A Florida man likes to shop at garage sales for old plaques (纪念匾) so he can reuse the wooden backs. Recently, he was looking through a1he bought years ago when one2a small ball caught his eye.
The man took a moment to3what was written on the plaque and quickly realized there was a4stone inside the ball-a piece of moon rock brought back on the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The plaque and rock had been a5to the state of Louisiana by then-President Richard Nixon but6ended up in a garage sale for the man to find years later.
"I can't even tell you how long I7it for. I'm not even sure how much I8for it. The wood in the plaques is such nice wood and that is what I9them for," the man said. The man10the Louisiana governor's office, which11him to the Louisiana State Museum. The man hand-delivered his12to the Louisiana State Museum. He didn't want to take a chance that something might happen to it during13. The museum's director is14for his generosity and15for reuniting the state with this priceless object. "It is an extraordinary piece of Louisiana history," he said. "We're16to take possession of this piece and to share it with our audiences."
After Apollo 1717on Earth, Nixon18379 pieces of the satellite stone to all the states as well as foreign nations. Over time, those gifts began to19. A 2002 search found that many were unaccounted for. To date, the fate(命运) of 171 rocks remains20.
