Delaware lunar sample displays facts for kids
The Delaware lunar sample displays are two special gifts given to the people of Delaware. These gifts are small pieces of Moon rock brought back by astronauts from the Apollo 11 and Apollo 17 missions. United States President Richard Nixon gave these "goodwill gifts" in the 1970s.
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Delaware's Moon Rock Gifts
Apollo 11's Special Display
The Apollo 11 Moon rock display for Delaware is a special plaque. It holds four tiny pieces of Moon rock. These pieces are about the size of a grain of rice. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin collected them in 1969 during the Apollo 11 mission.
The display also includes a small Delaware state flag. This flag traveled all the way to the Moon and back on Apollo 11!
The four Moon rocks together weigh very little, about 0.05 grams. They are sealed inside a clear plastic button, like a coin. This button is attached to a wooden board, which is about one foot square. The board sits on a small stand. The Delaware state flag is placed right below the Moon rocks.
President Richard Nixon gave this display to Delaware as a friendly gift. Similar Moon rock displays were also given to all other U.S. states and many countries around the world at that time.
Apollo 17's Moon Rock Plaque
The Apollo 17 Moon rock display for Delaware is a plaque measuring 10 by 14 inches. It has one piece of Moon rock. This rock was cut from a larger Moon rock called lunar basalt 70017.
Astronaut Harrison Schmitt collected the basalt 70017 on the Moon in 1972 during the Apollo 17 mission. Once it came back to Earth, this Moon rock was cut into smaller pieces. The piece on the plaque weighs about 1 gram.
This Moon rock piece is sealed in a plastic ball. It is mounted on the wooden plaque along with a Delaware state flag. This flag also traveled to the Moon and back with the Apollo 17 crew.
President Richard Nixon gave this plaque to Delaware in 1973. He also gave similar plaques to the other 49 U.S. states. This was another friendly gesture to encourage peace and good feelings.
History of the Displays
Apollo 11 Display's Journey
The Apollo 11 "goodwill Moon rocks" display was given to Governor Russell W. Peterson. It was put on display at the Delaware State Museum in Dover in April 1970.
Sadly, on September 22, 1977, the capsule holding the Moon rocks and the Delaware state flag were taken from the display. Someone seemed to have cut the nails holding the clear cover over the display. The museum curator said that 11 visitors came that day. Ten signed in, but one person did not. The museum noticed the missing items when an employee checked at the end of the day. The museum did not have a security guard at the time.
The reason for the theft is not known. The museum curator believed it would be hard for anyone to sell these items. No collector would think they were real or valuable without knowing their connection to the Apollo 11 mission. The Delaware Apollo 11 Moon rock display is now rarely shown. This is because the part of the plaque where the rocks were is now empty.
Apollo 17 Display's Home
The Delaware Apollo 17 lunar samples display was given by NASA astronaut Paul J. Weitz to then-Delaware Governor Sherman W. Tribbitt. This happened on January 21, 1975.
Today, this special plaque is kept in a climate-controlled room. It is part of the collection of artifacts at the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs.
