Apollo 16 Lunar Surface Penetrometer Base Plate



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The Apollo 16 Lunar Penetrometer Base Plate



Pushed directly into the Moon's surface to test the Lunar Soil



One of the rarest and most significant lunar artifacts on Earth!



We are pleased to offer one of the rarest of all possible lunar artifacts ;
namely, an object that literally touched the actual surface of the Moon!

While any item that landed on the Moon is of the highest rarity, the most
desirable of all is one that literally touched the actual lunar surface itself.

The accompanying Apollo 16 "Penetrometer Plate" is one such treasure!

This Base Plate was part of the Apollo 16 Soil Penetrometer Unit that was
pushed into the Moon to test the mechanical properties of the lunar soil.

Further, this unique tool not only literally touched the face of the moon,
but also appears in a historic painting by Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean!

This remarkable object literally represents one of only a handful of items
currently residing on Earth to ever make physical contact with the Moon!


Accordingly, it is a surreal object that is unique and irreplaceable!



Provenance

The Charles M. Duke, Jr. Space Collection