One species, one planet: The moon is our ethical dress rehearsal for Mars
Bruce Jakosky, Scott Hubbard and their colleagues have given us a masterclass in pragmatic systems engineering. Their recent SpaceNews editorial titled “Laying the groundwork for the first human mission to […] The post One species, one planet: The moon is our ethical dress rehearsal for Mars appeared first on SpaceNews .
Scientists have analyzed a 1.27-billion-year-old Mars meteorite, Northwest Africa (NWA) 13441, discovered in Algeria in 2019. According to Boston College Earth and environmental sciences professor Ethan Baxter, its characteristics were entirely surprising. The meteorite is a shergottite, a type of Martian meteorite that is the most abundant, but it is unusual because of its age.
The meteorite helps answer questions about a previously hidden time period in Martian geological history, specifically a gap in the geologic record between 600 million years ago and 2.4 billion years ago. During this time span, there are no known examples of meteorites containing igneous shergottites.
The meteorite's composition and age, 1.27 billion years old, make it a unique find, with Space.com reporting it as the only Martian meteorite of its kind with that age. According to Ethan Baxter, no other Martian meteorite like this has been found with that age.
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