Meteorite shower brings Mars rock to Earth

THEY came from Mars, not in peace, but in pieces.

Scientists have confirmed that 15lbs of rock collected recently in Morocco fell to Earth from Mars during a meteorite shower last July.

It is only the fifth time in history that scientists have chemically confirmed Martian meteorites that people witnessed falling.

The fireball was spotted in the sky six months ago, but the rocks were not discovered on the ground in North Africa until the end of December.

This is a unique opportunity for scientists trying to learn about Mars’ potential for life. So far, no Nasa or Russian spacecraft has returned bits of Mars, so the only samples scientists can examine are those that come in meteorite showers.

Scientists and collectors are ecstatic and already the rocks are fetching big bucks because they are among the rarest things on Earth, much rarer than gold. The biggest rock weighs just more than 2lbs.

“It’s Christmas in January,” said former Nasa sciences chief Alan Stern, director of the Florida Space Institute at the University of Central Florida. “It’s nice to have Mars sending samples to Earth, particularly when our pockets are too empty to go get them ourselves.”

A committee of meteorite experts, including some Nasa scientists, confirmed tests showed the rocks came from Mars, based on their age and chemical signature.