Local museum recieves meteorite specimens

The Matilda and Karl Pfeiffer Museum at Piggott recently received, on permanent loan, specimens from NASA and outer space from the collection of Kenneth Renshaw, local astronomer and NASA Solar System Ambassador.

Now on display are meteorite specimens that have been chemically analyzed to have originally come from the Moon and Mars that were found in West Africa and Libya, respectively. Scientists believe the Moon and Mars, struck by asteroids and meteorites, lost the rocks to space, which later struck the Earth.

Also on display is a .2 gram specimen of the 1930 meteorite that struck southwest of Paragould, which, at that time, was the largest in the world to be seen fall and later be recovered. It is a very rare specimen, as most of this meteorite is in institutions, the largest at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

Two samples of aerogel also are at the exhibit, one actually installed as insulation on the Mars rover, Spirit, before being replaced by an updated sample before launch. The other piece is from the same batch as the aerogel flown on Stardust, a sample return mission that collected particles from the tail of a comet.

The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. There is no charge for admission, though donations are gladly accepted.

Those who want more information may call the museum at 870 598-3228.