A meteorite originating from Mars may well offer tantalising evidence of ancient impact events on Earth’s nearest neighbour. This is because some of the minerals discovered inside the meteorite are oxidised.
And such influence of the chemical element oxygen suggests water was present during the impact responsible for the Mars meteorite.
Space experts now anticipate this find could help plug important gaps in our understanding of the role water played in the formation of the fourth rock from the Sun.
Fundamental questions remain concerning about the earliest origin of water on Earth, Mars and other large bodies such as the Moon.
US space agency NASA announced only last week: “The unambiguous detection of molecular water on the Moon and areas on the Moon where water could be trapped stably are reported in two papers published this week in Nature Astronomy.