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Treasured "Moon Rock" Is Petrified Wood

Hugh Pickens writes "BBC reports that a treasured piece at the Dutch national museum — a supposed moon rock from the first manned lunar landing given to former Prime Minister Willem Drees during a goodwill tour by the three Apollo-11 astronauts shortly after their moon mission in 1969 — has been revealed as nothing more than petrified wood, curators say. A jagged fist-size stone with reddish tints, it was mounted and placed above a plaque that said, 'With the compliments of the Ambassador of the United States of America... to commemorate the visit to The Netherlands of the Apollo-11 astronauts.' The plaque does not specify that the rock came from the moon's surface. Researchers from Amsterdam's Free University said they could see at a glance the rock was probably not from the moon. They followed the initial appraisal up with extensive testing. 'It's a nondescript, pretty-much-worthless stone,' wrote Geologist Frank Beunk in an article published by the museum. Beunk says the rock, which the museum at one point insured for more than half a million dollars, was worth no more than $70. The 'rock' had originally been been vetted through a phone call to NASA. As the US Embassy in the Hague said it was investigating the matter, the Rijksmuseum says it will keep the piece as a curiosity."

35 of 209 comments (clear)

  1. does this mean war? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I hope this can be resolved peacefully, American forces are stretched a bit thin at the moment.

    1. Re:does this mean war? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      This is an outrageous insult to the Dutch people. Expect to see a lot of burning embassies in the news soon.

    2. Re:does this mean war? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Send Bill.

      Maybe somebody else.

      There's been enough 'giving of wood' already.

    3. Re:does this mean war? by rve · · Score: 3, Funny

      Have you seen the American Embassy in Amsterdam? The American people should honor anybody who burns it down.

      Damn Nazi architechture.

      Huh? There is no embassy in Amsterdam, the embassy is in The Hague. There is a consulate in Amsterdam, which has a 19th century architecture. With a double ram-proof steel bar fence, a snipers nest and a squad of heavily armed guards.

      (iirc, accross the street, there is an Italian consulate, with a welcome sign, a neat little garden, no fence and no visible guards.)

    4. Re:does this mean war? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      You forgot to mention the gallows on the American concrete entryway, as compared to the hefty smiling italian grandmother-like figure offering you a steaming bowl of fetucchini on the Italian side.

    5. Re:does this mean war? by psychicsword · · Score: 2, Funny

      We Americans like out fences and guns(in case you haven't noticed).

  2. Cue the moon-mission hoax cult by SputnikPanic · · Score: 5, Funny

    They'll be coming out of the (petrified) woodwork again...

  3. Nixon and Kissinger are laughing. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    It kept the wayward pseudo-commie Dutch in NATO 'til we could win the cold war.
    Ha ha.

  4. I KNEW IT! by SilverHatHacker · · Score: 5, Funny

    Proof that the moon landing was faked!!!
    ;)

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    Funny may not give karma, but +5 Informative never made anyone snort coffee out their nose.
    1. Re:I KNEW IT! by east+coast · · Score: 4, Funny

      No! This is proof that life once existed on the moon. A great find.

      --
      Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
    2. Re:I KNEW IT! by east+coast · · Score: 4, Funny

      Does that mean that the moon is a witch? Or is it a duck?

      --
      Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
    3. Re:I KNEW IT! by WindowlessView · · Score: 4, Funny

      This is proof that life once existed on the moon.

      It proves that the moon was once an interstate Stuckey's on the way to other galaxies. They just didn't find the low carb pecan log roll. It was only one shelf over.

      --
      Leave the gun, take the cannolis.
  5. Were hot grits involved? by jollyreaper · · Score: 3, Funny

    And naked?

    --
    Kwisatz Haderach
    Sell the spice to CHOAM
    This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
    1. Re:Were hot grits involved? by jollyreaper · · Score: 4, Funny

      Ok, this is many things but it is not a troll. Must we go through this every time a new set of idiots starts to get mod points?

      If anything, I should be modded up for not making the easy dick joke! Petrified wood? Talk about low-hanging fruit! (which in itself could be easily subverted into a sexual reference. High five!)

      --
      Kwisatz Haderach
      Sell the spice to CHOAM
      This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
  6. Summary needs grammar check by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...to commemorate the visit to The Netherlands of the Apollo-11 astronauts

    o.O

    Who would want to visit an astronaut's nether regions, and even if they did why would they need a commemoration

  7. Obligatory by Kranerian · · Score: 5, Funny

    That's no moon rock...

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    Do you have any idea how long it takes to dig graves for twenty-three oak trees?
  8. It could be worse. by Loopy1492 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Well, at least it's not a coprolite.

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    I deliminate with tabs. Get used to it.
  9. History changing by unlametheweak · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Moon Rock" Is Petrified Wood

    This changes the whole history of the moon as we know it. This is proof that there is (or was) life in other places besides Earth. This is a momentous discovery in the history of space science.

  10. What This Really Means by gpronger · · Score: 2, Funny

    No, its not the moon landing was faked; what it means is (equally plausible) is that the capsule was pulled through a worm hole, to a point in time when the moon was forested. The piece of wood the astronauts were attempting to bring back, was not placed within the shielded area of the capsule so that when they went back through the worm hole, the piece of wood experienced the full impact of the millenia in between, and hence was returned as petrified. Because the shielding was somewhat worn by the initial trip, the memories of the astronauts were somewhat impacted. Film was subsequently created based upon what NASA believed happened.

  11. OMG! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Americans passing off worthless things as somthing of value?

    NO WAY! They have never done that before!

  12. In other news... by 14erCleaner · · Score: 5, Funny

    Officials in Lake Havasu City, Arizona have discovered that the "London Bridge" they purchased back in the 60's is actually made of moon rock.

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    Have you read my blog lately?
  13. Re:did anyone else think of Ren & Stimpy? by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · · Score: 2, Funny

    I *always* think of Ren & Stimpy.

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    Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
  14. Re:Best line of story: by Yvan256 · · Score: 4, Funny

    But they had a "A++, would buy again" rating!

  15. Lunar Forests??? by EEBaum · · Score: 2, Funny

    ZOMG!!! This means there must have once been trees on the moon!!!

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    -- I prefer the term "karma escort."
  16. Re:Rock swap? by Alien+Being · · Score: 3, Funny

    JFK was hoping to find booze and uhh broads.

  17. Re:Best line of story: by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 5, Funny

    "And when we held the rock up to the receiver, NASA said, 'Yep, that's just what a moon rock sounds like!'"

  18. Wan Hu by slashmojo · · Score: 5, Funny

    So Wan Hu made it to the moon after all!

     

    Early in the sixteenth century, Wan decided to take advantage of China's advanced rocket and fireworks technology to launch himself into outer space. He supposedly had a chair built with forty-seven rockets attached. On the day of lift-off, Wan, splendidly attired, climbed into his rocket chair and forty seven servants lit the fuses and then hastily ran for cover. There was a huge explosion. When the smoke cleared, Wan and the chair were gone, and was said never to have been seen again.

    1. Re:Wan Hu by drseuk · · Score: 2, Funny

      I blame his iPod.

  19. New Pejorative "Dutch Artifact" by graviplana · · Score: 2, Funny
    This reminded me of the whole Anglo-Dutch Wars http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Dutch_Wars debacle that spawned so many great pejoratives such as:
    --
    "Time is nothing; timing is everything."
  20. So I guess... by elrous0 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Today the Netherlands is mourning wood?

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    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  21. Lousy gifts by Mantle · · Score: 2, Funny
    A fake piece of moon rock isn't exactly the most thoughtful gift.

    The ambassador should have given something like a collection of classic American music on cassette tape.

  22. ancient moon trees by tverbeek · · Score: 5, Funny

    The only hoax is NASA's claim that the moon is utterly barren! This revelation proves the existence of ancient moon trees!

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    http://alternatives.rzero.com/
  23. Re:Rock swap? by tverbeek · · Score: 5, Funny

    Anyone who watched the moon landings on TV knows that the whole moon is grey: completely colorless.

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    http://alternatives.rzero.com/
  24. Technicalities by sootman · · Score: 3, Funny

    Did it say "THE moon" (i.e., ours) or just "A moon"? Forest moon of Endor, perhaps?

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  25. Re:Rock swap? by StikyPad · · Score: 5, Funny

    Too bad his little bro drank all of the former and killed the latter.

    What? Too soon?