Fall 2019 Road Trip; Part VI; A Piece Of The Moon

Your humble author and editor holding a former piece of our moon. (click to enlarge)
Studying and getting an undergraduate degree in geology, as well as being interested in all things
space and celestial, this was a thrill.  Still is. (Image by my wife with an iPhone 11)

Back in July, during the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing (yes, I do clearly remember watching it live), I read an article about the Maine Mineral And Gem Museum having the largest moon rocks on the planet which they were displaying in honor of the anniversary.  This got my attention as I knew we would be traveling to Maine later in the year and immediately I wondered if I would have a chance of seeing them up close.  The only moon rock I've ever seen was a tiny sliver in the Smithsonian Institution Air and Space Museum years ago.

If you have known me for any time at all, you then know that since Sputnik flew over the U.S. in 1957 (my grandfather, father and I went outside and they pointed out to me this little tiny star-looking light moving rather rapidly across the sky and I was hooked!) I have been interested in everything space, space travel, cosmology, astrophysics, astronomy, etc.  I still pursue and read everything I find about the subjects as part of my endeavor to continue to learn and further educate myself.

After reading the article and determining where on the map the museum was located as well as determining that the museum was very likely on our westward return route from Canada, I thought that was one place I would make a point to stop and visit.  My general driving plan was to return to Bangor from Nova Scotia, then take U.S. Route 2 west across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and into New York.  Bethel, Maine, where the museum is located, is on Route 2.  Perfect!  My anticipation of seeing these rare rocks was high.

Image by my wife with an iPhone 11
(click to enlarge)

Fast forward to our road trip.  We arrived in Bethel at midday.  The Museum is relatively small and intimate.  After walking in and taking a quick survey of my surroundings, I approached the woman behind the counter in the gift shop area of the museum and asked about where I could find the moon rocks.  Immediately she replied that they were put away and couldn't be seen at this time.  What?  Are you kidding?  I was speechless.  

Somewhat stunned by this revelation, I told her that as late as the night before I had checked their website (where the moon rocks had been promoted) and there was nothing on the site saying the moon rocks were put away and out of public view.  She must have seen the sheer disappointment on my face and apologized.  I told her we were from southeastern Virginia and stopped specifically at the museum to see the moon rocks.  Again, she apologized and further said that they were out for the 50th anniversary celebration but now have been locked away for safe keeping.  You can imagine how disappointed I was.  On second thought, no, I don't think you can imagine my disappointment.

Since we were there, I started to walk around and look at the wonderful displays of various igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks, as well as fine examples of minerals and gemstones (I have a B.S. in Geology, by the way).  When I returned from an adjacent exhibit room, I noticed the woman was on the telephone.  After returning to the front of the museum, she told me she called her boss (Barbra Barrett) and she was coming in to see if she could be of help since we had traveled such a long distance.  

When her boss arrived, I thought what was going to happen was that her boss (a lovely Australian woman) was going to explain to me why the rocks had to be put away and not available.  I was wrong.  Much to my surprise, she retrieved two pairs of white cotton gloves and proceeded to open a locked safe and retrieved a moon rock for me to hold, examine and fawn over.  I was extraordinarily surprised and infinitely delighted!  I had no idea that was her intention.  I was again stunned.  But this time in a positive way.  Wow!  What a kind and generous thing to do.  Again, I was astonished with her kindness.  In a large metropolitan museum, that never would have happened.

As I held the rock, she explained to me that this was part of a series of meteorites that were found in the Sahara Desert in Africa.  The meteorite had been examined by experts, chemically and physically tested and was confirmed to come from our moon.  It arrived on earth in the same manner as do rocks we find from Mars.  A meteor, asteroid or comet  hits the celestial body throwing up pieces of the surface and some of those pieces are thrown out into space.  After millions of years, some may happen into the gravitational field of the earth and fall as meteorites.  I was thrilled I was standing there holding it in my hands.

iPhone 8 image (click to enlarge)

The largest single moon rock possessed by NASA is 11.8 kilos (26 lbs.) and the museum's largest sample is 58 kilos (128 lbs.). 

I asked my wife to use her new iPhone to make a few images me holding it.  I also made a couple of close-up images of it with my iPhone.  I now have proof that I was one of the fortunate few people in this world to hold in my hands a piece of the moon.  That big gray rock in the night sky will now always look different to me.

I can't be more thankful to Ms. Barrett and the other kind woman (I'm sorry but I don't remember her name) at the museum for going way above what was necessary to call, come in, get out the rock and allow me to hold it.  I am still buzzing over the opportunity.   I cannot be thankful enough.

One last thing.  I've always wanted to own a small meteorite to keep in my rock collection.  I always hesitated in buying one as buying a meteorite over the Internet doesn't necessarily guarantee you are getting what you think you are getting.  In the museum store, they have a number of small meteorites for sale, all properly documented and in small plastic cases.  So, as a thank you, I bought one as buying from the museum store contributes to their bottom line and helps them to stay open.  That was the least I could do as a way of saying thank you.  Of course, I now have a piece of the Campo de Cielo meteorite discovered in Argentina!  Great day!

So here is an interesting tidbit of knowledge about me.  I am probably now the only person on the earth who as been bitten by both a monkey and an ocelot AND has held a moon rock in his hands!  How rare is that?  LOL.

Join me over at Instagram @dennisamook or my website, www.dennismook.com. 

Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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