Benefactor donates Mars meteorite

A rare meteorite from Mars has been given to the National History Museum in London by an anonymous benefactor.


The Tissint rock, which weighs 1 kg, landed in Morocco last year but was retrieved quickly to avoid contamination by earth.


"It is as if it has just been blasted off Mars. It is effectively a pristine sample of Mars," says Dr Caroline Smith, the meteorite curator at the NHM.


The BBC reports:
"Museum staff will use computed tomography (CT) scans to look at the internal structure of the rock, and perform tests to determine its chemistry.

Researchers will look for minerals formed in the presence of water, and for any signs of organics - carbon-rich molecules.

Energy, water, a source of carbon are the prerequisites for life as we know it. Finding evidence for any of these phenomena in Tissint tells scientists something about how habitable Mars might have been in the past.

This meteorite also contains a lot of glassy material called maskelynite, formed through the force of impact, most probably the blast that ripped it from the surface of Mars.

Scientists will analyse the gas trapped in bubbles in the glass to discern more about the Martian atmosphere.

Indeed, this is how meteorites like Tissint can be tied to the Red Planet - the gases held in the rocks contain types and abundances of atoms that are very similar to the atmosphere sampled by robots on Mars today.

Collectively, the class is known as the SNC group of meteorites, named after three representative members: Shergotty, Nakhla, and Chassigny.

"Looking at similar Mars samples, the ejection date of this sample could range from about 600,000 years ago up to about 17 million years ago," said Dr Smith.

Science would dearly love to retrieve fresh samples of Martian rock for study in Earth labs. The scale and breadth of the analytical techniques that are available in the best-equipped facilities dwarf those which can be deployed on a rover, even a huge (900kg) vehicle like the Curiosity robot just despatched to the Red Planet by the US space Agency (Nasa).

But a Mars sample return mission is technically very challenging and would probably cost billions of pounds.

The NHM acquisition has been made possible through the generous support of a private donor.

The donor commented: "My family and I are delighted to partner with the Museum in such an important acquisition. We all now set off on an exciting voyage of discovery. Man may not set foot on Mars in the near future, but Mars has come to us.

"This close-up view will bring new scientific understanding, to spur our children on to further exploration on the surface of the planet itself."

The rock first came into the possession of Darryl Pitt of the Macovich Collection in New York City. He had heard rumours of its existence over a period of weeks following the observed fall to Earth and had set out to track down its whereabouts. With every lead turning into a dead end, he nearly gave up until he received a helpful phone call.

Mr Pitt offered it to the NHM with the anonymous benefactor funding the purchase.

"It is both humbling and an honour to be part of this meteorite's journey, and the Natural History Museum is the perfect final residence," Mr Pitt said."

Source :BBC News