For the past two weeks, fifth-grade students at CREC Discovery Academy have been studying rock, soil and meteorite samples that were collected from the surface of the moon by NASA astronauts during Apollo moon landings. The students will share their findings and the samples with a third-grade class on Friday morning and will be featured guests Saturday at the Children’s Museum National Astronomy Day celebration. The samples are on loan from the NASA Astromaterials Curation Office as part of an educational program for K-12 schools.
“I decided to order the samples for this year when fifth grade taught the moon unit. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to share these national treasures with students and the general public!” shared CREC Discovery Academy STEM Coach Clare Neseralla.
Considered to be national treasures, the samples are secured at the Wethersfield Police Department overnight. Extra police security has been requested during the presentation at the Children’s Museum on Saturday. Neseralla was able to request the samples after completing a NASA certification workshop and is required to accompany the samples when they are not secured at the police station.