | Unknown[12] | New York State Museum, Albany[14]
North Carolina | North Carolina Museum of History, Raleigh[15] | North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh[15][16][17]
North Dakota | State Historical Society, Bismarck[2][3]
Ohio | Ohio History Center, Columbus[3] |
Oklahoma | Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City[2][3]
Oregon | Oregon State Capitol, Salem[3] | Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland[2]
Pennsylvania | State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg[2][3]
Puerto Rico | La Fortaleza, San Juan[3] | \-
Rhode Island  | State Library, Providence[3] | State Archives, Providence[2]
South Carolina  | Governor's Mansion, Columbia[18] | South Carolina State Museum, Columbia[18]
South Dakota  | South Dakota State Historical Society, Pierre[3] | W.H. Over Museum, Vermillion[2]
Tennessee  | Tennessee State Museum, Nashville[3] | Pink Palace Museum, Memphis[2]
Texas  | Museum of Texas Tech University, Lubbock[3] | Texas State History Museum, Austin[2]
Utah | Clark Planetarium, Salt Lake City[3] | Natural History Museum of Utah, Salt Lake City[2]
Vermont | Vermont Historical Society, Barre[2][3]
Virginia  | Library of Virginia, Richmond[3] | Science Museum of Virginia, Richmond[2]
Washington | Washington State Historical Society, Tacoma[2][3]
West Virginia | West Virginia State Museum, Charleston[3][2]
Wisconsin | Wisconsin Historical Museum, Madison[3][2]
Wyoming | Wyoming State Capitol, Cheyenne[3] | Wyoming State Museum, Cheyenne[2]

## International

[edit]

The display cases included a lunar sample and small flag of the respective political entity that had been to the Moon and back. Approximately 135 displays were gifted to nations of the world at that time, so nations created since then are not included and some displays have been inherited from past nations

Listing

Giftee | Apollo 11 | Apollo 17 | Apollo 15
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Andorra
Argentina | Galileo Galilei planetarium, Buenos Aires[3] |
Australia | National Archives of Australia, Canberra[3] | National Museum of Australia, Canberra[2]
Austria | Technisches Museum Wien, Vienna[3] | Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna[2]
Bangladesh | Bangabandhu Military Museum[19]
Barbados
Belgium | Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences, Brussels
Bhutan
Bolivia |  | Planetario Max Schreier, La Paz[2]
Botswana
Brazil | Unknown[4] | Bagé
Bulgaria |  | National Museum of Natural History, Sofia[2]
Burma  |  | National Museum of Myanmar (Yangon)
Burundi
Cameroon
Canada | Unknown[4] | Canada Science and Technology Museum
Cambodia |  | National Museum of Cambodia[20]
Central African Republic
Ceylon (Sri Lanka) | Colombo
Chad
Chile | Eduardo Frei Montalva's Historic House Museum, Santiago[3] | Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Santiago[2]
China | Unknown | Beijing Planetarium, Beijing[fn 1]
Colombia | Bogotá Planetarium, Bogotá[2][3]
Congo (Brazzaville)
Congo (Kinshasa)
Costa Rica | Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, San Jose[2][3]
Cuba
Cyprus
Czechoslovakia | Vojenský historický ústav, Prague[3][24] |
Dahomey
Denmark | Natural History Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen[2][3]
Dominican Republic | Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Santo Domingo[2][3]
Ecuador
Egypt | Egyptian Geological Museum, Cairo[25] |
El Salvador |  | MUNA, Zona Rosa[2]
Equatorial Guinea
Ethiopia
Finland | Urho Kekkonen Museum Tamminiemi, Helsinki[3] | GTK, Otaniemi[2]
France | Muséum d'histoire naturelle, Nantes[2] | Palais de la Découverte, Paris[2]
Gabon
Gambia
Germany | Naturmuseum Senckenberg, Frankfurt[3] | Deutsches Museum, Munich[2] | Technik Museum Speyer, Speyer[26] | Haus der Geschichte, Bonn | Rieskrater Museum, Nördlingen
Ghana
Greece
Guatemala | Ministry of Culture and Sport, Guatemala City[3]
Guyana |  | National Museum of Guyana, Georgetown[2]
Haiti
Honduras | Unknown[4] | Tegucigalpa
Hungary | Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum, Budapest[2][3]
Iceland |  | The Exploration Museum, Húsavík
India |  | Parliament Museum, New Delhi[2]
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland | Dunsink[fn 2] | National Museum of Ireland
Israel | Israel State Archives, Jerusalem[28][29] | Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv (presumed)[29]
Italy |  | Museo Nazionale Della Scienza E Della Tecnologia "Leonardo da Vinci", Milan[2]
Jamaica
Japan | National Museum, Tokyo[2][3]
Jordan
Kenya
Korea | Presidential Archives, Sejong [30] | National Science Museum, Daejeon[2]
Kuwait
Laos | Royal Palace Museum, Luang Prabang
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein | Schatzkammer Liechtenstein, Vaduz[31]
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia | Natural History Museum, Putrajaya[3]
Maldives | National Museum, Male[3]
Mali
Malta | Gozo Museum |
Mauritania
Mauritius | National History Museum, Mahebourg
Mexico | Universum, Museo de las Ciencias, Mexico City[2][3]
Monaco
Mongolia
Morocco
Muscat and Oman
Nauru
Nepal | National Museum of Nepal, Kathmandu[2][3]
Netherlands (Dutch) | National Museum of the History of Science and Medicine, Leiden[2][3]
New Zealand | Museum of New Zealand[2][3]
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Norway | Trondheim Science Museum | Natural History Museum at the University of Oslo
Pakistan
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland | Olsztyńskie Planetarium i Obserwatorium Astronomiczne, Olsztyn[2][3]
Portugal
Romania | Muzeul Naţional de Istorie a României, Bucharest[3] |
Rwanda |  | Kandt House Museum of Natural History, Kigali[2]
San Marino
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Sierra Leone | Sierra Leone National Museum, Freetown[32][33]
Singapore | Singapore Science Centre[2][3]
Solomon Islands |  | National Museum[2]
Somalia
South Africa | Old Parliament Bldg., Cape Town[3] | Transvaal Museum, Pretoria[2]
Southern Yemen
Soviet Union | Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics, Moscow[3] |
Spain |  | Museo Naval, Madrid[2]
Sudan
Swaziland
Sweden |  | National Museum of Science and Technology, Stockholm[2]
Switzerland | Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich[3] | Swiss Museum of Transport, Lucerne[2]
Syria
Taiwan | National Museum of Natural Science, Taichung[3]
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey |  | Natural History Museum, Ankara[2]
Uganda
United Kingdom | Waiting area, 10 Downing Street, London[34] | Natural History Museum, London[35]
Upper Volta
Uruguay | Boiso Lanza Air Base[2][3]
Vatican City | Vatican Museum[3] | Vatican Observatory[2]
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Yugoslavia | Museum of Yugoslav History, Belgrad[2][3]
Zambia.
United Nations

## Footnotes

[edit]

1. ^ The Apollo 17 luna sample was brought to China by National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski in May 1978 as a gift to Hua Guofeng, paramount leader of China. According to reports from Chinese media, the 1.14-gram lunar sample was divided into two halves: one was sent to scientists in China Academy of Sciences for research, from which around 40 scientific papers were published; another, 0.5-gram weight, was preserved in Beijing Planetarium.[21][22][23]
2. ^ Kept at Dunsink Observatory until that was damaged in a 1977 fire, after which it is presumed to have been among the debris dumped in the adjacent landfill site.[27]

## See also

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lunar sample displays.

* Apollo 11 goodwill messages (Messages by nations left on the Moon)
* Stolen and missing Moon rocks

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Search for States' Missing Apollo 11 Moon Rocks Continues".
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by Apollo 17 lunar displays
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx Apollo 11 lunar displays
4. ^ a b c d e Pearlman, Robert (1999–2012). "Where today are the Apollo 11 goodwill lunar sample displays?". collectspace.com. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
5. ^ Atlanta Journal-Constitution
6. ^ "50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 and Man's First Landing on the Moon". ags.hawaii.gov. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
7. ^ "The case of Louisiana's missing moon rocks partially solved; hunt for second 'Goodwill' moon rock continues". 4 August 2018.
8. ^ "Louisiana's missing moon rock found by Florida man recycling wooden plaques into gun stock". 28 September 2021.
9. ^ "That time NASA gave Michigan a piece of the moon and it wound up in a garage". Michigan Radio. 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
10. ^ [1]WOOD-TV
11. ^ New Hampshire Apollo 17 Moon Rock
12. ^ a b Beckerman, Jim. "The Strange Afterlife of the Apollo 11 Moon Rocks". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
13. ^ Young, Elise (2011-01-29). "Investigators scour N.J. in search of missing Apollo 17 moon rocks". nj. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
14. ^ Ahern, Sean (December 3, 2009). "The dark side of the moon rock". spotlightnews.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2012. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)
15. ^ a b Price, Jay (July 28, 2010). "State's elusive moon rock soon to become a big star". News & Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina: McClatchey. Archived from the original on July 30, 2010. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
16. ^ Price, Jay (July 28, 2010). "North Carolina's moon rock to shine again in state museum". News & Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina: McClatchey. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
17. ^ "(article)". EARTH Magazine: 49. March 2011.
18. ^ a b McCormack, Stephen. "South Carolina's moon rock mystery solved". Fox Carolina. Fox Carolina. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
19. ^ Bangabandhu Military Museum
20. ^ "Apollo moon rock rediscovered in Cambodia debuts on display". Collect Space. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
21. ^ "月岩 (Moon rock)". 北京天文馆 (Beijing Planetarium). 14 April 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
22. ^ "探月计划之历程揭秘 中国探月事业40年记". 人民网. 29 February 2004. Archived from the original on 31 October 2004. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
23. ^ 赛先生 (17 December 2020). ""嫦娥五号"带回2千克多的月壤，终于不再用0.5克来发论文了". 新浪科技. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
24. ^ "Vojenský Historický Ústav Praha". Retrieved 21 November 2017.
25. ^ "Where Today are the Apollo 17 Goodwill Moon Rocks? | collectSPACE".
26. ^ "The Moon". Technik Museum Speyer, Germany. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
27. ^ "€3.8m treasure hunt under way in Finglas dump". Retrieved 26 February 2016.
28. ^ "Moon rocks and Israeli flag which visited the Moon, inside wooden casing". Israel State Archives.
29. ^ a b Fuchs, Nina (30 June 2019). "צפו: אבנים מהירח ודגל ישראל שהיה במשימת אפולו 11 (Watch: Moon rocks and Israeli flag carried on Apollo 11)". Ynet. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
30. ^ "Apollo 11 Moon landing commemorative plaque". South Korea Ministry of Interior and Safety Presidential Archives.
31. ^ "Schatzkammer Liechtenstein". Retrieved 21 November 2017.
32. ^ Basu, Paul. "Moon Dust Accession Number: SLNM.1970.11.01". Sierra Leone Heritage.org. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
33. ^ Basu, Paul. "Moon Dust Accession Number: SLNM.1974.01.12". Sierra Leone Heritage.org. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
34. ^ Cornock, David (30 December 2015). "Wales plea over Apollo 11 moon dust gift". BBC News. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
35. ^ "Moon rock". Natural History Museum. Retrieved 11 May 2015.

## External links

[edit]

* Lunar Sample Display locations (in .pdf)
* Collect Space - Moonrock list
* Kentucky's Goodwill Moon rock display in the Kentucky Historical Society's objects catalog

* v
* t
* e

Lunar sample displays

Main articles|

* Apollo 11 lunar sample display
* Apollo 17 lunar sample display
* Changesite-(Y)
* Lunar basalt 70017
* Stolen and missing Moon rocks
* List of Apollo lunar sample displays
* Moon rock

People and places|

* Arthur C. Anderson
* Kit Bond
* Bill Clinton
* Goddard Space Flight Center
* Joseph Gutheinz
* Robert Pearlman
* Daniel Samper Pizano
* John D. Vanderhoof

Country displays|

* Brazil
* Canada
* Colombia
* Cyprus
* Honduras
* Ireland
* Malta
* Netherlands
* Nicaragua
* Norway
* Romania
* Spain
* Sweden

US state displays|

* Alaska
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Delaware
* Hawaii
* Illinois
* Missouri
* Nebraska
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* Oregon
* West Virginia

Related media|

* The Case of the Missing Moon Rocks
* collectSPACE
* Lunarcy!
* Moon for Sale
* Sex on the Moon

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template