PUPILS at Hiltingbury Junior School in Chandler's Ford have been given the chance to enjoy a unique experience of astronomy.

This month the school hosted a week of classes where the children could get up close and personal with a 1.2 billion-year-old piece of Mars, and a 4.3 billion-year-old nickel meteorite.

The samples of space were provided by the UK's Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and were collected in the 1960s and 70s during some of NASA's first manned space missions.

Most of the samples collected are used by scientists in their studies of the Moon, but small quantities are used to develop lunar and planetary sciences educational packages.

STFC provides science outreach programmes to complement classroom activities.

Professor John Womersley, STFC's Chief Executive Officer, said: “This is a great opportunity for young people to be able to see, touch and really experience such important and exciting messengers from space -turning science fiction into science fact.

“It's an unforgettable experience to be able to hold such an important part of science history that has made such an incredible journey over millions of miles to reach us - and one we hope will inspire the scientists of the future!”