Famed stones continue to inspire

In the nearly 50 years since Apollo 11 astronauts first landed on the moon, the more than 842 pounds of rocks, pebbles, sand and dust collected during U.S. moon landings have been variously stolen, lost, found and, in the case of most of the specimens, carefully preserved in nitrogen-filled cabinets to keep the cosmic samples in pristine condition here on Earth.

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin collected and returned the first lunar samples — about “50 pounds (Earth weight) of the loose surface material and selected rocks,” NASA said.

Five more moon-landing missions, NASA officials say the moon rock still captivates our terrestrial imaginations and may yet unlock more mysteries of the universe.

“We have seen a renewed interest in the moon, which has inspired scientists to ask new questions,” said Andrea Mosie, a scientist and curator of NASA’s lunar specimens at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Mosie said that more than 75% of the materials returned from all of the Apollo moon-landing missions remain locked away in those specially regulated cabinets in Houston.

But the other nearly 25%? Some were given as galactic gestures of diplomacy. President Richard Nixon gave samples to other world leaders for public display.

Today 94 samples are on exhibit throughout the U.S. and in 11 foreign countries, a NASA spokesperson said.

The only place in Florida where people can see a moon rock is at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, where two samples are part of the permanent collection — both collected during Apollo 17, the final mission to the moon in 1972.

But some samples aren’t so easily accounted for.

A 2011 report by NASA’s Office of Inspector General found the agency was doing a poor job of keeping track of the samples it lent out for research and education. In 2002, more than 200 samples were stolen from Johnson Space Center but were later recovered. In 2010, a researcher reported 18 lunar specimens lost.