‘Children of the World’ Rock
by Angela Green Garcia
Close-up of surface of 70125,261 showing zap pits, and apparent vugs. Sample is about 12 cm long. NASA # S89-34498.
“Joseph R. Gutheinz Jr., a Texas lawyer and former OIG agent has been credited, along with his students for locating many lost or misplaced lunar sample gifts to states and countries.” (NewYorkTimes.com, January 21, 2012)
He visited the Lunar Sample Facility in the fall 2011 to view the ‘Children of the World’ rock and tour our facility.
Lunar sample 70215 is a dense, fine-grained porphyritic mare basalt that has been used to create “touchstones” for public display. It was collected about 60 m from the Lunar Module and is one of the largest stones returned from the Moon. (From the Lunar Sample Compendium; C. Meyer 2008). Its original sample weight is 8110 grams.
Gutheinz was extremely excited to have the opportunity to view this special rock. While he was not allowed to touch the rock which he expressed he was ‘dying’ to hold, he was extremely impressed with the Sample Curation process and delighted with his visit.
Gutheinz stated that, “If someone hands a governor a Moon rock, and he keeps it or loses it, if you can’t protect something like that, maybe they’re not that vigilant, and if they’re not that careful, and they bring it home with them, what else have they brought home with them?” (NewYorkTimes.com, January 21, 2012)
In 1998, Gutheinz blocked the attempted sale of a nugget of lunar rock in Miami by a man who had acquired it in Honduras.