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Rare Water-Rich Mars Meteorite Discovered

astroengine writes "A rare Martian meteorite recently found in Morocco contains minerals with 10 times more water than previously discovered Mars meteorites, a finding that raises new questions about when and how long the planet most like Earth in the solar system had conditions suitable for life. The meteorite, known as Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034, is the second-oldest of 110 named stones originating from Mars that have been retrieved on Earth. Purchased from a Moroccan meteorite dealer in 2011, the black, baseball-sized stone, which weighs less than 1 pound, is 2.1 billion years old, meaning it formed during what is known as the early Amazonian era in Mars' geologic history. 'It's from a time on Mars that we actually don't know much about,' geologist Carl Agee, with the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, told Discovery News."

6 of 71 comments (clear)

  1. weee hooo by sgt+scrub · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm put'n the trailer back on the rocket. It's time to colomonize me some mars!

    --
    Having to work for a living is the root of all evil.
  2. NWA by AnderMoney · · Score: 3, Funny

    Does anyone else think they could have picked a better acronym for Africa than NWA?

  3. Re:Ironic by tyrione · · Score: 4, Funny

    We spend billions on probes, and get more information from looking at a rock in Africa.

    Nice work NASA.

    I imagine if we probed your ass we'd discover a passaage all the way across the Milky Way, perhaps?

  4. Meanwhile, On Mars... by guttentag · · Score: 5, Funny

    In other news, Martian authorities report that a rare Earth meteor has been discovered to contain 10 times as much fissionable material as found in previous Earth meteorites. The finding calls into question previous assumptions within the scientific community that Earth may contain little fissionable material and therefore was deemed unlikely to support life. Still, some Martians are asking tough questions: "How do you know it came from Earth? Where's your proof? How do we know you're not just trying to save your precious space budget when we have more important things to worry about, like climbing out of the so-called Fiscal Crater?"

  5. Re:Ironic by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 4, Funny

    We spend billions on probes, and get more information from looking at a rock in Africa.

    Nice work NASA.

    I imagine if we probed your ass we'd discover a pasaage all the way across the Milky Way, perhaps?

    Or at least to Uranus.

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  6. Re:Ironic by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 3, Funny
    Because it would closer to the truth to say this:

    We spend billions on probes, and get some complementary information from looking at a rock in Africa.

    It's a bit like asking why we sent the Viking landers when we can see it's red from here.

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.