Northamptonshire Grammar School held a series of activity mornings for primary schools last month.

Pupils from Pitsford Primary School, The Bramptons County Primary School, Kingsthorpe Village Primary School and Mawsley Primary School attended the sessions.

Pupils had the chance to handle some samples of moon rock and lunar soil, courtesy of Nasa, together with samples of meteorites from the Natural History Museum.

Headmaster Noel Toone, who studied astrophysics at University College, London, said: "Seeing the some of the actual moon rocks and samples of real meteorites really brings science to life.

"We can talk about the moon, meteorites and space in general, but holding a meteorite or pieces of the Moon in your hands changes your outlook on the whole issue and that's for adults as well children."

The event also included a presentation on the manned exploration of the Moon.

The lunar samples were taken from the Apollo moon landings, which brought back 382kg of material. The samples are priceless and the school's security arrangements had to be checked before the loan was authorised by the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council.

The meteorite samples included a piece of the Henbury Meteorite which fell 4,700 years ago.

It weighed several tonnes and disintegrated before impact. Fragments formed 12 large craters which can still be seen today in the Northern Territory of Australia.