European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 15, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Remember Moon rocks by Marcia Dunn a aerospace writer most of the 842 pounds of Moon Rock  dirt collected by Apollo astronauts two decades ago remains locked in air conditioned vaults. It s being saved for posterity. Nearly 73 percent or 612 pounds is in the Pristine Sample vault in a specially designed building at nasal a Johnson space Center in Houston. These rocks never have gone farther than the adjacent Pristine Sample Laboratory  Are free of earthly contamination. The samples a As Small As one Hundredth of a Gram  As big As 17impounds a Are stored in aluminium or steel cans or Teflon bags. The containers Are sealed in stainless steel Glove Box cabinets. Nitrogen Gas flows through the cabinets to keep the rocks from corroding. A smaller vault downstairs holds 61 pounds of Moon Rock slightly More than 7 percent of the total amount All of which was sent out for analysis  returned. The two Story lunar Sample building has no windows  is made of steel reinforced Concrete. There Are alarms on every door  motion detectors in every room. The first floor is 24 feet above sea level to protect against a Hurricane surge. Just in Case 13v� percent of the lunar samples or 114 pounds is stored in a vault at Brooks air Force base in san Antonio Texas. Fewer than 2 percent or 15 pounds is out for scientific study  fewer than 3 percent or 24 pounds is on loan to educators  museums. Two percent or 16 pounds was destroyed through analysis. None of the Apollo astronauts received As much As a speck of Moon dust not officially anyway. Quot if you canvass nine of 10 people they would think we All have a Moon Rock sitting on our desk somewhere Quot said Apollo 17 commander Eugene Cernan who was the last Man to walk on the Moon. Quot it would be Nice to have a piece of the Moon having gone that far  in some cases risked so much Quot Cernan said. Quot but we Don t  that was just a decision that was  first Moon rocks returned to Earth were displayed to fascinated crowds. Today almost All of them Are kept in sealed storage  littered with relic by Marcia Dunn a aerospace writer going 10 the Moon ?1 forget the jumper cables. I he 12 Apollo Moonwalk ors left $517 million Worth of equipment behind including three Moon buggies but none of it is thought to be reusable. Space experts believe the machines  tools have been ruined by thee tremor swings in lunar temperature a i a m 2su degree i fahrenheit in sunlight to minus 250 degrees i a Monheit in Shadow it might he Best in fact to avoid Apollo relics Alto Melhei some of the items like Tive mortar grenades used Lei  studies  live nuclear powered science Stalons still could be dangerous among the More expensive lunar leftovers a six lunar Moduli Landing stages  wreckage of six ascent stage1. Local Cost $2/0 million a three Battery powered lunar rovers costing a total of $6 million a twelve Lik support backpacks Worth $3.6 million a 1 decision  still cameras valued at $3 million to $5 million a hammers tongs drills  other tools Worth $600,000 the Moonwalk ors loaded Down with rocks for study Back Home discarded the equipment to keep the lunar module As Light As possible for liftoff. They even tossed out their boots  bags filled with garbage  human waste. Other castoffs though had nothing to do with saving weight. Each pair of noon walkers planted a . Flag on the lunar surface. The flags were stiffened with wire in order to Fly unfurled in the airless vacuum. The first  last set of Moonwalk ors left plaques bearing president Nixon s signature. The plaque left by Apollo 11 s Neil Armstrong  Edwin Quot Buzz Quot Aldrin reads Quot Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon july 1969, . We came in peace for All  Armstrong  Aldrin also deposited a disc inscribed with messages from the leaders of 73 nations  patches honouring three american astronauts  two soviet cosmonauts who died in the line of duty. The plaque left by Apollo 17 s Eugene Cernan  Harrison Quot Jack Quot Schmitt reads Quot Here Man completed his first exploration of the Moon december 1972, . May the spirit of peace in which we came be reflected in the lives of All  there Are Silver medallions bearing the thumb prints the family of Apollo 15�?~s James Irwin  a photograph the family of Apollo 16�?Ts Charles Duke. And there Are two goofballs. Apollo 14 commander Alan Shepard an avid golfer Cou in t resist taking a few swings in one sixth Gravity attached a 6-Iron head to a Shaft he used to retrieve Moon samples  whacked two balls. The balls stayed but the club returned with Shepard e gave it in 1974 to the . Golf association which i it on display at its museum in far Hills . Page 16 a the stars  stripes tuesday december 15, 1992