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Missouri has its moon rock back

A moon rock at the Ontario Science Center in Toronto, ON. A missing moon rock was found while sorting through some memorabilia of outgoing U.S. senator Kit Bond this week as he prepares to retire. (Via Flickr/bryce_edwards)
A moon rock at the Ontario Science Center in Toronto, ON. A missing moon rock was found while sorting through some memorabilia of outgoing U.S. senator Kit Bond this week as he prepares to retire. (Via Flickr/bryce_edwards)

Missouri has its missing moon rock back. Yes, its missing moon rock.

This week, former Missouri Gov. and current U.S. senator Kit Bond's staff found the rock while sorting through memorabilia as he prepares to retire.

The senator presented the moon rock to Gov. Jay Nixon at a private dinner at the governor's mansion in Jefferson City. It will be on display at Nixon's office through January. (Here's the full release from the Governor's office about the find).  

The rock collected during the Apollo 17 mission in 1973was among several given by President Richard Nixon to all 50 states and 135 foreign countries. At the time, Kit Bond was Missouri's governor.

Bond was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986. Meanwhile, the rock was long forgotten.

Earlier this year, it was reported that Missouri was among 15 states that couldn't account for the moon rocks. State officials weren't sure what happened to it.