Collecting Rocks on the Moon

More than 840 pounds of rocks were brought back by the six Apollo missions that landed on the moon. Boxes, like this one from the Apollo 14 mission, were machined from a single block of aluminum and specially designed to transport rock and soil samples back to Earth.

Because of strict weight limitations for a lunar module liftoff, heavier materials that were equal to the weight of the rocks were left on the moon’s surface. Among the items scattered on the moon were extra personal equipment, tools, cameras, the lunar rovers and scientific equipment.

Visit the Heritage Center to view the rock collection box and a moon rock that was brought back on the Apollo 15 mission.

For more information about the Heritage Center go to cuheritage.org or call 303-492-6329

Photo courtesy Patrick Campbell