NASA Apollo 11 Moon Rock Was Destroyed in a Fire, Records Reveal

A piece of moon rock gifted to Ireland following NASA’s historic Apollo 11 mission in 1969 was tragically destroyed in a fire, newly uncovered documents from Ireland’s National Archives reveal. The rock, which had traveled almost 240,000 miles from the moon to Earth, was presented to then-President Éamon de Valera in 1970 by U.S. Ambassador J.G. Moore. However, a lack of clarity over where it should be displayed led to years of mishandling, confidential 1984 memos seen by PA news agency showed. Initially stored in a government basement for over three years, the artefact was eventually entrusted to the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies in 1973. It was placed at Dunsink Observatory for public display but was lost in a fire there on October 3, 1977. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands on the moon facing a U.S. flag during the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969. Sample from this mission were gifted to Ireland and later destroyed in a fire. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands on the moon facing a U.S. flag during the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969. Sample from this mission were gifted to Ireland and later destroyed in a fire. NASA Thankfully, Ireland had received a second piece of lunar material in 1973, also gifted by the U.S. This sample from Apollo 17, mounted on a plaque featuring the Irish tricolor, found a more stable, albeit temporary, home. Initially displayed at the President’s official residence, Áras an Uachtaráin, the rock was later loaned to Aer Lingus for the 1976 Young Scientist Exhibition. Over the years, it was moved between various locations, including Dublin Airport, as officials struggled to find a permanent display space. The sample is now held by the National Museum of Ireland. Newsweek contacted the National Archives of Ireland via email for further comment. What Is a Moon Rock? Between 1969 and 1972, NASA’s Apollo missions brought 842 pounds of lunar material to Earth, comprising rocks, pebbles and soil. These samples, collected during six missions, have provided groundbreaking insights into the moon’s formation and the history of the inner solar system. The lunar materials are stored primarily at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and continue to be studied to this day. According to NASA, around 400 samples are distributed each year for research and study. “Study of rock and soil samples from the moon continues to yield useful information about the early history of the moon, the Earth and the inner solar system,” NASA explains on its website. “Recent computer models indicate that the moon could have been formed from the debris resulting from the Earth being struck a glancing blow by a planetary body about the size of Mars.” This dramatic formation event likely occurred some 4.4 billion years ago. How Valuable Are Moon Rocks? The exact value of moon rocks is incalculable due to their rarity and scientific importance, but there are some clues as to their price from scant sales in the past. In 2018, 200 milligrams of lunar material collected by the Soviet Union sold for $855,000, according to Forbes. More impressively, a bag containing traces of moon dust from Apollo 11 fetched $1.8 million at auction in 2017. The Apollo 11 artifact had been mistakenly misidentified and sold at a government auction online, leading NASA to mount a legal battle to reclaim it. However, a federal judge ultimately ruled that the item legally belonged to a Chicago-area woman who had purchased it in 2015 for just $995. No Apollo mission moon rocks have ever been sold legally, making their valuation difficult. Who Owns Moon Rocks? Most lunar materials belong to NASA, which retains custody of approximately 85 percent of the samples collected during the Apollo program, according to Space.com. Other nations, such as the Soviet Union and China, have also retrieved small quantities of moon rocks through robotic missions. The U.S. gifted hundreds of lunar samples to various nations and U.S. states in the 1970s as a diplomatic gesture. However, the fate of these samples has varied widely. Some remain on display, while others have been lost, destroyed or stored indefinitely. Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about moon rocks? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.