The famous moon rock given to the worthy menheers of Amsterdam has turned out to be a fake.
Neil Armstrong, exercising his well-known cheeky sense of humour presented the moonrock during a city tour many years ago and the Rijksmuseum has exhibited it as a national treasure ever since.
Last Friday, recent immigrant Nemo Lacessit began her new job as an exhibit curator at the museum.
A lifelong space enthusiast, Mrs Lacessit was delighted to be tasked with giving the lunar exhibit a bit of a polish.
With Pledge in hand, the trembling cleaner lifted the moonrock from its tailored cocoon of soft, padded velvet.
Applying a little Pledge with a soft, lint-free cotton rag, Mrs Lacessit was astonished to see what appeared to be lettering appearing from under the superficial coating of moondust.
Was it a museum mark? "That's what I thought at first" explains Mrs Lacessit, "but as more lettering emerged I realised the awful truth".
For the moon rock is actually Blackpool rock that must have picked up a coating of muck, fluff, dust and custard in Neil Armstrong's pocket!
The Dutch authorities intend to sue the USA for the 3 million dollars they spent on insurance premiums.
Mr Armstrong was asked to comment and issued the following statement: "I handed over a piece of candy instead of a moonrock and they exhibited it in the national museum! Hahahahahahahahaha oooooooooooooooo heheheheheh Oh my aching sides - had they inhaled"?!
