Prior to the end of their third and final moonwalk, Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt paused to make a special dedication:
Eugene Cernan: Houston, before we close out our [moonwalk], we understand that there are young people in Houston today who have been effectively touring our country, young people from countries all over the world, respectively, touring our country. They had the opportunity to watch the launch of Apollo 17; hopefully had an opportunity to meet some of our young people in our country. And we'd like to say first of all, welcome, we hope you enjoyed your stay.
Second of all, I think probably one of the most significant things we can think about when we think about Apollo is that it has opened for us -- "for us" being the world -- a challenge of the future. The door is now cracked, but the promise of the future lies in the young people, not just in America, but the young people all over the world learning to live and learning to work together. In order to remind all the people of the world in so many countries throughout the world that this is what we all are striving for in the future, Jack has picked up a very significant rock, typical of what we have here in the valley of Taurus-Littrow.
It's a rock composed of many fragments, of many sizes, and many shapes, probably from all parts of the Moon, perhaps billions of years old. But fragments of all sizes and shapes -- and even colors -- that have grown together to become a cohesive rock, outlasting the nature of space, sort of living together in a very coherent, very peaceful manner. When we return this rock or some of the others like it to Houston, we'd like to share a piece of this rock with so many of the countries throughout the world. We hope that this will be a symbol of what our feelings are, what the feelings of the Apollo Program are, and a symbol of mankind: that we can live in peace and harmony in the future.
Harrison Schmitt: A portion of [this] rock will be sent to a representative agency or museum in each of the countries represented by the young people in Houston today, and we hope that they -- that rock and the students themselves -- will carry with them our good wishes, not only for the new year coming up but also for themselves, their countries, and all mankind in the future.
Three months after Apollo 17 returned home in December 1972, then-U.S. President Richard Nixon ordered the distribution of fragments from the rock that Cernan and Schmitt collected, since labeled sample 70017, to 135 foreign heads of state, the 50 U.S. states and its provinces. Each rock, encased in an acrylic button, was mounted to a plaque with intended recepient's flag, also flown to the Moon.
A letter, signed by President Nixon, accompanied the samples that were transferred to foreign heads of state. Dated March 21, 1973, it read as follows (as reproduced from the National Archives):
The Apollo lunar landing program conducted by the United States has been brought to a successful conclusion. Men from the planet Earth have reached the first milestone in space. But as we stretch for the stars, we know that we stand also upon the shoulders of many men of many nations here on our own planet. In the deepest sense our exploration of the moon was truly an international effort.
It is for this reason that, on behalf of the people of the United States I present this flag, which was carried to the moon, to the State, and its fragment of the moon obtained during the final lunar mission of the Apollo program.
If people of many nations can act together to achieve the dreams of humanity in space, then surely we can act together to accomplish humanity's dream of peace here on earth. It was in this spirit that the Untied States of America went to the moon, and it is in this spirit that we look forward to sharing what we have done and what we have learned with all mankind.
Distribution of the Goodwill rock
Once gifted, each of the goodwill moon rock samples became the property of the recepient entity and therefore was no longer subject to being tracked by NASA. All other lunar samples' locations are well documented by the U.S. space agency to this day (with exception to similarly gifted Apollo 11 lunar sample displays).
As property of the nation or state, the goodwill rocks are now subject to the laws for public gifts as set by that country. In most cases, as in the United States, public gifts cannot be legally transferred to individual ownership without the passage of additional legislation.
Since 2002, collectSPACE has attempted to locate the current whereabouts of all the goodwill moon rocks. The following chart details those efforts.
Special gratitude is extended to former NASA Office of Inspector General special agent Joseph Gutheinz, who today as a professor at the University of Phoenix, Arizona, has challenged his students to locate the goodwill moon rocks.
Do you know the current status of a fragment of Sample 70017? Write us at [email protected]
| No. |
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Nation / State |
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Location / Status |
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Photo |
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Located By |
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Beijing Planetarium, Beijing (displayed without its plaque or flag, only half of the moon rock sample is on exhibit; the other half was repurposed by China's space program for study) |
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294 |
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296 |
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M. Dinn
K. Dougherty
Photo: T. Rodwell |
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298 |
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Bahrain National Museum, Manama (unconfirmed) |
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300 |
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T. Sterling/
Associated Press |
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T. Sterling/
Associated Press |
302 |
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Museu dom Diogo de Souza, Bagé (in September 2002, the museum briefly considered offering the moon rock for sale) |
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304 |
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K. Glover
M. Picard
I. Danforth |
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306 |
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J. Russo
Photo: F. Ballesteros |
308 |
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T. Sterling/
Associated Press |
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310 |
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312 |
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Egyptian Geological Museum, Cairo |
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T. Sterling/
Associated Press |
314 |
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316 |
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318 |
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320 |
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National Museum of Guyana, Georgetown |
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D. Clay-Jordan Photo: F. Dogterom |
322 |
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324 |
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In storage at the Icelandic Institute of Natural History in Garðabær. Previously on display the The Exploration Museum in H�sav�k from 2014 to 2015. |
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326 |
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328 |
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330 |
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T. Sterling/
Associated Press |
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332 |
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As of 2013, on display at the National Archives in Spanish Town |
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T. Sterling/
Associated Press |
334 |
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Khmer Republic (Cambodia) |
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336 |
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338 |
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340 |
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Reported stolen 5/2004; National Museum of Natural History, Mdina |
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342 |
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344 |
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346 |
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348 |
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350 |
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Instituto de Historia y Museo Militar, Asunción |
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352 |
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354 |
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356 |
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Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, Pretoria; on display without wooden plaque or flown flag |
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Museo Naval, Madrid since 2007; previously in a private collection |
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358 |
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360 |
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362 |
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364 |
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Mineral Research and Exploration (MTA) Natural History Museum, Ankara |
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366 |
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Previously on display at the Aeronautical Museum in Montevideo; moved in 2011 to the Captain Boiso Lanza Air Base for safe keeping. |
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368 |
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370 |
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372 |
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374 |
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National Museum, Yangon (Myanmar) |
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376 |
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378 |
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In the wake of a 1973 coup, retained by U.S. Embassy in Cyprus; reported in 2003 by son of U.S. diplomat to be in his custody. In May 2010, recovered by NASA Office of Inspector General.
Scheduled for presentation to the people of Cyprus at a Dec. 16, 2022 ceremony at the presidential palace in Nicosia. |
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380 |
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382 |
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T. Sterling/
Associated Press |
384 |
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386 |
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388 |
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390 |
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"Haw Kham" Royal Palace Museum, Luang Prabang |
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T. Brattstrom
Photo: D. Smirnov |
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392 |
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394 |
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396 |
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398 |
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400 |
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National Museum of Nepal, Kathmandu |
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T. Sterling/
Associated Press
Photo: E. Denny |
402 |
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404 |
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Reported among auctioned possessions of dictator Ceausescu |
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Museum of Environment, Kibuye (previously at the Kandt House Museum of Natural History, Kigali) |
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406 |
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408 |
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410 |
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412 |
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414 |
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Al Ain National Museum, Al Ain, Emirate of Abu Dhabi |
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416 |
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418 |
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421 |
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On public display in the exhibition "The Principality, the World and Outer Space" at the Treasure Chamber of the Principality of Liechtenstein, Vaduz |
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423 |
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Museo di Stato, Città di San Marino (beginning June 2017) |
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425 |
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427 |
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429 |
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240 |
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242 |
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244 |
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246 |
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L. Marianiello
P. George/DFM News |
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248 |
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J. Gutheinz
W. Hoover/ Honolulu Advertiser |
250 |
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252 |
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254 |
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256 |
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258 |
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260 |
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J. Milella
Photo: Minnesota Historical Society |
262 |
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264 |
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Lost in the governor's mansion for a number of years. Found by Diane Nelson, former Gov. Ben Nelson's wife, while the mansion was undergoing renovations.
Now on public display at the Ralph Mueller Planetarium at the University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln. |
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266 |
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268 |
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270 |
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Nature Research Center, Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh.
Earlier: Held in a desk drawer at the Department of Commerce and then from 2003 to 2010 in the custody of State University professor Christopher Brown. |
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272 |
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P. Depweg
R. Dates S. Silengo and
M. Halvorson/
Historical Society |
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274 |
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276 |
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Planetarium, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg |
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278 |
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280 |
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282 |
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284 |
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286 |
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Located in June 2010 in the possession of retired dentist Robert Conner of Morgantown, who received it a decade ago with his late brother Troy's estate. Though the details of how it passed hands are not exactly clear, former Governor Arch A. Moore Jr., who took receipt of the moon rock while in office, was also affiliated with Troy's law firm. Moore told the Associated Press he may have given it to Troy "to observe."
Now on display on the upper level of the West Virginia State Museum at The Culture Center in Charleston. |
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288 |
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