Pssst. Hey, you. Yeah, you. Wanna buy some Mars? This is no bridge sale, son, it’s the real deal. Just $US22,500 an ounce and you can own your own little bit of the Red Planet.
A NASA meteorite committee has just confirmed that some 15 pounds of rock from Mars fell to Earth six months ago as the Tissint meteorite. The pieces landed in Morrocco but were only recovered in December. This marks just the fifth time in recorded history that pieces of Mars have made it to our planet. The NASA committee confirmed the rocks’ origins through their age and by matching the rock’s chemical signature to Mars’ known atmospheric signature.
“It’s Christmas in January,” said former NASA sciences chief Alan Stern, director of the Florida Space Institute at the University of Central Florida. Neither NASA nor the Russian Space Agency have yet to successfully return samples of Martian soil. The scientific community is ecstatic since the rocks, the largest of which weighs two pounds, can provide important clues to Mars’ ability to support life.
However, the scientific community is going to have to pay through the nose to get their hands on the precious space debris. Private collectors are shelling out $US11,000 to $US22,500 per ounce for them, according Meteorite dealer Darryl Pitt. That’s 10 times the going rate for gold — understandable given that all known Martian meteorites add up to less than 240 pounds of stone. [R&D Magazine]
Lynx
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 8:09 PMWell then um, I have a piece of Uranus 22 pound, which I am selling for $43,00.00 a pound. It’s genuinely one of a kind. There is a fault line through the middle though. Price neg.
My point here is though, how do we know it’s really from the red planet
Brenton
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 9:44 PMGas trapped in pockets of the meteorite match the concentrations measured on Mars, that and the type of rock is consistent with those found on Mars.
Just This Guy ...
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 4:17 PMWell, you see Lynx, them sciency type folks know all about rocks ‘n stuff and what they are made up of and can tell pretty well where they came from.
That’s why they are scentists.
The same kind of folks can tell you what stars are made of, where rain comes from etc etc.
Obviously cleverer than you. Or me for that matter.
Just This Guy ...
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 4:18 PM“The NASA committee confirmed the rocks’ origins through their age and by matching the rock’s chemical signature to Mars’ known atmospheric signature.”
Lynx
Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 12:17 AMApologies if I seemed ignorant , I just have a hard time trusting the human condition these days particularly when money and America is involved. Quite sad really. I concede a large portion of the masses are more intelligent than I, however, unless I picked up the rock myself on Mars and flew home, I couldn’t just put blind faith in a man with a microscope looking for cash to fund the downsized NASA. Kind of reminds me of religion.
Jack
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 1:28 AMWhy does NASA deserve the money?
Is the money going to NASA?
Or did NASA steal it from a citizen?
Just This Guy ...
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 4:20 PMHeh heh.
Millions and millions spent sending machinery to Mars to do geological experimentation, and here are rocks falling from the sky.
sigh…
Daniel
Friday, January 20, 2012 at 12:31 AMAre you sure i won’t receive half a mars bar, with a picture of a troll face wrapped up nicely?
This is what i’m mostly scared of.