The handover is in time for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 17 mission.
. Upon its return to Earth, the rock was divided into 200 or so pieces, each weighing 0.04 ounces , to be presented to 135 countries, the 50 U.S. states and the U.S. territories.. Each of the Apollo 17 goodwill moon rocks was presented on a plaque with a flag of the recipient nation or state that was flown on the mission.
The Apollo 17 goodwill moon rock display for the people of Cyprus includes a Cypriot flag flown on the mission. Unfortunately, the situation in Cyprus at the time was anything but peaceful. The president of the country, who the embassy planned to present the moon rock to in 1973, was ousted in a coup. A year later, the U.S. ambassador was assassinated and the embassy was evacuated.
"We do not think we should continue to try to thrust upon Cypriots something which they are not interested in receiving," the embassy's staff wrote in a telegram to the U.S. State Department in April of 1974.
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