Moon rocks currently consist of 382 kg (842 lb) of rocks and other samples collected during the Apollo program missions to the Moon. Six Apollo landings occurred, and during the surface excursions 2,415 samples were taken, the majority by Apollo 15, 16, and 17. As well, three Soviet Union Luna spacecraft returned from the Moon with an additional 326 g (0.66 lb) of samples.

The Apollo moon rocks were collected using a variety of tools, including hammers, rakes, scoops, tongs, and core tubes. Most were photographed prior to collection to record the condition in which they were found. The rocks were placed inside sample bags for return to the Earth. They were then placed inside a Special Environmental Sample Container for return to the Earth in order to protect them from contamination.

In general the rocks collected from the Moon are extremely old compared to rocks found on the Earth, as measured by radiometric dating techniques. The youngest of the rocks is older than the oldest rocks seen on Earth. They range in age from 3.2 billion years from the basalt samples from the lunar mares, up to 4.6 billion years in the highlands. As such they represent samples from a very early period in the formation of the Solar System.

The rocks possess characteristics that are very similar to rock on Earth, particularly in the amounts of oxygen isotopes. But rocks from the Moon tend to be relatively low in iron, and are depleted in volatile chemicals such as potassium or sodium and are completely lacking in water.

Among the new minerals found on the Moon was armalcolite, which is named for the three astronauts on the Apollo 11 mission: Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins.

The main repositiory for the Moon rocks is the Lunar Sample Building at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. For safe keeping, there is also a smaller collection stored at Brooks Air Force Base at San Antonio, Texas. Most of the rocks are stored in nitrogen to keep them free of moisture. They are only handled indirectly using special tools.

The moon rocks are currently considered priceless. In 1993, three small fragments weighing 0.2 g from Luna 16 were sold for $442,500. In 2002 a safe was stolen from the Lunar Sample Building containing minute samples of lunar and martian material. The samples were recovered and, in 2003, NASA estimated the value of these samples for the court case at about $1 million for 285 g (10 oz.) of material.

A couple hundred small samples were mounted and presented to national governments and U.S. governors. At least one of these was later stolen, sold and recovered. Other samples went to select museums, including the National Air and Space Museum, and to the visitor center at Kennedy Space Center where it is possible to "touch a piece of the moon", which is in fact a small moon rock concreted into a pillar in the center of a bank vault that vistors tour. NASA says that almost 295 kg (650 lb) of the original 382 kg (842 lb)of samples are still in pristine condition in the vault at Johnson Space Center.

See also

• Geology of the Moon
• Lunar Receiving Laboratory
• Lunar meteorite

External links

• Rocks & Soils from the Moon — Johnson Space Center
• Apollo Geology Tool Catalog
• Moon rocks for sale!
• Lunar meteorites — Washington University, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences