Scott Manley did a video on this. Apparently the ascent stage could still be in orbit as we speak.
<a href="https://youtu.be/dBHbLV7xEhc" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/dBHbLV7xEhc</a>
Suppose it's in a stable orbit and we want to preserve it for historical artifact value, for study by the public. Should we leave it where it is? Visitors could go match orbits and observe it in flight. Should we create a static display monument on the surface, with a plaque, like the USS Arizona?<p>If you say bring the LM back to the Smithsonian, for atmospheric entry you'd need something like a Starship with a widely opening fairing, a rigid mounting system inside, and maybe a manipulator arm of some kind to capture.
The blog article includes more detail & discussion: <a href="https://snoopy.rogertwank.net/2020/09/has-eagle-landed.html?m=1" rel="nofollow">https://snoopy.rogertwank.net/2020/09/has-eagle-landed.html?...</a>