PORTLAND, Maine — Anyone who lands or leaves from the Portland International Jetport now has the unique opportunity to see a world-class meteorite exhibit called "Fly Me to the Moon."
The terminal at Portland International Jetport features a museum-level exhibit loaning some of the best pieces from the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum’s meteorite collection, including the second largest piece of the moon on Earth, additional lunar meteorites, and pieces of Mars.
The display inside the jetport will be there for the next five years, and organizers plan to slightly change the rocks displayed throughout the years.
Darryl Pitt curated the display and found all of the samples through collectors. Pitt is a meteorite fanatic and has, for many years, found and attained some of the best pieces. Pitt said this small exhibit will serve as an educational public service to the millions of people who will fly in and out of the jetport.
"We have the second largest piece of the moon on Earth. In the museum is the largest piece of the moon on Earth, also the largest piece of Mars on Earth, and the largest piece of the asteroid Vesta on Earth," Pitt explained. "It's a world-class museum, and I wanted to share it with more people."
"To date, experts have documented fewer than 700 confirmed lunar discovered on Earth, and the MMGM has the largest collection of lunar meteorites in the world," Steve Saleeba, the media relations liaison for the museum, said.
The jetport display also features one of the largest pieces of Mars on Earth, as well as an iconic Gibeon meteorite that people can closely see and even touch.
Pitt said the jetport was the best place to provide a close look at some of the treasures the museum in Bethel has.
"One of the main reasons was the museum acquired the second largest piece of the moon at a time when we weren't sure where we were going to put it. And at the same time, I was thinking, 'Where can we put stuff where more people can appreciate it? It would have to be a place where there is just a lot of people, and they have some free time, and it has to be a place that is really secure.' And of course, it occurred to me. ... the Jetport," Pitt expressed.
The award-winning Portland International Jetport is Maine’s largest airport. It’s the premier gateway in and out of Maine and one of the highest-trafficked locations in the state. More than 2.2 million passengers went through the jetport last year, creating an economic impact of over $1 billion.
"We are thrilled to have 'Fly Me to the Moon' at the jetport,” airport director Paul Bradbury told NEWS CENTER Maine. "We love celebrating unique aspects of Maine, and the MMGM is certainly among them."
Dr. Tasha Dunn is an associate professor of geology at Colby College. She said she hopes people learn some new facts as they see and read the information on the display.
"It really is just wonderful to be able to get samples of those bodies and bring them back so that we can really ground truth the information that we get from the satellites," Dunn said. "Many of these are breccias, and that's because the moon has endured many many impact events particularly early on during its formation, it was constantly impacted by other small bodies, so that breaks up the surface."
Dunn said because of Bethel's rural location, many have not been able to go visit the relatively new Maine Mineral & Gem Museum. She hopes people can visit the museum in the near future and stop by the small exhibit at the jetport before or after their flight.
"I just think it's incredible for people to stop for a minute and think what is beyond our planet and how these samples inform us about our own planet as well," Dunn expressed.
Click here to learn more about the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum in Bethel.