From: "Eileen M. Bendixsen" <ebend@crow.cybercomm.net>
Subject: Questions about discovery of Mars meteorite found in Antarctica
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 1996 20:17:52 GMT
I am forwarding the answers to some questions from Roberta Score who is one of the scientists who helped find the meteorite in Antarctica 12 years ago. This was posted on another listserv and I thought all of you might be interested in the information. It is an interesting way to tie in both PTK projects this year. I will forward any additional messages that are posted. Eileen To Stephanie Palmer: Hi Stephanie, my name is Roberta Score (Robbie is my nickname). Mr. Dave asked me to answer your question about life on Mars. We REALLY do not know if there was life on Mars. What you have been hearing in the news is the interpretation of one group of scientists. They themselves have said that more work needs to be done before they believe it also. It will be many years before we will have an answer. Plus the scientists are saying they think there was possibly fossilized life, which means life from long ago, not now. Robbie To: Andrew Giordano Hi, My name is Roberta Score, but my nickname is Robbie. You directed your question to Mr. Dave. He thought that I should answer the question about the meteorite. I am the lady who found the meteorite. I was part of an expedition down here in Antarctica 12 years ago that was looking for meteorites in the Allan Hills area of Antarctica. Allan Hills is about 150 miles from McMurdo, close to the MacKay Glacier. These features should be on a map. You should look at a map to see if you can find those locations. Until 3 months ago, I was the Curator of the Antarctic Meteorite Laboratory in Houston, Texas at the Johnson Space Center. The meteorite is still in the lab there but pieces of it are all over the world in different scientists laboratories. There is also a piece of it at the Smithsonian Institutionin Washington DC for the public to see. We don't know how big the meteorite was when it left Mars but it was 4 pounds when it was found. We also don't know if the finding talked about in the press actually is life. Only one group of scientists have studied the features. Many more studies need to be done by the scientists who made the announcement and others who have different specialities. The Group making the announcement are Geochemists. Biologists, Paleontologist, and other specialized groups need to study it also. It will be many years before we can say there possibly was life on Mars a very long time ago. Robbie To Krista: Hi, My name is Roberta Score, but my nickname is Robbie. You directed your question to Mr. Dave. He thought that I should answer the question about the meteorite. The meteorite is the size of a grapefruit, has a black crust, and is dull gray inside. It looks different from Earth rocks. Yes, it is really cold here. Since we are in the Southern Hemisphere, it is spring here and it is slowly getting warmer. However, it will never get warm enough for it to rain. I just looked up the temperature for you. It is about 4:00 pm and the temperature outside is 0 degrees but it is windy so it feels like -56 degrees. Burr, that is cold. Robbie Reply to Ashley Pollitt Hi Ashley, I am Robbie. Antarctica is very beautiful and very cold. Today it feels like it is -56 degrees out because of the wind, but it is only 0 degrees. Summer is on its way (although you are heading into winter because you are in the Northern Hemisphere and I am in the Southern Hemisphere. I've been studying meteorites for 18 years now, so I may be able to answer some of your questions about them. Or I may refer you to the library. ALH84001 was found in the Allan Hills region of Antarctica in 1984. It landed on Earth about 13,000 years ago. Long before we or any of our family were born! Robbie