Gold replica of lunar module stolen from US museum

A solid gold replica of the 1969 Lunar Excursion Module that landed on the moon has been stolen from a museum in the US state of Ohio, police said.

The police in Wapakoneta, Ohio, said in a statement on Saturday that it received a call from the Armstrong Air and Space Museum about the burglary of the gold replica, which measures about five inches high and roughly 4.5 inches square, reports Xinhua news agency.

"This piece is very rare as it was presented to Neil Armstrong in Paris shortly after the moon landing," the statement said.

"This piece is one of only three to exist. One was made for each of the three astronauts that completed this mission."

The replica was made by French luxury jewellers Cartier in Paris and police said its value cannot be determined.

In a statement posted on Facebook, the museum said: "Theft from a museum is a theft from all of us...For every day that an item is missing, we are all robbed of an opportunity to enjoy it and our history."

--IANS

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