Rover finds meteorite on Mars
{{date|January 20, 2005}}
[[Image:PIA07269-Mars Rover Opportunity-Iron Meteorite.jpg|thumb|Martian Meteorite]]
[[NASA]]'s {{w|Mars Exploration Rover}} Opportunity has found a basketball-sized iron meteorite near heat shield debris at {{w|Meridiani Planum}}, {{w|Opportunity rover|Opportunity}}'s landing location on [[Mars]].

It is the first {{w|meteorite}} of any type ever identified on another planet.

"This is a huge surprise, though maybe it shouldn't have been," said Dr. Steve Squyres of [[Cornell University]], {{w|Ithaca}}, [[New York|N.Y.]], principal investigator for the science instruments on Opportunity and its twin, Spirit.

Opportunity and {{w|Spirit rover|Spirit}} successfully completed their primary three-month missions on Mars in April 2004. NASA has extended their missions twice because the rovers have remained in good enough condition to continue exploring Mars longer than anticipated. They have found geological evidence of past wet environmental conditions that might have been hospitable to life.

{{haveyoursay}}
==Sources==
*{{source|url=http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/mer-011905.html|author=|pub=NASA|date=January 19, 2005|title=Opportunity Rover Finds an Iron Meteorite on Mars}}
*{{source|url=http://www.nasa.gov/missions/solarsystem/f-mercomplete.html|author=|pub=NASA|date=April 7, 20004|title=A Job Well Done!}}
*{{source|url=http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/mer-010305.html|author=|pub=NASA|date=January 3, 2005|title=NASA Rovers' Adventures on Mars Continue}}

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[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:NASA]]
[[Category:Mars]]
[[Category:Science and technology]]
[[Category:United States]]
[[Category:North America]]
[[Category:Cornell University]]
Martian Meteorite
NASA's Meridiani Planum, Opportunity's landing location on Mars.

It is the first  of any type ever identified on another planet.

"This is a huge surprise, though maybe it shouldn't have been," said Dr. Steve Squyres of Cornell University, , N.Y., principal investigator for the science instruments on Opportunity and its twin, Spirit.

Opportunity and Spirit successfully completed their primary three-month missions on Mars in April 2004. NASA has extended their missions twice because the rovers have remained in good enough condition to continue exploring Mars longer than anticipated. They have found geological evidence of past wet environmental conditions that might have been hospitable to life.
Space NASA Mars Science and technology United States North America Cornell University