Astronauts pimp their ride with lunar rock
Apparently the crew of the International Space Station weren’t content with the world’s (or rather solar system’s) greatest view. They’ve now got the greatest window sill ornament: a piece of the moon.
The sample of lunar rock was gathered during the Apollo 11 mission by Neil Armstrong. It’s had quite the journey, having been loaned by NASA last year to Scott Parazynski, an astronaut who climbed Mount Everest.
As well as the lunar rock sample, which weighs 21 grams, Parazynski came back from the summit with a sample of Everest itself. Both pieces of rock have now been taken into space on board the Endeavour shuttle and transferred to the space station.
NASA has vowed to take both pieces to the moon if and when there’s another manned lunar mission. In the meantime, they’ll reside in the station’s cupola, a windowed room offering panoramic views of Earth and the rest of space. (Computer generated picture courtesy of NASA.)
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