MoonFire // Lunar Rock Edition No. 1,969 ‘NWA 4936’

Limited to just 12 copies, numbered 1,958–1,969, the Lunar Rock Edition of Norman Mailer’s MoonFire is designed by Marc Newson. His concept was inspired by the Apollo 11 LEM (Lunar Excursion Module). Each book is contained in a case made from a single piece of aluminum—its surface an actual 3-D topography of the Moon—and comes with a unique piece of lunar rock.

Meteorites from the Moon are exceptionally rare. There are fewer than 100 lunar meteorites known with a total combined weight of approximately 725 kilograms, making them millions of times rarer than gem grade diamonds. However, most lunar meteorites reside in museum collections and research institutions, leaving only 150 kilograms or so available to individual collectors worldwide. Since acquiring an Apollo moon rock is virtually impossible, the only realistic way to own a piece of the moon is by acquiring a lunar meteorite.

One of the largest lunar meteorites ever discovered, this is an extremely rare find, as nearly all lunar meteorites have been cut into smaller portions for sale or study. This specimen is “paired” with NWA 4936 (discovered in 2007), which means that they were found very close to each other and have all of the same characteristics, even though they were discovered at different times. There were a total of only 4 specimens in this meteorite find. NWA 4936’s uncommonly heavy density is due to an unusually high iron content and it is the first lunar meteorite whose constituents match the regolith (soil sample) returned to Earth by the Apollo 16 mission. NWA 4936 contains a large amount of free iron—so much so, that it is ferromagnetic, an extremely rare attribute of lunar specimens.

A meteorite mass will often break up into several pieces upon impact with Earth’s atmosphere. The main mass will receive a unique name (e.g. NWA 2995), and any “paired” fragments discovered nearby with the same composition are given the designation of “Paired Individual,” as is the case for this specimen.

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Two other smaller moon rocks are available from this edition. If interested, please inquire at [email protected].