Possible Meteorite Imaged by Opportunity

[JohnBoucher]

From the NASA Site (http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/)
The Opportunity rover has eyed an odd-shaped, dark rock, about 0.6 meters (2 feet) across on the surface of Mars, which may be a meteorite.

YES They are STILL running around doing great science.

Kudos to all that work on this program.

[artdutra04]

Now that's cool!

If the spectrometer verifies this, would this be the first confirmed meteorite found on an extra-terrestrial body?

The craters are obvious proof of these meteorite impacts, but it's always cool to finally find one intact, not unlike when we finally found a living giant squid for the first time a few years ago.

[dlavery]

Now that's cool!

If the spectrometer verifies this, would this be the first confirmed meteorite found on an extra-terrestrial body?

The craters are obvious proof of these meteorite impacts, but it's always cool to finally find one intact, not unlike when we finally found a living giant squid for the first time a few years ago.

Actually, this is not the first confirmed meteorite found on a planetary body. That happened in late 2004/early 2005. The Opportunity rover found an iron-rich meteorite sitting on the surface of Mars very close to the impact sight of the heat shield used by the rover/lander during the descent through the Mars atmosphere. You can read more about that find in the press release (http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/newsroom/pressreleases/20050119a.html) that was issued at the time.

-dave

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20050119a/Sol339B_P2581_L456-B352R1_br.jpg

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