ROME TOWNSHIP - When he touched down on the moon for the first time, Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong declared, "That's one small step for man but one giant leap for mankind."

Students in the Fairland School District will have the opportunity to "follow" in his footsteps this week.

Fairland West Elementary students and the public kicked off the district's "Space Week" Tuesday by hosting a National Aeronautics and Space Administration exhibit showcasing rocks taken from the moon, a scale model of the lunar landing module, an authentic space suit, a model of the Saturn V rocket, a variety freeze dried foods and more.

Fifth-graders Clayton Mann and Chris Parker said they had both thought about being astronaut and this has made it even more interesting and exciting.

"It is really awesome," Mann said.

Parker said he was impressed with the equipment that the astronauts used.

"They made space probes just for them to ride on the moon because it would take too long to walk," Parker said.

Six space missions - Apollos 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17 - landed astronauts on the moon. Each collected scientific data and almost 400 kilograms of lunar samples.

The dozen or so samples of lunar rocks on display were gathered on the Apollo 16 and 17 missions.

The two plate-sized plastic containers of moon rocks are two of only 30 in existence, said Sandy Joseph, Fairland's coordinator for the program that is primarily funded through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program grant.

"The lunar rocks are national treasures," Joseph said. "They are irreplaceable."

The public had the opportunity to browse the exhibit Tuesday in the high school cafetorium. The exhibit will be at the other three schools the rest of this week and Monday.

The exhibit may provide the children a unique glimpse at the future because President George W. Bush has proposed an ambitious program to return Americans to the moon as early as 2015 and eventually send a mission to Mars.

Parent volunteer Marty Appleton, 44, was 9 or 10-years-old when Armstrong walked on the moon. Appleton said he never expected he would be able to see something like this exhibit in his lifetime.

"The Apollo missions were inspirational," he said. "There was a lot of enthusiasm and excitement.

"I remember the moon landing. The day it happened no one was outside doing anything. Everyone was glued to the TV."

Appleton said he has enjoyed seeing how interested and excited the students have been.

All the students had the opportunity to put themselves in the astronauts' shoes by sampling freeze-dried Neapolitan ice cream. The opinions varied, but all agreed that it was certainly a memorable experience.

"It tastes like Lucky Charms," Fifth grader Cody Kelley said.

Classmate Mann was not quite so sure.

"It is a little too powerful," he said as he made a sour face.

Students received a NASA emblem sticker and a commemorative lapel pin with the NASA emblem.

Fairland High School science teacher Ron King attended training sessions at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland so that he could become certified

to make the presentations. King said he has probably learned more than the children as he took part in this once in a lifetime experience.

"I got to go and see things most people would not see as a teacher such as the space capsules that landed in the ocean," King said. "I learned a lot, learned a lot of things I had forgotten."

The school district used part of the 21st Century grant to purchase numerous books and CD-ROMs about space, the moon, the Apollo program and more materials for all four school libraries.

In March, a group of high school students will visit the University of Charleston (W.Va.) to see a presentation by Sally Ride, the first female astronaut.