What Neil Armstrong really took from the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission |

Following the death of Neil Armstrong in 2012, his wife discovered a hidden stash of moon-landing artefacts in their bedroom closet in 2014. This collection is commonly known as the ‘McDivitt Purse.’ While Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin brought back approximately 21.5 kilograms of moon rocks and soil from Apollo 11 for scientific study, Neil kept as a private collection many of the disposable items he was meant to discard on the Moon to conserve weight. This collection included the camera that captured the first moonwalk. For 45 years, NASA and the public were completely unaware of its existence. These recovered items are now being added to historical collections as invaluable links to mankind’s first steps on another world and as a bridge between official science and personal history.

Items Neil Armstrong took from the Moon

Armstrong’s most notable possession was definitely the 16mm Data Acquisition Camera (DAC) with a 10mm lens attached. According to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, this camera was installed in the window of the Lunar Module Eagle and took the famous footage of the descent to the surface of the Moon; the landing on the Moon (Tranquillity Base); and Armstrong’s first steps. According to the National Air and Space Museum, this camera is one of the most significant pieces of space hardware ever found.

The Discovery of the ‘McDivitt Purse’

The artefacts were located in a Temporary Stowage Bag (TSB) known as the McDivitt Purse and named after Apollo 9 Commander James McDivitt. Mrs Armstrong found the bag in her husband’s closet while she was cleaning. It was a white fabric bag that contained what looked like flight hardware. In mission transcripts, Armstrong refers to the bag as ‘a bunch of trash we took back with us, parts of the LM, miscellaneous things.’

The bag had some personal equipment and survival tools

According to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, in total, there were 18 items in the bag, which included a waist tether (used by Armstrong to support his feet while he was on his rest period), utility lights and their extension cords, a utility light bracket, and an emergency wrench (Tool B). Although they were ‘trash’ (to stay behind and reduce mass of the ascent stage), the preservation of these items gives a glimpse into the functioning tools that were utilised in the first landing.

Official lunar samples and scientific data

Beyond the secret bag, both Armstrong and Aldrin officially collected and returned 21.5 kilograms of lunar material. Of this total amount, a portion (1 kilogram) was collected as a ‘contingency sample’, which was to ensure that some lunar material returned to Earth, while the bulk of these samples was subsequently collected. According to the Apollo 11 Preliminary Science Report, these were the first geological samples ever manually collected from another celestial body, providing the foundation for modern lunar science.

The NASA Apollo 11 lunar surface journal lists the contents of the retrieval bag

According to the NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal, the items found in the bag were: