Moon rocks revealed and explained at the Fountains

MILLBROOK — Ron Pastrano has for years been an independent investigator of meteors, meteorites and moon rocks. When a meteor would come crashing to earth, he was among the first to rush to the site, to get samples of the piece that has landed, to get photos and record the incident.

In his lifetime he collected an extensive array of these special rocks, cataloging them, photographing them, and presenting programs on them to audiences all around the country. His collection includes medals and certificates from NASA, and letters from dignitaries, one being from George H. W. Bush when he was vice president. Pastrano worked closely with NASA, although he was never on its payroll.

Today he champions the International Space Society and is trying to get a chapter started as New York State is one of the few states that does not have a chapter. The association has chapters in countries around the world. He thinks it’s important now because NASA has downsized so much, and more exploration is needed than is currently being conducted by NASA and the government.

The exhibition of some of his samples and collection was presented on Thursday, Oct. 27, in the cafe at The Fountains, to be followed by a showing of the movie, “Deep Impact,” on Saturday, Oct. 29. Pastrano has been at the Fountains for five years, but ill health kept him down for the past four years. This year he has regained his health, and is looking forward to holding a much larger presentation in spring of 2023.

Pastrana, 83, has led a fascinating life. Besides working closely with NASA, he was also a teacher and is an ordained minister. His degrees are in geology and history, and he also obtained a master’s degree in counseling and sociology. Add to that a doctorate in science and theology, and you have a man of many talents, skills and aspirations.

In 1986 he was chosen by NASA to be an independent researcher, looking into moon rocks for almost 29 years. He left the field in 2014, when his wife became ill. During that time he shared his rocks and his findings with many people, including schools and private concerns as well as scientific institutions.

Although Pastrano says he has sold off most of his collection, it’s hard to believe, because there is still so much to see and examine. Everything is carefully labeled, and what is significant is the age of some of these pieces of space rock. Many crashed to earth in the 1400s and 1500s, some later. One in particular is larger and heavier than most; it comes from Argentina, from an asteroid, and crashed in 1591, containing nickel and iron.

Another aspect to the collection are the tools of the trade, some very basic, some intricate and very expensive. One small hand held calculator, very old, is worth about $4000. The rocks themselves are varied in color, weight, shape and size. One particularly interesting piece is shiny, black, smooth, but when a light is put underneath, pieces of gold shine through. “It’s peridot:, said Pastrano. “You probably have jewelry made from peridot.”

Pastrano is pleased that there seems to be a resurrected interest in space exploration recently, one of the reasons he is interested in getting a chapter of the International Space Society started in N.Y. He is not so pleased that there is so little education in space and space exploration is education, that there is no curriculum devoted to it. Pastrana plans to hold another exhibit in the spring, “Space-A voyage of Faith and Science.”

This exhibit was a trial run for a larger vehicle. There is certainly enough material to hold another exhibit, and the interest shown in this event proves that people are still interested in space.