Spain lunar sample displays

The Spain lunar sample displays are two commemorative plaques consisting of tiny fragments of Moon specimens brought back with the Apollo 11 and Apollo 17 lunar missions. These plaques were given to the people of Spain 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
El Pardo Palace

The whereabouts of the Spanish Apollo 11 lunar sample are unknown.[1][4][5][6]

Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported on July 20, 2009, that Franco's grandson, Francisco Franco Martinez Bordiú, claimed the Spanish Apollo 11 lunar sample was gifted to his grandfather personally. It was kept at El Pardo Palace in Franco's office.[7] He said his mother lost the display after Franco's death.[7]

The Apollo 17 commemorative plaque is on display at the Naval Museum in Madrid.[3][7] Henry Kissinger, Secretary of State during the Nixon administration, gave the Apollo 17 lunar samples to Luis Carrero Blanco and the family eventually donated it to the museum.[7]

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. Jáuregui, Pablo (July 20, 2009). "El hijo de Carrero Blanco donó otra roca al Museo Naval" [Carrero Blanco's son donated another rock to Naval Museum]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  5. Jáuregui, Pablo (July 20, 2009). "El misterio de la roca lunar que EEUU regaló a España" [The mystery of the moon rock that the U.S. gave to Spain]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  6. "Apollo moon rocks lost in space? No, lost on Earth". Madrid: Muzi.com. September 13, 2009. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  7. Jáuregui, Pablo (July 20, 2009). "El nieto de Franco: 'Mi madre perdió la piedra lunar que le regalaron a mi abuelo'" [Franco's grandson: 'My mother lost the moonstone that was given to my grandfather']. El Mundo (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved November 2, 2012.

Further reading
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