Nebraska lunar sample displays Nebraska lunar sample displays The Nebraska lunar sample displays are two commemorative plaques consisting of small fragments of moon specimen brought back with the Apollo 11 and Apollo 17 lunar missions and given in the 1970s to the people of Nebraska by United States President Richard Nixon as goodwill gifts. The Nebraska Apollo 11 lunar sample display commemorative podium-style plaque consists of four "moon rock" rice-grain size particle specimens that were collected by Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969 and a small Nebraska state flag that went to the moon and back. The Apollo 11 Nebraska
Alan Grayson of 2009". The bill asked the president to present Congress's highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, to Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr., and Michael Collins, as well as John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth. Only about 200 medals have ever been awarded in the country's history. The New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2009 passed the House unanimously on July 20, 2009. Known in his first term for making incendiary comments about Republicans, Grayson focused on working with Republicans to pass amendments that "appeal to the libertarian streak in the GOP".