Moon Rock

This is a piece of the Goodwill Rock, collected in 1972 by the astronauts of the Apollo 17, the last human mission on the Moon. It is a small rock with an immense value, maybe the most relevant symbol of humanity’s passion for exploration and for scientific and technological challenges. It was donated in 1973 by the American President Richard Nixon to the Italian Republic and later entrusted to the Museum. By studying it, scientists made hypothesis on the origin and nature of the Moon and caught a glimpse of the Solar System’s first instants.