The Cyprus lunar sample displays are part of two special plaques that contain small pieces of moon rocks collected during the Apollo 11 and Apollo 17 missions. These plaques were presented to the people of the Republic of Cyprus by United States President Richard Nixon as gifts to show friendship.
Description
After the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, NASA created about 250 plaques at the request of President Nixon. Each plaque contained about four tiny particles of Moon dust, similar in size to a grain of rice, totaling about 50 milligrams. Each plaque also had an acrylic button with Moon dust and a flag from the recipient’s country or U.S. state that had traveled to the Moon and back. All 135 countries, the 50 U.S. states, U.S. provinces, and the United Nations received these plaques.
The plaques were given as gifts in 1970.
A Moon rock collected during the Apollo 17 mission was later named lunar basalt 70017 and called the Goodwill rock. Small pieces of this rock, weighing about 1.14 grams, were placed inside acrylic lucite and mounted with a flag from the country that would receive it. The flag had flown on the Apollo 17 mission.
In 1973, President Nixon sent the plaques to 135 countries and to the United States and its territories as a gesture of goodwill.
History
In 1960, a mysterious event began involving a Moon rock gift from the United States to Cyprus. During a conflict in 1974, the Presidential Palace in Cyprus was set on fire. A plaque from the Apollo 17 mission, meant as a goodwill gift, was believed to be lost during this event. Later information showed the plaque was never officially given to the Cyprus government. Instead, it remained at the U.S. embassy in Nicosia during the 1974 uprising (known as the Turkish invasion). When American diplomats left the island, the plaque disappeared and later appeared on the illegal market, held by the son of a former U.S. diplomat.
In May 2010, NASA reported that the Office of Inspector General recovered the Apollo 17 plaque and plans to give it as a gift again. However, the current location of the Apollo 11 goodwill lunar display remains unknown, according to Robert Pearlman.