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Apollo 11

Apollo 11 Lunar Sample Information Catalogue (JSC 12522, Revised)

  • Source document: 1977-02-apollo-11-lunar-sample-information-catalogue-jsc-12522.pdf

  • Original: NASA JSC 12522, Apollo 11 Lunar Sample Information Catalogue (Revised), compiled by F. E. Kramer, D. B. Twedell, and W. J. A. Walton, Jr., Sample Information Center, NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, February 1977.

  • Available online: Washington University PDS node — JSC 12522 catalogue; also NTRS 19780010031.

Summary

Section titled “Summary”

The curation reference for the Apollo 11 lunar samples: a sample-by-sample catalogue produced by the Johnson Space Center Sample Information Center. It opens with general mission information and a description of the collection tools and containers, then documents each numbered sample — its classification, weight, photographs, and processing/splitting history. It is the authoritative record of what was collected and where each piece went, complementing the science-focused Preliminary Science Report.

Key takeaways

Section titled “Key takeaways”
  • Apollo 11 returned the first lunar samples; the catalogue’s mission summary notes approximately 20 kg of rock and particulate material collected during a single EVA of about 2 hours 14 minutes of surface exploration time.
  • Samples are numbered in the 10000s (this 1977 catalogue documents 10001–10089). They were returned in two Apollo Lunar Sample Return Containers (“rock boxes”): ALSRC #1003 (the Bulk Sample container) and ALSRC #1004 (the Documented Sample container), plus the contingency sample and two core tubes.
  • Samples are organized by type — basalts, breccias, and fines — each with detailed descriptions and breccia-clast notes.
  • Per-sample entries record early processing history in the vacuum and biological preparation laboratories of the Lunar Receiving Laboratory and subsequent splits/allocations.
  • As a revised (second) edition issued in 1977, it reflects years of curation and reclassification after the initial post-mission examination.

Concepts extracted

Section titled “Concepts extracted”