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Jim Lehrer interviews the scientists about the implications of the Martian
meteorite! HERE
Information on the Scientists: HERE
THE article! The
actual paper submitted to SCIENCE
NASA Press Release: Offical NASA Press Release Life
on Mars!
1. Why do we think the meteorite came from Mars and not another planet, asteroid, comet or extra-solar body?
- ALH84001 is classified as a SNC metorite.
- The SNC meteorites, so named for the shergottite, nakhlite, and chassigny
classes which comprise this group of petrologically similar specimens, consist
of 12 specimens (or ``rocks''). All SNC meteorites share similar properties
which are highly anomalous compared to other meteoritic samples. The investigation
of these characteristic properties has led to speculation that the SNC meteorites
may have originated from a planet-sized ``parent body'' in the inner solar
system. Since it was first suggested in the mid-1970's that this parent
body may have been the planet Mars, intensive study has not only upheld
this radical theory, but also provided a convincing foundation of evidence
to support it.
You can find the rest of this SNC article and some more great meteorite information: HERE
2. Could there still be life in this or other forms on Mars today?
- This is a hot question. Related topics and links are on some of these
sites. Also a related disscussion is on the MISSIONS
page concerning the danger of bringing the life back here to earth! Carl
Sagan wrote a paper in Scientific American addressing this issue which
can be found HERE. ( link not yet active, sorry: please stop back soon )
There is also speculation that life on Earth may have been 'transplanted'
from a comet or meteorite. Hey I may be a Martian after all!
Life on Mars general links:
An asteroid breaking up entering
Earth's atmosphere.
Here it is ALH84001:
This 4.5 billion-year-old
rock, labeled meteorite ALH84001, is believed to have once been a part of
Mars and to contain fossil evidence that primitive life may have existed
on Mars more than 3.6 billion years ago. The rock is a portion of a meteorite
that was dislodged from Mars by a huge impact about 16 million years ago
and that fell to Earth in Antarctica 13,000 years ago. The meteorite was
found in Allan Hills ice field, Antarctica, by an annual expedition of the
National Science Foundation's Antarctic Meteorite Program in 1984. It is
preserved for study at the Johnson Space Center's Meteorite Processing Laboratory
in Houston.
This photograph shows orange-colored carbonate mineral globules found in
a meteorite, called ALH84001, believed to have once been a part of Mars.
These carbonate minerals in the meteorite are believed to have been formed
on Mars more than 3.6 billion years ago. Their structure and chemistry suggest
that they may have been formed with the assistance of primitive, bacteria-like
living organisms.
This electron microscope image shows egg-shaped structures, some of which
may be possible microscopic fossils of Martian origin
False-color backscatter electron (BSE) image of fractured surface of a chip
from ALH84001 meteorite showing distribution of the carbonate globules.
Orthopyroxene is green and the carbonate globules are orange. Surrounding
the Mg-carbonate are a black rim (magnesite) and a white, Fe-rich rim. Scale
bar is 0.1 mm. [False color produced by C. Schwandt]
Last Update 8/16/96
If the planet below is not spinning you are not using Netscape 2.0+ !
Life on Mars ? Page