Moon Rock Gains Traveling Companion for Historic Return to Space

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HOUSTON -- A moon rock collected during the historic Apollo 11 mission
more than 40 years ago will be heading back to space and a new home
aboard the International Space Station, sharing quarters with a piece
of Mt. Everest.

On May 20, 2009, former NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski carried the
rock to the top of Mt. Everest where he collected a rock from the
world's highest mountain to accompany the lunar sample for its return
to space.

During an event Jan. 6 at Space Center Houston, Parazynski will
present both rocks to NASA astronaut and STS-130 mission Commander
George Zamka. Zamka will deliver the rocks to the space station
during space shuttle Endeavour's mission next month.

Collected from the Sea of Tranquility on the lunar surface, the moon
rock and its Mt. Everest companion will be displayed inside the
station's Tranquility module, which the STS-130 crew will deliver to
the station.

During the presentation, Parazynski will share the story of his
journey to the top of the world and what inspired him to carry along
the lunar sample, followed by an audience question and answer
session. The event is scheduled from 11 a.m. to noon CST in the Blast
Off Theater in the Mission Status Center at Space Center Houston.
NASA Television will air a recording of the event at 3:30 p.m.

Parazynski and Zamka will be available for interviews from noon to
12:30 p.m. Reporters interested in attending should contact Victor
Scott at 281-483-4942 or via e-mail at:

victor.j.scott@nasa.gov

Updates, photos and videos during the presentation will be posted on
NASA's Johnson Space Center Twitter feed and can be followed using
the hashtag #moon_everest. From 12:30 to 1 p.m., Parazynski will
answer questions live via Twitter. To follow Johnson on Twitter,
visit:

http://www.twitter.com/NASA_Johnson

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

Source: NASA