[meteorite-list] Lunar Rocks: Safe and Sound After Rita

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Sep 29 13:40:48 2005
Message-ID: <200509291739.j8THdZf27160_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.space.com/astronotes/astronotes.html

Lunar Rocks: Safe and Sound After Rita
Leonard David
space.com
September 28, 2005
 
Hurricane Rita's run-in with the NASA Johnson Space
Center in Houston, Texas caused minor facility and
ground damage. Furthermore, some of the most
precious rocks on Earth also escaped unscathed -
the Apollo lunar samples.

"The Lunar Facility never lost power and thus never
lost the nitrogen gas that keeps the cabinets in
which they are stored dry and free of oxygen," said,
Gary Lofgren, Lunar Curator and Planetary
Geoscientist within the NASA center's
Astromaterials Acquisition & Curation division.

Lofgren said that the Lunar Facility is capable of
withstanding a category 5 hurricane with its
attendant frightening storm surge tide. "Fortunately
it did not need that capability this time. We are
all well and back in business," he added.
Received on Thu 29 Sep 2005 01:39:35 PM PDT