“BBC reports that a treasured piece at the Dutch national museum — a supposed moon rock from the first manned lunar landing given to former Prime Minister Willem Drees during a goodwill tour by the
three Apollo-11 astronauts shortly after their moon mission in 1969 — has been revealed as nothing more than petrified wood, curators say. A jagged fist-size stone with reddish tints, it was mounted and placed above a plaque that said, ‘With the compliments of the Ambassador of the United States of America… to commemorate the visit to The Netherlands of the Apollo-11 astronauts.’ The plaque does not specify that the rock came from the moon’s surface. Researchers from Amsterdam’s Free University said they could see at a glance the rock was probably not from the moon. They followed the initial appraisal up with extensive testing. ‘It’s a nondescript, pretty-much-worthless stone,’ wrote Geologist Frank Beunk in an article published by the museum. Beunk says the rock, which the museum at one point insured for more than half a million dollars, was worth no more than $70. The ‘rock’ had originally been been vetted through a phone call to NASA. As the US Embassy in the Hague said it was investigating the matter, the Rijksmuseum says it will keep the piece as a curiosity.”
Slashdot – August 28, 2009:
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What a hoax!
I suspect someone may have um, made a substitution.
HAR!
Petrified wood, in Amsterdam?
Maybe the Dutch can fashion some petrified wood baby shoes out of this unique, extraordinary gift?
Still don’t believe the moon landing was not a hoax?
#6 If the Russians and Chinese didn’t consider it to be a to be a hoax why should you? You do know they did more than set on their butts and watch the news on TV; right?
Besides there’s a laser target that was left on the moon that is either there or not and since any bleep with enough money can test its existence and they all say that it’s there I’d say that question is resolved. Check it out with myth busters. They even have footage of a lunar astronomer running such a test.
This story is a hoax.
There never was a gift.
There never was a moon landing.
There never was a Saturn 5 rocket.
I know. I wasn’t there!
# 8 Buzz,
Please look into the Neuralyzer, smile.
The flash of light you did not see did not erase your memories.
Proof, that beavers have been to the moon.
It was a Republican Administrator getting their “rocks off” after getting a “woody” while visiting one of Amsterdam’s red light districts.
The Republicans are funny.
Foooooled youuuuu
Just seeing if they’re paying attention 8)
Yes, I saw this special report on FOX News while I was channel surfing.
Now that’s just not right!
Has anyone gone and looked in the petrified wood exhibit to make sure there were no accidental substitutions?
Maybe it’s a piece of Noah’s ark lol. I suppose another possibility is the trees got to the moon first. If the Moon was formed from the Earth millions of years ago, or meteors ejected from the Earth have impacted the Moon in the past the fact that it’s petrified wood wouldn’t necessarily rule out a lunar origin. There also appear to be a lot of petrified trees in NASA photos of Mars. Although in that case they probably originally grew on Mars when the climate was more hospitable to Martian forests.
#7 Deowll,
Oh yeah, and the mythbusters got help from whom? NASA, of course.
It is a hoax, if the landing were real how come no one with a decently large telescope has pictures of the remnants of the lunar landing?
space flight gives you wood – go figure
Not the first time a US Diplomat has given a country something worthless.