![]() ![]() Because we're going back to get more," Melroy said, referring to the upcoming Artemis missions, which aim to land the first woman and first person of color on the moon.Īpollo 15 was the first of NASA's Apollo "J" missions, which provided astronauts more time to explore the lunar surface than previous Apollo trips. "I think NASA can afford to give away a slice of that rock. NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, during a visit to the UArizona campus earlier this month, expressed gratitude to Kelly for his help in getting the rock to the museum. He also helped expedite the application process, she added. Kelly, apparently, had reached out to his colleagues at NASA and "had made a good enough case that they called us," Gass said with a chuckle. Later, before the museum had even filed an application for a moon rock loan, a NASA official called to ask whether the museum was interested. ![]() During a visit to the museum before its grand opening, Kelly noticed the museum did not have a moon rock and mentioned it to museum staff. senator from Arizona and retired astronaut, was instrumental in helping the museum get the rock, Gass said. "Not every museum qualifies to have one because of the strict security protocols needed to keep the rock safe." "It's a privilege to have this rock here," Gass said. Weighing 4 ounces and measuring about 3 inches long, the rock is the largest sample that NASA loans to museums from its collection at Johnson Space Center in Houston, said Elizabeth Gass, exhibit specialist at the Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum. ![]() It arrived at the museum in early February, as the museum geared up for a grand opening in its new space at the Pima County Historic Courthouse during the annual Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase. It took six days in space – and more than 18 hours of exploration on the moon's surface – for NASA astronauts David Scott and James Irwin to collect the 170 pounds of lunar rocks they brought back to Earth as part of NASA's Apollo 15 mission in 1971.Īnyone in the Tucson area this summer is probably no more than a half-hour car ride from a quarter-pound chunk of that haul.Ī moon rock is on display through mid-August at the University of Arizona Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum, thanks to a six-month loan from NASA. The rock can be found in the museum's Mineral Evolution Gallery, the first gallery that guests enter as they leave the lobby. ![]()
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