HONOLULU—Missing moon rocks from the first and last human lunar landings have been discovered in a locked cabinet in Hawaii.

The rare rocks from the Apollo 11 and Apollo 17 missions were found last week during a routine inventory of gifts to the Hawaii governor's office over the years.

The rocks were given to the people of Hawaii during the Nixon administration, but they were presumed lost when a noted moon rock tracker and former NASA employee said their whereabouts were unknown.

Lenny Klompus, a spokesman for Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle, says the rocks were never actually missing. He says state employees knew the rocks were in a secured cabinet, but they didn't know which cabinet.

He says the moon rocks will probably be put on public display soon.

------

Information from: The Honolulu Advertiser, http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com

© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.