Blazing a trail of discoveries at Meridiani Planum, NASA's Opportunity rover has come across another. A volcanic rock, given the name Bounce, was found to have similarities to meteorites that fell to Earth. Opportunity's Mini-tess and Moessbauer spectrometers has found the element pyroxene, a volcanic mineral, in the football-size rock. The rock's composition is unlike any other rock or volcanic deposits already studied by Opportunity and Spirit. NASA's Mars Odyssey may have given scientists a clue to its origin with an image of a crater where Bounce could have been ejected from upon impact. The rock was named Bounce after Opportunity, still in its airbags, bounced on it while rolling to a stop.
Most NASA images are in the public domain and free to use. Credit NASA as the source. Check NASA's media usage guidelines for details. Images featuring identifiable individuals may require additional permissions.
NASA ID
ksc_042104_meteor
Date Created
April 22, 2004
Center
KSC
Media Type
video
Photographer
NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Download this video in multiple resolutions. All NASA media are free for public use.
Captions
Subtitles