Arkansas lunar sample displays

The Arkansas 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 given in the 1970s to the people of the state of Arkansas by United States President Richard Nixon as goodwill gifts.

Description

Apollo 11
Main article: Apollo 11 lunar sample display
Plaques on the California Apollo 11 lunar sample display, similar to the display in Arkansas

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
Central Arkansas Library containing the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

In 1976, the Arkansas Apollo 17 lunar sample display was presented to Arkansas governor David Pryor; Bill Clinton succeeded Pryor as Governor of Arkansas.[4] Valued at several million dollars, the display was reported missing around 1980.[5] It was rediscovered in 2011 by an archivist, according to the director of the Central Arkansas Library System. The archivist found it in a box of Clinton's gubernatorial materials in the basement of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies in Little Rock.[6] The plastic ball container holding the Moon rock was broken off in a box of Clinton's gubernatorial materials. (It has since been reattached.)[6] It was turned over for display at the Arkansas Museum of Discovery in Little Rock.[7][8]

According to Moon rocks researcher Robert Pearlman, the Arkansas Apollo 11 lunar sample display is also housed at the Arkansas Museum of Discovery.[1]

See also

References
  1. 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. "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. 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. Wilson, Greg (September 22, 2011). "Long-Lost Moon Rock Turns Up In Clinton Papers". NBC. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
  5. Praetorius, Dean (November 22, 2011) [September 22, 2011]. "Lost Moon Rock Found In Bill Clinton's Arkansas Gubernatorial Papers". The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
  6. Wire, Sarah D. (September 22, 2011). "State's '76 moon rock turns up / It, plaque found in basement box". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. p. 1. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
  7. Parker, Suzi (September 22, 2011). "Arkansas' lost moon rock found in Clinton's files". Little Rock, Arkansas: Reuters. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
  8. Martin, Karen (January 18, 2011). "Museum of Discovery Shows Off Moon Rocks". Little Rock, Arkansas: InArkansas.com. Retrieved November 3, 2012.

Further reading
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