Apollo 11 Goodwill Message Silicon Disc Includes Queen Elizabeth's Message

In 1969, Queen Elizabeth was one of 73 global leaders whose messages were inscribed on a silicon disc and left on the Moon. Three months after the Apollo 11 crew's heroic return from the Moon, she not only visited with Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins but also delivered a letter to them

Queen Elizabeth's Message Etched in NASA's Silicon Disc

The disc is formed of a non-metallic chemical element prevalent in electronics. It is roughly the size of a 50-cent coin. Nine days before Apollo 11 touched down on the Moon, on July 11, 1969, NASA released a press statement detailing the information.

The Queen's full message reads: "On behalf of the British people, I salute the skill and courage which have brought man to the Moon. May this endeavor increase the knowledge and well-being of mankind."

The Queen's message and the other 72 were etched onto the gray disc at a size 200 times smaller than the head of a pin. Each message appears as a dot. President Eisenhower's, Kennedy's, Johnson's and Nixon's messages were also included.

Goodwill messages from around the world, brought to the Moon by the astronauts of Apollo 11, were written at the top of the disc. While, from planet Earth -- July 1969 was written around the rim.

According to a NASA news release, international leaders congratulate the United States and its astronauts and express their hope for world peace. Some messages are written in their native language and some are handwritten or typed. Pope Paul has penned a very ornate greeting from the Vatican.

Messages on Queen Elizabeth's Death

The Queen passed away on Sept. 8 at the age of 96, but her honor for the skill and courage of the British people's space heroes will go on forever.

Within hours of the Queen's passing, NASA expressed its sympathies on Twitter, tweeting that Queen Elizabeth II's reign covered all of the spaceflights, predating both Sputnik and Explorer 1. The Queen is renowned for her longtime involvement with humanity's voyage into space. The tweet also showed that the agency was affected by the curiosity Her Royal Highness showed the explorers throughout the years.

Since she met Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on July 14, the Queen has taken a keen interest in humanity's expedition to the last frontier.

Buzz Aldrin, the final surviving crew member of Apollo 11, expressed his sympathy via Twitter. He said that the Queen is a gracious leader, lady, and host on return from the Moon. He posted his sincere condolences.

Queen Elizabeth's Visit to NASA

The Queen and Prince Philip visited NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in 2007 and met astronauts who were stationed there during their visit.

She was quoted as saying that she had traveled widely. But she hoped that she would be forgiven for having limited her tour to the Earth's surface. She made this statement at the National Space Center in Leicester, England.

The first British astronaut for the European Space Agency (ESA), Tim Peake, also met with the Queen, who had written to him the night before his initial launch into space in 2015.

In the letter, she stated that she is thrilled, along with Prince Philip, to transmit Major Timothy Peake's best wishes as he joins the International Space Station in orbit. She said they anticipated a new generation of scientists and engineers would find inspiration in Major Peake's work aboard the Space Station.

Peake thanked the Queen for a lifetime of service and dedication. He said it was a sad day and their thoughts were with the royal family.

Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.