September 4, 2009: You're Not from Around Here, Are You?

That question could have been asked by BOTH parties in a recent encounter on the plains of Mars. The rover Opportunity took a look at a strange rock and determined that it was a meteorite, the largest yet found on Mars. Among other information, the fact that the meteorite exists at all suggests that the Martian atmosphere was much thicker in the past than it is now.

Read the NASA story for more details. And read GURPS Mars for some alternate takes on the Red Planet.

-- Andrew Hackard