By KRWG News
Las Cruces – On Jan. 20 and 21, visitors to the College of Engineering at NMSU will have the opportunity to touch a three billion-year-old moon rock and learn about NASA's Constellation Program, when the college hosts NASA's Driven to Explore mobile multimedia exhibit.
The moon rock is one of eight lunar samples available for the public to see and touch. The more than three billion-year-old sample was brought back to Earth by astronaut Jack Schmitt on the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, the last time humans set foot on the moon.
The exhibit also features a multimedia experience showcasing the accomplishments of NASA's Space Shuttle program and the International Space Station.
Another attraction is a look at the Constellation Program, NASA's next effort to reach the moon. Constellation is designed to first send humans back to the moon and then to Mars. Visitors will be able to see models of the program's rockets and spacecraft being developed and also learn why and how NASA is returning to the moon.
"This is a wonderful opportunity for people to learn more about NASA and its space exploration programs. It's also a great time for us to let people know about our newly approved graduate degree program in aerospace engineering," said Interim College of Engineering Dean Kenneth R. White. "We are excited about the many aerospace opportunities in New Mexico and the role our aerospace engineering program will have in its future."
The free exhibit will be open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 20 and 21. It takes about 10 minutes to complete and is wheelchair accessible. The exhibit will be located on the NMSU campus between Goddard Hall and Thomas and Brown Hall, in the engineering complex adjacent to the Horseshoe.