Hum Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 WASHINGTON - Scientists are confirming that 15 pounds of rock collected recently in Morocco fell to Earth from Mars during a meteorite shower last July. This is only the fifth time in history scientists have chemically confirmed Martian meteorites that people witnessed falling. The fireball was spotted in the sky six months ago, but the rocks weren't discovered on the ground in North Africa until the end of December. This is an important and unique opportunity for scientists trying to learn about Mars' potential for life. So far, no NASA or Russian spacecraft has returned bits of Mars, so the only samples scientists can examine are those that come here in a meteorite shower. Scientists and collectors are ecstatic, and already the rocks are fetching big bucks because they are among the rarest things on Earth -- rarer even than gold. The biggest rock weighs over 2 pounds. A special committee Tuesday of meteorite experts, including some NASA scientists, confirmed test results that showed the rocks came from Mars, based on their age and chemical signature. Astronomers think millions of years ago something big smashed into Mars and sent rocks hurtling through the solar system. After a long journey through space, one of those rocks plunged through Earth's atmosphere, breaking into smaller pieces. Most other Martian meteorite samples sat around on Earth for millions of years -- or at the very least, decades -- before they were discovered, which makes them tainted with Earth materials and life. These new rocks, while still probably contaminated because they have been on Earth for months, are purer. more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 There are also meteorites that track back to the asteroid Vesta, and recent images by the Dasn probe show the impact that probably knocked them off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obi-Wan Kenobi Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I wish I could get my grubby paws on a few of those rocks! Cha-ching! :alien: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Here's the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory page about the Mars meteorites http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/snc/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Observer Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Here's the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory page about the Mars meteorites http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/snc/ dam that site was made in the early 90s! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 They're scientists, not webmasters. The main NASA's info office doesn't do these pages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryster Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 They're scientists, not webmasters. The main NASS info office doesn't do these pages. Well maybe they should. These web pages do not give the impression of an organisation at the forefront of science and technology, the opposite in fact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I agree, but then NASA PAO isn't that great either from the content side. They have fancy pages that are outdated, and a lot of up to date stuff of great public interest is never posted, and a lot of their tech updates, are not coordinated with the content. NASA TV is a joke except on launch days. One of their major PR failures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulsiphon Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Well maybe they should. These web pages do not give the impression of an organisation at the forefront of science and technology, the opposite in fact. Ah, so to present yourself as an organisation at the forefront of science and technology, you need jquery, CSS, and DHTML? Gotcha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obi-Wan Kenobi Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Regardless of how it looks, it's an awesome site! Loads of info that's easy to get to/not confusing, so it gets a (Y) from me. Thanks for posting that, DocM! That kind of stuff really interests me. :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neoadorable Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 panspermia here we come! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted January 23, 2012 Author Share Posted January 23, 2012 Now Martian critters will grow and take over Earth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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