The Moon rock –Lunar Sample 76015,143– has been loaned by the NASA at the request of the Biden administration, and has been put on display in the Oval Office (White Office) since January 20, 2021.
- Lunar sample 76015,143, collected by the Apollo 17 crew in 1972, is a 0.7 pound (333 gram) slice of a larger rock that was chipped off a boulder on the moon.
- It has been placed at the bottom shelf of a recessed bookcase, next to a portrait of American founding leader Benjamin Franklin and adjacent to the Resolute Desk.
- The rock has been placed in the Oval Office in symbolic recognition of earlier generations’ ambitions and accomplishments, and support for America’s current Moon to Mars exploration approach.
