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Meteor May Be From Martian Moon Phobos

Posted by timothy on from the thinks-it's-better-than-other-asteroids dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Russian and NASA scientists published in the March journal of Solar System Research, the proposition that a 1980 Yemenite meteorite originated from the martian moon, Phobos. It would be the first moon rock from another planet. New Scientist has a short description and Astrobiology Magazine has the picture. Unique among the 20,000 meteorites collected, this is similar to heat-shocked charcoal and shows several mineral phases not found terrestrially."

1 of 12 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Sample return? by burris · · Score: 2, Informative

    We think those meteorites came from Mars but we are not certian. A sample return mission would provide certainty and may authenticate meteorites found on Earth. Further, the returned samples could be selected for how interesting the appear, rather than the random selection that falls on Earth.