The ‘Space Window’

Regarding the Apollo 11 artifact which may be auctioned by Sotheby’s (“Apollo 11 relic to fetch astronomical bid,” Page A1, Wednesday), NASA’s spokesman William Jeffs’ statement that all lunar artifacts (hence by implication lunar soil and rocks) belong to the American people is slightly misleading because several exceptions to that laudable principle were officially made.

Very soon after the return of the Apollo 11 crew small lunar samples were given to rulers of various nations that had probably been arranged and decided even before Apollo 11 left Earth.

A few years later there was a request to NASA by the National Cathedral in Washington, which is owned by the Episcopal Church, for a lunar rock to be included in their new stained-glass space window. The Lunar Samples Analysis Planning Team, which at that time was always asked to make recommendations to NASA on who could get which lunar samples, voted against giving an Apollo 11 lunar rock to the Episcopal Church but was overruled. I know because I was present at that vote. Dieter Heymann, Houston