Moon rocks is the name that has been applied to the 382 kg (842 lbs.) of rocks and other samples collected during the Apollo program missions to the Moon. A total of six Apollo landings occured, and during the surface excursions 2,415 samples were taken. (The large majority were collected during the Apollo 15, 16, and 17 landings.) In addition, the Soviet Union sent three automated spacecraft to the Moon that returned an additional 301 g (0.66 lbs.) of samples. Description Role: Earth and Lunar Orbit Crew: 3; CDR, CM pilot, LM pilot Dimensions Height: 36. ... Crust composition Oxygen 43% Silicon 21% Aluminium 10% Calcium 9% Iron 9% Magnesium 5% Titanium 2% Nickel 0. ... Apollo 15 was the ninth manned mission in the Apollo program and the fourth mission to land on the Moon. ... Apollo 16 was the tenth manned mission in the Apollo program and the fifth mission to land on the Moon. ... Apollo 17 was the eleventh manned space mission in the NASA Apollo program, and was the sixth and last mission to date to land on the Moon. ...

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. The Apollo 11 mission was the first manned lunar landing. ... Apollo 12 was the sixth manned mission in the Apollo program and the second to land on the Moon. ... Apollo 14 was the eighth manned mission in the Apollo program and the third mission to land on the moon. ... Apollo 15 was the ninth manned mission in the Apollo program and the fourth mission to land on the Moon. ... Apollo 16 was the tenth manned mission in the Apollo program and the fifth mission to land on the Moon. ... Apollo 17 was the eleventh manned space mission in the NASA Apollo program, and was the sixth and last mission to date to land on the Moon. ... Luna 16 was an unmanned space mission of the Luna program, also called Lunik 16. ... Luna 20 was an unmanned space mission of the Luna program, also called Lunik 20. ... Luna 24 was an unmanned space mission of the Luna program, also called Lunik 24. ...

In general the rocks collected from the Moon are extremely old compared to rocks found on the Earth. 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. Basalt Basalt is an extrusive igneous rock, sometimes porphyritic, and is often both fine-grained and dense. ... The Lunar maria (singular: mare, pronounced MAH-ray) are large, dark, basaltic plains on Earths Moon, formed by ancient basaltic flood eruptions caused by extremely large meteoroid impacts. ... Mosaic of Solar System planets except Pluto, including Earths Moon (not to scale). ...

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. General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 15. ... Isotopes are forms of a chemical element whose nuclei have the same atomic number, Z, but different atomic masses, A. The word isotope, meaning at the same place, comes from the fact that all isotopes of an element are located at the same place on the periodic table. ... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metal Group, Period, Block 8 (VIIIB), 4, d Density, Hardness 7874 kg/m3, 4. ... General Name, Symbol, Number potassium, K, 19 Series alkali metals Group, Period, Block 1(IA), 4, s Density, Hardness 856 kg/m3, 0. ... General Name, Symbol, Number sodium, Na, 11 Series alkali metal Group, Period, Block 1 (IA), 3, s Density, Hardness 968 kg/m3, 0. ...

Among the new minerals found on the Moon was armalcolite, which is named for the three astronauts on the Apollo 11mission: Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins. Armalcolite is a mineral that was discovered at Tranquility Base on the Moon by the Apollo 11 crew in 1970. ... U.S. Space Shuttle astronaut Bruce McCandless II using a manned maneuvering unit. ... The Apollo 11 mission was the first manned lunar landing. ...

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. An aerial view of the complete Johnson Space Center facility in Houston, Texas in 1989. ... Downtown Houston City nickname: Space City Location in the state of Texas Incorporated 1837 Counties Harris County Fort Bend County Montgomery County Mayor Bill White Area   â€” Land   â€” Water 601. ... Brooks Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located in San Antonio, Texas. ... Downtown San Antonio features the historic San Fernando Cathedral, the Tower Life Building and the Tower of the Americas. ...

The moon rocks are currently considered priceless. In 1993, a 0.7 lbs. sample from Luna 16 was sold for $442,500. In 2003, NASA estimates the street price at about $1 million for 10 oz. of material. That would place the value of the entire collection at up to $1.3 billion. In 2002 a safe was stolen from the Lunar Sample Building containing minute samples of lunar material. 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Geology of the Moon
• Lunar Receiving Laboratory

Exploring Shorty crater during the Apollo 17 mission to the Moon. ... First samples from the Moon being delivered to LRL in 1969 The Lunar Receiving Laboratory (LRL) is a facility at NASAs Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (Building 37) that was constructed to quarantine astronauts and material brought back from the Moon during the Apollo program. ...

External links

• Rocks & Soils from the Moon — Johnson Space Center
• Apollo Geology Tool Catalog
• Moon rocks for sale!