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PUPILS from Embsay Primary School got their hands on rare samples of moon rock and meteorites during a series of science lessons which were truly ‘out of this world’.

The children were encouraged to ‘reach for the stars’ and learn more about the Universe during a week-long interactive experience of astronomy.

And, they were given the unique opportunity to actually touch a piece of space rock not of this Earth as they were allowed to handle some genuine meteorites.

The rare samples were provided free of charge by the UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), which provides educational packs in a bid to inspire young people to get involved in science and complement classroom studies.

The pack provided by STFC includes a 1,2 billion-year-old piece of Mars rock and a 4.3 billion-year-old nickel meteorite. It is unlikely that students will ever get the chance to hold an object older than this, as Earth itself was formed 4.6 billion years ago.

The pack has been recently updated to also include a new meteorite hunter’s kit, new teacher planning pack and exciting new web-based resources and online support videos for all age groups in primary and secondary schools.

The lunar samples were collected in the late 1960s and early 1970s during some of NASA’s first manned space missions to the Moon.

During these missions, a staggering 382kg of material was brought back to Earth – mostly for use by scientists, but small quantities are used to develop educational packs like this one.

Samples like these can tell us a great deal about the planets, from which they originate, but there is still much to learn – and STFC hopes these packs will encourage students to become the next generation of astronomers.

Professor Mark Thomson, STFC’s Executive Chair said: “We are thrilled to be able to offer this unique opportunity to young people. It is not often they will be able to see close-up, and actually touch, such important fragments of science history. Samples like these are vital in teaching us more about our solar system, allowing us to confront theory with fact. We hope the experience will encourage the students to take up a career in science.”

STFC is the only authorised source to loan lunar samples to educational and scientific organisations in the UK.

Story by Lesley Tate, the Craven Herald & Pioneer
Images from Embsay Primary School