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Abstract

Rocks of Heroes. The Moon Rocks of Museum Boerhaave
After both the first successful manned moon landing in 1969 (Apollo 11) and the last one in 1972 (Apollo 17) the United States authorities donated small samples of moon rocks to the heads of state of other countries. However, not all of these samples were kept in a careful manner; quite a few even disappeared. I argue that this can partly be explained through cultural differences and misunderstandings between the United States and other countries about the nature and recognition of heroic achievements.
This article's point of departure is the fate of the samples that were given to the then Dutch head of state, Queen Juliana. In turn, she donated these to the Dutch National Museum for the History of Science and Medicine (now: Museum Boerhaave), where they have been held in storage ever since, instead of being put on display.