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Is Martian Meteorite Lucky 13?
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- Subject: Is Martian Meteorite Lucky 13?
- From: Ron Baalke <BAALKE@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov>
- Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 18:39:41 GMT
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Planetary Science Research Institute
PRESS RELEASE - 10th AUGUST 1998
IS 'MARTIAN' METEORITE LUCKY 13?
Open University researchers will announce on Monday
if meteorite samples flown to the UK for analysis
this week did originate from Mars.
If authenticated, it could provide the next
breakthrough in the search for evidence of life on
the red planet and will almost certainly make its
prospector finder a millionaire.
Out of the worldwide collection of 20,000 meteorites,
only 12 have been proven to come from Mars. All of
the dozen are owned by museums or the US Government.
The meteorite being analysed by the Open University
was found in the Sahara Desert by a private
prospector who, if his find is proved genuine, stands
to earn US$1000 (or 620 English pound) a gram on the
commercial market from the 2.2kg rock.
The Sahara Desert find was announced at a
Meteoritical Society conference in Dublin last week.
A specimen was despatched immediately to the
Planetary Sciences Research Institute (PSRI) at the
Open University who are able perform the definitive
test of authenticity, a sort of geochemical version
of DNA typing involving oxygen isotopes.
The experiment involves heating a sample with pulses
of a laser beam in the presence of fluorine
containing gas to displace oxygen from the silicate
for measurement in a mass spectrometer.
There is global scientific interest in the test
results. An affirmative report would pave the way for
further analysis that could unlock the secrets of
Martian climatic history and provide evidence of
conditions capable of supporting life.
PSRI are the UK's leading research group on
meteorites and Mars. They are championing the idea of
Beagle 2, a British-built robot explorer that would
be flown to Mars in 2003, carry out soil and rock
analysis on the planet surface and transmit data back
to Earth.
Beagle 2 is being designed by an international
consortium led by the Open University's Professor
Colin Pillinger, and a full-scale model of the lander
vehicle will be on display at Monday's media
conference. Further information about the Beagle 2
project is available from the Web site at
http://beagle2.open.ac.uk/
------------------------------------
150mg of the new martian meteorite was made
available for analyses at the PSRI.
Less than 1% of this material is used for an
oxygen isotope analysis.
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