Netherlands lunar sample displays sample displays are in the National Museum of the History of Science and Medicine in Leiden, Netherlands. Netherlands lunar sample displays The Netherlands lunar sample displays are two commemorative plaques consisting of small fragments of moon specimens brought back with the Apollo 11 and Apollo 17 Moon missions and given to the people of the Netherlands by United States President Richard Nixon as goodwill gifts. The Netherlands Apollo 11 lunar sample display commemorative podium style plaque consists of four "moon rock" rice size particle specimens that were collected by Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969 and
Essex-class aircraft carrier and "Princeton" recovered the second crew to orbit the Moon, aboard Apollo 10, in May 1969. "Hornet" rejoined the program and recovered the astronauts from the first two moon landing missions, Apollo 11 in July 1969 and Apollo 12 in November. The first steps on Earth of returning astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Mike Collins, are marked on her hangar deck, as part of her Apollo program exhibit. The three subsequent missions utilized amphibious assault ships as support vessels; however, "Ticonderoga" recovered the astronauts of the last two moon missions, Apollo 16 and Apollo 17 in April and December