MARBLE BAR SCHOOL CHILDREN LEARN WITH NASA SCIENTISTS
BY MEGAN BOYCE & TANGIORA HINAKI
Meentheena, Marble Bar. Credit: Cassie Ariuu.
Marble Bar Primary School students enjoyed a learning experience on country with Scientists and MARS specialists from NASA.
In 2019, Australian scientists found evidence that the rock fossils in the Pilbara are the earliest signs of life on Earth.
NSW University Professor Martin Van Kranendonk has been visiting Meentheena, near Marble Bar since the 90s.
“What we are able to do by reading the rocks, is time travel back to the early beginnings of life,” he said.
“What we see here, is life really flourishing and taking hold of expanses and through that life, we can understand that they were the ones that gave off the oxygen that we now breathe today.”
Martin Van Kranendonk in Meentheena. Credit: Cassie Ariuu.
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NASA’s Eric Ianson, Deputy Director of NASA Planetary Science Division said the evidence is an extraordinary discovery and will help them a lot with their analysis of Mars.
“This is a really amazing place, because it has some of the earliest indications of life on earth,” he said.
“From a NASA stand point not only are we interested in what we are finding here on earth. But how we can apply that to things that we are looking at on Mars.
“If we can figure out what we look at on Mars, and how it relates here on earth. We can better understand if there was life on Mars.”
Tangiora Hinaki interviewing Eric Ianson. Credit: Cassie Ariuu.
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Danny Brown, CEO of the Nyamal Aboriginal Corporation says that NASA's interest has come at a good time.
“It means a lot of opportunity, and especially now when Meentheena is going through a proposal to be a national park,” he said.
“It gives us an opportunity to preserve a part of our country from mining, and some of the significant things like the Stromatolites makes this area quite unique.”
Danny Brown talking with the school group and volunteers. Credit: Cassie Ariuu.
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Martin Van Kranendonk teaching a student of Marble Bar Primary School. Credit: Cassie Ariuu.
Shane Wilson, Principle of Marble Bar Primary school was thrilled with the excursion that had been planned for the school children. He said that the implement of this trip with the school’s science program was an amazing opportunity for the school.
“What an amazing lesson on country geology and astrobiology to learn about the history of the earth and the implications for Life,” he said.
The school children are able to learn about ancient culture and intergrate them with emerging technologies.
“We’ve got drones in the sky capturing this experience," he said.
“We've got an abundance of other technologies that our visitors have brought but also from the school to capture this really important work of showcasing and preserving the knowledge about Nyamal Elders.
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Marble Bar Primary students on Meentheena. Credit: Cassie Ariuu.