Martian Fossils On Earth: The Story of Meteorite ALH 84001

Martian Fossils On Earth: The Story of Meteorite ALH 84001 — page 7
France on October 3 1815 and was designated chas signite Later other nakhlite meteorites were found in Lafayette Indiana in 1931 and in Governador Valadares Brazil in 1958 Together the shergottite nakhlite and chassignite meteorites are known as SNC meteorites Meteorite ALH 84001 was first identified incorrectly incorrectly as a rare form of another mineral family the diogenites In 1993 meteoriticist meteorite scientist David Mittlefehldt caught the error He announced that meteorite ALH 84001 was the tenth known member of the SNC class Scientists now know of well over 100 SNC meteorites Those rare rocks are very special indeed for scientists now believe that the SNC meteorites are pieces of the planet Mars On August 7 1996 meteorite ALH 84001 became the most famous rock on Earth That day a team of scientists led by David S McKay of JSC made an astounding announcement They believed that meteorite meteorite ALH 84001 contained chemical evidence and fossils of ancient Martian microbes Life may have begun on Mars at about the same time as on Earth