Apollo 11 Moon rock to pen nib: 10,000 items NASA is sending to the Moon under Artemis I

With the Artemis I launch just around the corner, NASA is ready with its Official Flight Kit (OFK) that will be sent to the Moon later this month. The kit consists of artefacts from the Apollo 11 mission, when astronauts first set their foot on the Moon, along with other symbolic mementoes. In total, NASA is sending 10,000 such items as part of the kit that would weigh a little over 54 kg (120 pounds) at the time of the Artemis I launch targeted for August 29. 

Items being sent to the Moon

Recently, the European Space Agency (ESA), NASA's partner in the Artemis Program, added the cartoon character Shaun The Sheep to the uncrewed Orion capsule. Orion is the spacecraft that will be mounted atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and will carry astronauts later on in future missions. Apart from Shaun, the kit also includes four LEGO figures to engage kids in the mission, three mannequins to collect spaceflight data along with 2,500 Artemis I mission pins and 2,775 Artemis I mission patches.

(The bolt from one of Apollo 11’s F-1 engines included in the Artemis I Official Flight Kit; Image: NASA/Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum)

However, NASA has also transformed Orion into a time capsule as it will fly with a Moon rock collected during Apollo 11, signifying the return of a spacecraft designed for human spaceflights. A bolt from Apollo 11's F-1 engines, which is conserved by the National Air and Space Museum has also been added and they will be displayed in an exhibit after they return to Earth. 

(Artemis I mission patches to be included in the Official Flight Kit; Image: NASA)

Another item added to the kit is the pen nib used by Charles M. Schulz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip, who depicted Snoopy on the Moon after the first Moon landing in 1969. This nib will be wrapped in a space-themed comic strip. The collection also has contributions from the Israeli Space Agency (ISA), which offered a pebble from the shore of the Dead Sea, the lowest dry land surface area on Earth, to symbolise humanity’s continuing drive for exploration. Besides, a 3D-printed replica of the Greek goddess Artemis will fly for later display in the Acropolis Museum in Greece. 

Interestingly, NASA had sent tree seeds to the Moon during the Apollo 14 mission, that were later grown as 'Moon trees' after their arrival on Earth. The same will be repeated under Artemis I as a variety of tree seeds will be launched and later distributed to educational organisations and teachers as a learning opportunity after the mission.