The small piece of moon rock was a very important piece of the museum’s collection. It was collected from the moon’s Taurus Littrow Valley by the astronauts of Apollo XVII during their mission of 7-19 December 1972. The rock was preserved in a glass bubble and was presented as a donation to the People of Malta by US President Richard Nixon in 1973 as a sign of friendship and collaboration between the United States and Malta.

Fortunately, the small Maltese flag which was carried on board the Apollo XVII mission and which was displayed together with the moon rock, was left untouched. This Maltese flag formed part of the original group of Commonwealth Countries’ flags that were carried on board the Apollo XVII during the December 1972 mission.

Heritage Malta strongly condemns this cowardly act as the nation has been deprived of an important artefact of historical relevance. Police are currently investigating the matter. Anyone wishing to disclose information which may help police in their investigations can do so in confidence on telephone number 2122-1111.