Gold lunar module replica stolen from Armstrong museum still lost

CLEVELAND -- A solid-gold replica of the Apollo 11 lunar module stolen a year ago from an Ohio museum honoring the late astronaut Neil Armstrong has yet to be recovered.

Five-inch-tall replicas created by Cartier were given to Armstrong and fellow astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins in Paris during a goodwill tour following their historic moon mission in 1969.

Armstrong's replica was stolen July 28 of last year from the Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta, Ohio, along with several other artifacts.

Wapakoneta police chief Calvin Schneider said his department is waiting on evidence analysis from the FBI, which assisted in the investigation. Schneider said the theft was a "body blow" for the city and the replica is far more valuable as an artifact than melted down gold.