Contrary to the widespread belief, Chandrayaan 1 and its impactor Moon Impact Probe was NOT the first mission to carry Indian flag to the lunar surface.

For it had already flown to the Moon on two occasions in 1969 and 1972 prior to that.

Here is the story...(1/n) https://twitter.com/Astro_Neel/status/1272500117585702914

𝗔𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼 𝟭𝟭 was the first instance when 136 national flags from across the globe (including India) were first flown onboard to the Moon and back, in July 1969.

Source- Encyclopedia Astronautica https://web.archive.org/web/20121006164759/http://astronautix.com/details/msc18178.htm

[In the pic, MSC = Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston]

Here is an official document from NASA itself that confirms the same.

For India and many other countries, it was the first time for their flags to be flown not just out into the outer space but straight to the Moon.

Source- Apollo 11 Press Kit https://www.nasa.gov/specials/apollo50th/pdf/A11_PressKit.pdf (page 6)

Prior to its flight, goodwill messages were asked by the U.S. from the heads of various countries, participating in which the then Prime Minister of India Smt. Indira Gandhi sent her good wishes to the mission.

These messages were encoded on a chip and left behind on the Moon.

Upon their return, the US President Richard Nixon directed NASA to gift these flags as well as a small sample of the lunar soil to each of these nation.

Now called Goodwill Moon Rocks, these were sample displays that showcased both the artifacts mounted on a small wooden podium.

Similarly, again upon the return of Apollo 17 in 1972, another such sample display was gifted to the nations across the world.

By now, this was the second time the Indian flag had flown to the Moon and back. Currently this display is sitting in the Parliament Museum, New Delhi.

So, where is the Apollo 11 sample display gifted to India?

For an artifact carrying the first Indian flag to the Moon AND bearing the first lunar samples from the historic Apollo 11 mission, shouldn't it be well-kept in some museum for public display?

Well, here's the thing...

Nobody knows where it is. Maybe a handful of people do know but who can say. There's simply no information openly available about it anywhere at all.

Zero. Zilch. Nada.

However, supposedly these 2 are the most probable places where it could be-

• @PRLAhmedabad
• @TIFRScience

To show you why just those two places, let's turn the gears of time a little backwards...

Back in October 26, 1969 when the Apollo 11 crew first arrived in Mumbai, they paid a formal visit to TIFR where they met Vikram Sarabhai, M.G.K. Menon among other eminent scientists from BARC and exchanged gifts.

More info here- https://www.timesofindia.com/city/mumbai/when-a-million-mumbaikars-lined-streets-to-welcome-moon-landers/amp_articleshow/70164939.cms https://twitter.com/KS1729/status/1161456784604848130?s=20

Part of this exchange included gifting the crew a beautiful wood carved elephant and in return receiving a signed photograph on an A3 paper.

Sadly enough, this photo has also gone missing since 2009. (And no update since a decade)

Read full story here- https://www.timesofindia.com/india/Picture-of-69-moon-mission-goes-missing-from-research-lab/articleshow/4718239.cms

Although, hearing from the former PRL Director J.N. Goswami in 2009, PRL happens to be the only place in India where all the Moon rocks are officially stored and that those received at TIFR in 1969 were later moved to PRL.

Source to the full information- https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/moon-rock-safe-in-india/story-8RBJtXEm7TutdyUR5j2VAO.html

However, it is very probable that he is only referring to the Moon rock samples that were loaned to India for research studies during the Apollo program.

And not the Apollo 11 Goodwill rocks and flag display since that plaque was meant for exhibit only and not for lab analysis.

Nonetheless, in the recent times there had also been efforts made by some journalists to track down the location of India's piece of the Moon but none led to any conclusive results.

Here, an investigative piece by @sanitydurast from 2012 is a MUST READ- https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/amp/a-few-lunaroids/280382

Towards the end, all I have to say is that if you happen to know somone from PRL or TIFR, do take a step forward in getting a confirmation of this historic relic and kindly ask them to make this exhibit publicly viewable.

This sentiment from Joseph Gutheinz strikes the chord.

And if you do happen to get a positive confirmation about the location of first Indian lunar flag/Apollo 11 sample display, do let @GutheinzJoseph and @RobertPearlman know about it so they can complete their extensive catalogue of Apollo sample displays at http://www.collectspace.com/resources/moonrocks_apollo11.html

Adding some people whom I think could possibly help shed some light or provide useful lead to the case-

@PrinSciAdvGoI
@Bhardwaj_A_2016
@ShashiGanesh
@GurbirSingh
@cosmosguru
@radhakr272
@DrJitendraSingh

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