Malta lunar sample displays explained

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

See main article: Apollo 11 lunar sample display.

Apollo 17

See main article: Apollo 17 lunar sample display.

History

The Maltese Apollo 17 display was stolen from the Museum of Natural History in Mdina in 2004.^[1] The Maltese flag that had flown on the Apollo 17 mission was left behind.^[2] As of 2012, the Apollo 17 Maltese "goodwill Moon rock" is still missing.^[3]

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

See also

• List of Apollo lunar sample displays

Further reading

• Book: The Case of the Missing Moon Rocks . 47 . Joe . Kloc. The Atavist/Amazon Digital Services, Inc . February 19, 2012 . B007BGZNZ8.

External links

• Partial list of Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17 sample locations, NASA Johnson Space Center

Notes and References

1. Web site: Moon rock stolen from Maltese museum. collectspace.com . Robert . Pearlman. May 21, 2004 . November 2, 2012.
2. News: $5M moon rock stolen from Malta museum . Associated Press . . . May 21, 2004 . November 2, 2012.
3. The Maltese moon rock . November 2004 . In Search of the Goodwill Moon Rocks: A Personal Account . . Joseph Richard . Gutheinz . Joseph Gutheinz . November 2, 2012.