Meteorites from Mars Several meteorites found in Antarctica are believed to have come from...

Meteorites from Mars Several meteorites found in Antarctica are believed to have come from Mars, including the famous ALH84001 meteorite that some believe contains fossils of ancient life on Mars. Meteorites from Mars are thought to get to Earth by being blasted off the Martian surface when a large object (such as an asteroid or a comet) crashes into the planet. What speed must a rock have to escape Mars?

The meteorite ALH84001 (left), dislodged from the Martian surface by a tremendous impact, drifted through space for millions of years before falling to Earth in Antarctica about 13,000 years ago. The electron micrograph at right shows tubular structures within the meteorite; some scientists think they are traces of primitive, bacteria-like organisms that may have lived on Mars billions of years ago.