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| Cyprus hopes wait for the Moon is over | Cyprus hopes wait for the Moon is over |
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| After more than 40 years, Cyprus may finally be given its bit of the Moon. The island was supposed to receive a 1.1 gram piece of Moon rock, one of 270 such lunar samples that US astronauts brought back from Apollo missions in 1969 and 1972, which the Nixon administration gave as gifts to foreign countries. | After more than 40 years, Cyprus may finally be given its bit of the Moon. The island was supposed to receive a 1.1 gram piece of Moon rock, one of 270 such lunar samples that US astronauts brought back from Apollo missions in 1969 and 1972, which the Nixon administration gave as gifts to foreign countries. |
| But the item vanished – allegedly taken by a relative of an American diplomat. And with Cyprus reeling from war and internal strife in 1974 – the year that the US ambassador to Cyprus, Rodger P Davies, was assassinated– the rock was never presented to the tiny country.Three years ago, the Moon rock was returned to Nasa and locked up in a vault. On Wednesday, a Cyprus foreign ministry official said US authorities were considering a Cypriot request that the rock be handed over. | But the item vanished – allegedly taken by a relative of an American diplomat. And with Cyprus reeling from war and internal strife in 1974 – the year that the US ambassador to Cyprus, Rodger P Davies, was assassinated– the rock was never presented to the tiny country.Three years ago, the Moon rock was returned to Nasa and locked up in a vault. On Wednesday, a Cyprus foreign ministry official said US authorities were considering a Cypriot request that the rock be handed over. |
| The lunar souvenir is encased in a plastic globe. An attached plaque reads: "This fragment is a portion of a rock from the Taurus-Littrow valley of the Moon. It is given as a symbol of the unity of human endeavour and carries with it the hope of the American people for a world at peace." | The lunar souvenir is encased in a plastic globe. An attached plaque reads: "This fragment is a portion of a rock from the Taurus-Littrow valley of the Moon. It is given as a symbol of the unity of human endeavour and carries with it the hope of the American people for a world at peace." |
| Joseph Gutheinz, a US former government investigator who has been tracking down missing Moon rocks, said the Cyprus sample was taken by a relative of a US diplomat who had been posted to the embassy in Nicosia. | Joseph Gutheinz, a US former government investigator who has been tracking down missing Moon rocks, said the Cyprus sample was taken by a relative of a US diplomat who had been posted to the embassy in Nicosia. |
| Gutheinz said that in 2009 he put pressure on the individual with the rock to "do the right thing" and return it, while urging US authorities to reclaim it. The individual returned the rock to Nasa after a five-month negotiation. | Gutheinz said that in 2009 he put pressure on the individual with the rock to "do the right thing" and return it, while urging US authorities to reclaim it. The individual returned the rock to Nasa after a five-month negotiation. |
| Many lunar samples given to other nations were stolen, were destroyed or went missing, Gutheinz added. | Many lunar samples given to other nations were stolen, were destroyed or went missing, Gutheinz added. |
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