The public is invited to view lunar samples at the Bell Museum of Natural History in February. Encased in a Lucite disk, the samples are on loan from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX and will be available for public viewing:
- Thursday, February 5 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- Saturday, February 7 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Sunday, February 8 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
- Saturday, February 14 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Sunday, February 15 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
- Monday, February 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In addition to public viewing, Bell Museum educators will work with University faculty to use the lunar samples university classes to illustrate their enduring scientific value.
“Collected by Apollo astronauts over 40 years ago, the lunar samples continue to attract the public and drive research,” said Bell Museum planetarium education and outreach coordinator Sally Brummel. “The samples hold important clues to understanding the moon’s relatively recent volcanic history and our continuing question of whether water exists beneath the Moon’s surface.”
The samples will be on display during the Bell Museum’s Saturday with a Scientist program on February 14. Professor Calvin Alexander from the University of Minnesota Department of Earth Sciences will be on hand to answer questions about the samples. Alexander was a part of the original Apollo Lunar Sample team. He also is the curator of meteorites at the University. The day's activities include lunar sample analysis, how to hunt for and identify meteorites, and much more.
The Bell Museum of Natural History strives to discover, document and understand life in its many forms, and to inspire curiosity, delight and informed stewardship of the natural world. The Bell Museum is part of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. For details visit www.bellmuseum.org.
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