Mars Meteorite Found In Antarctica To Feature At 2025 Osaka Expo

TOKYO, Sept 17 (Bernama-Kyodo) -- A 'Mars rock' discovered in Antarctica by a Japanese research team will be displayed to the public for the first time at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, Kyodo News Agency reported, citing the government on Tuesday.

Found in 2000 by Japan's National Institute of Polar Research, the meteorite was determined to have been thrown into space by an asteroid impact on the Martian surface.

The meteorite is among the largest of its kind found on Earth, measuring 29 centimetres (cm) in length, 22 cm in width, 16 cm in height, and weighing around 13 kilogrammes (kg). An analysis of the gas trapped within showed its origins.

The rock includes minerals that form in reaction to water, providing evidence that there was once water on Mars and potentially serving as a clue to understanding the origins of life.

The government decided to make it available for the exhibit after deeming it fits the Expo's theme of "Designing Future Society for Our Lives."

At the 1970 Osaka Expo, a Moon rock, retrieved by the Apollo 11 space mission, was displayed, becoming a huge drawcard at the event. The government requested its United States (US) counterpart show the rock once again at the expo starting in April.

The display of the meteorite "will serve as a great opportunity for people to learn about the research expedition and the activities undertaken by the National Institute of Polar Research," science minister Masahito Moriyama said at a press conference.

There were plans to livestream the landing of an unmanned probe to Mars at the expo, but the idea was scrapped after the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency postponed the liftoff from 2024 to fiscal 2026.

-- BERNAMA-KYODO