 The true story is that after appearing on the TV programme 'Tomorrow's World', Professor Brown's train from London to Durham broke down at Darlington, and he had to travel by police escort to Durham.This prompted local newspaper headlines "Americans transport moon rock 250,000 miles, BR (British Rail) couldn't take it 14 miles from Darlington to Durham"

His work on the lunar samples secured his worldwide reputation.Like another Durham University geologist before him, Kingsley Dunham, Brown was appointed Director of the British Geological Survey in 1979.