MOONROCK - EARTHBOUND

Prior to their trips to the moon, astronauts undergo years of geology training on Earth including classroom lectures, laboratory demonstrations and field trips to locations where geology is thought to be similar to the moon.

Artist and astronaut Alan Bean reflects: “Collecting moonrocks was more than just reaching down and grabbing pieces we happened to like. The first rock we were taught to select was one that looked most like all the other rocks in the area. The “typical” rock was photographed from two positions before we disturbed the ground. Picking up the rock was not simple, either.”

Bean's superb piece depicts fellow astronauts John Young and Charlie Duke using long tweezer-like tongs to place samples into numbered bags close to where their spacecraft Apollo 16 landed. It has been personally signed by fellow astronaut and the artist: