Science and Exploration

‘Block Island’ Meteorite on Mars, Sol 1961 (False Color)

By Keith Cowing
May 24, 2013
Filed under

This view of a rock called “Block Island,” the largest meteorite yet found on Mars, comes from the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. Analysis of Block Island’s composition using the rover’s alpha particle X-ray spectrometer confirmed that it is rich in iron and nickel. The rock is about 60 centimeters (2 feet) across.

This view of a rock called “Block Island,” the largest meteorite yet found on Mars, comes from the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. Analysis of Block Island’s composition using the rover’s alpha particle X-ray spectrometer confirmed that it is rich in iron and nickel. The rock is about 60 centimeters (2 feet) across.

This is a false-color, red-green-blue composite view generated from images taken through the Pancam’s 750-nanometer, 530-nanometer and 430-nanometer filters. The exaggeraged color is used for enhancing the visibility of differences among the types of rock and soil materials.

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Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University

SpaceRef co-founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.