STAR GAZING GIRLS WATCH WORKS IN SPACE
Thursday, 01 September 2016
When girls in Year 6 look to the stars they will know that somewhere up there is their artwork.
The digital images of space-inspired artworks were sent to the United States space agency, NASA, and were launched on the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft, as part of a seven-year mission to the asteroid Bennu.
The rocket launched at 7.05pm from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in the United States on Thursday 8 September (7.05am Friday 9 September MLC time).
OSIRIS-Rex is designed to rendezvous with, study, and return a sample of the asteroid Bennu to Earth.
NASA says that asteroids like Bennu are remnants from the formation of our solar system more than 4.5 billion years ago.
Scientists suspect that asteroids may have been a source of the water and organic molecules for the early Earth and other planetary bodies. An uncontaminated asteroid sample from a known source would enable precise analyses, providing results far beyond what can be achieved by spacecraft-based instruments or by studying meteorites.
The Year 6 students collaborated to create mixed media artworks depicting space and communicating questions they have about the universe. Along with artworks from around the world, MLC’s artworks will remain on Bennu long after surface samples from the asteroid at send back to earth.