The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has prepared a sample package containing 12 thin sections of lunar material and a disk of six small, encapsulated lunar samples. The sample packages are available to colleges and universities having a curriculum in the geosciences. The purpose of this program is to provide lunar material for study and description by students with petrographic skills.

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Contents

• A lunar thin section set consisting of 12 polished sections of rocks and soils, specifically selected to be representative of the lunar collection.
• A booklet which gives descriptions of representative thin sections of each sample included in the set. The booklet also has a brief introduction to lunar sample science. (Booklet compiled by Charles Meyer is now available electronically for your convenience and a hard copy will not be sent with package.)
• A lunar disk containing six lunar samples. Basalt, breccia, and anorthosite rock samples: highland and mare soils; and the glass-bead "orange soil" are represented.
• A 16-minute video tape entitled, "Samples from the Moon."

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Availability

The Lunar Petrographic Thin Section Package is available to any educational institution offering undergraduate or graduate courses in the geosciences.

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Application

Any college or university faculty member may apply for use of the Lunar Petrographic Thin Section Package by making application by letter on institutional letterhead.

Please include the following information in your official letter of application:

• Name of institution
• Department
• Address of the institution
• Telephone number
• Planned use

Please send your official letter of application to:

Education Sample Curator
Mail Code KT
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
2101 NASA Parkway
Houston, Texas 77058-3696

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Cooperative Loan Agreement

The Lunar Petrographic Thin Section Package is made available only after the educational institution and NASA have entered into a cooperative loan agreement. Lunar samples are the property of the United States Government and are considered irreplaceable. It is, therefore, essential that rigorous security and accountability procedures be followed by all persons having access to the samples. Such procedures are included in the cooperative loan agreement which must be signed by NASA and the institutional officials. The agreement basically outlines the responsibilities of the institution and NASA for the safeguarding of the material during its use. Sample security requirements include, but are not limited to: (a) the samples must be under the constant control of an authorized official; (b) the samples must be stored in a storage cabinet with a combination lock when not in use; and (c) the sample storage area must be checked by appropriate security officials during non-working hours.

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Receipt

The package may be hand-carried, or it may be transported by registered mail. NASA will mail the package to the user, and it is the responsibility of the user to return the package to NASA. There is no other cost to the educational institution for the use of the material.

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Equipment Needed

• Standard petrographic microscope with reflected light capability
• Binocular microscope for viewing the disk
• VHS video cassette player and TV monitor