It was during his time at Durham that Brown was invited by NASA to undertake work on the Apollo 11 lunar samples. A story told to Durham geology undergraduates is that Brown accidentally left the box containing the samples on a train from London, only later to discover that NASA had delivered the genuine samples by secure delivery direct to Durham. The true story is that after appearing on the TV programme Tomorrow's World, Brown's train from London to Durham broke down at Darlington, and he had to travel by police escort to Durham.
While working at Durham, Brown was invited by NASA to handle Apollo 11 lunar samples. A tale circulated among Durham geology students claims that Brown accidentally left the sample box on a train journey from London. However, it turned out that NASA delivered the authentic samples directly to Durham. The actual story is that after appearing on the TV show Tomorrow's World, Brown's train from London to Durham broke down at Darlington, requiring police escort for his arrival in Durham.