News
Moon Rocks Fuel Learning In Fair Haven
By Ryan Fennell
FAIR HAVEN - Knollwood School science teacher Betsy Koch and her students have the moon at their fingertips.
For the fourth year, Koch has been honored by receiving samples of moon rocks as part of a space education program sponsored by NASA.
For two weeks Koch has the responsibility of carrying the samples with her twenty-four hours a day. "They are national treasures," Koch said. "You are their guardian when they're in your hands."
Each region in the country has the opportunity to receive moon rock samples and Koch received her samples from the Goddard Space Center.
Instructors who receive the rocks must be certified by NASA and agree to the various security protocols.
As part of the certification instructors receive training and ideas for activities to give to their students relating to the moon rocks and the space program.
Koch's students are learning about the rocks and identifying the minerals while also learning about the moon's geography and topography.
During the span that the rocks are in Koch's possession, she has her students studying the various aspects of the moon, the history of the space program, the force of impact craters, and various Apollo missions.
Apollo missions 14, 15, 16, and 17 collected the rocks that Koch received this year.
The rocks are not what one might imagine. They are encased in thick plexi-glass and are better examined under a microscope.
"Most people are so disappointed when they see it," Koch said. "Less than 800 pounds came back during six missions."
Koch explained that the limited amount has been distributed to museums, research centers, and for educational purposes.
However, Koch finds that even though the rocks can create an initial disappointment in some, she finds that the students get very excited about studying them and learning about the space program in general.
"One set of moon rocks creates an entire program," Koch said. "We study what it's like to be an astronaut dealing with solitude, weightlessness, and hygiene. The students also plot the locations on the moon where the rocks were taken from, and study about the history of the space program."
She has her students separated into groups that study the varying elements of the moon. Each station has a different objective. While one set of students is physically examining the rocks under a microscope, another set of students is attempting to identify minerals, and another set is plotting the locations of the finds on maps of the moon.
"Each station builds the student's awareness and knowledge of the space program," she said. "They also have a lot of fun with the impact crater experiment."
Koch said that studying the moon rocks and the space program is like a new science for her students because it's the first time that they are formally exposed to the topic in school. "Space science is a new science to them because they don't really study it prior to eighth grade," she said.
"It's great because we've become somewhat blasé about the space program, but the students get very excited," Koch said.
