3 - Smithsonian (DC), San Diego Air and Space Museum, Kennedy Space Center (Florida)
I’ve been to both of these, but cannot specifically remember how many lunar rocks I saw at each/either.
I can only remember seeing one stone at each of those sites (San Diego, too). I don’t recall being able to touch any of them (behind protective glass).
Four: the two in DC (Air and Space Museum; National Cathedral) and the two at Morrill Hall in Lincoln, NE. I’d forgotten about the one in the cathedral; thanks for reminding me, CalMeacham. I’d also forgotten about the ones in Morrill; they’re so small as to be inconsequential, but I guess they count.
I’ve been to several places that people mentioned seeing moon rocks, so I can’t say a number, but I do know the first place I saw one: The Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta, OH (Neil’s hometown and 30 miles from my kidhood home). Right along I-75 if you’ve ever driven through NW Ohio
The Smithsonian and Kennedy Space Center.
The first was in September 1969 at MIT, where there was a display of moon stuff, with some dust and a rock. I went to it for my extremely short lived reporting career.
I’ve seen the one in the Smithsonian. And I seem to remember that on a tour of the Johnson Space Center in Houston they showed, behind glass, a room where the moon rocks were stored. There were quite a few in there. This was about 1985 or so.
I’m a huge space enthusiast but somehow I don’t find actual moon rocks to be very memorable or awe-inspiring in any way. They don’t even have any features that distinguish them as moon rocks.
But I’ve seen 2 Moon Rockets (i.e. Saturn Vs - Houston and Huntsville). And four Apollo capsules (Smithsonian, Houston, Huntsville, Chicago).
Three I think. One was part of a travelling display that stopped at our school, one at the Smithsonian, and at the Kennedy Space Center
I’ve seen probably 10 or so in various museums–I think I even touched one at the Space Center in Houston. They’re impressive in that it’s cool that someone actually picked them up and brought them back, but otherwise moon rocks aren’t all that exciting to me.
When I was in the 6th grade (1971-72) a traveling exhibit of moon rocks came to our high school gym and we were all let out to go see them. They were tiny little things no bigger than the gravels in a beanbag ashtray (which was what they looked like), enclosed in a glass or lucite magnifying dome.
It was highly underwhelming.
3 or 4.
Chicago, Huntsville & Florida.
Funny you should ask. Just last week I saw my first Moon rock at the Wallops visitor center.
Just the big one, almost every night.
Do they still have the wafer-thin sliver of moon rock out for people to touch at the Smithsonian?
It was a little piece about the size of a guitar pick, solidly glued down to a suitable display, with a sign inviting people to touch a piece of moon rock.
Smithsonian and National Cathedral.
There was something called the American Freedom Train that toured the US for the bi-centennially. I waited in line with my family for hours in Sacramento to see it. I definitely remember there was a moon rock and waiting in line. Nothing else.
Is there one at the national air and space museum. I toured that be don’t really remember much except there is a flight worthy ME262 (and it was tiny).
Only one, at Seattle’s (excellent) Museum of Flight a few years ago. They had an exhibit of items from the Apollo missions, and one was a moon rock.
I remember one, the goodwill sample housed in a museum in Mdina, Malta. That was from the Apollo 17 mission. Unfortunately that sample has since been stolen.
Two. Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in DC and NASA in Florida. I think I touched both - certainly touched the one in DC. With all the visitors to the Smithsonian, I wonder how much of the rock is worn away each year.