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I'm looking for the title of a story in which aliens have visited Tranquillity Base and have taken the discarded backpacks used by Armstrong and Aldrin for their space museum. The story is told in a series of e-mails (or the equivalent!) between two groups of the aliens, who have learned that Mankind is about to return to the Moon and don't want any indication of their visit. They instruct the second group to create duplicate backpacks and put them in place of the originals. Unfortunately due to a misunderstanding of how the Apollo programme worked, the second group create three backpacks and place them at the foot of the LM ladder!

The story was part of an anthology of stories set on the Moon, published as a book for one of the Apollo 11 anniversaries - most likely the 25th or 30th one.

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  • So you read it in the 90s? Was it an American or a British publication? Hard covers or paperback?
    – user14111
    Commented Nov 18, 2019 at 14:05
  • The 30th Anniversary book was "Moon Shots" edited by Peter Crowther. amazon.com/Moon-Shots-Peter-Crowther/dp/0886778484 Commented Nov 18, 2019 at 16:58
  • That cover looks familiar! Fairly sure that's the book, which means it might well be in a box somewhere around the house.
    – GordonD
    Commented Nov 18, 2019 at 17:36
  • There is a searchable copy of Moon Shots on Google books. I had a quick search but didn't find anything related to your story. Commented Nov 18, 2019 at 18:38
  • I did a quick browse of Moon Shots and don't see any alien archaeologists or spare PLSS units at Tranquility Base...
    – DavidW
    Commented Nov 18, 2019 at 19:44

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