A meteorite the Rover Opportunity found. Click for a false color version. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University

The Mars Rover Opportunity spotted what was thought to be a meteorite on the Martian surface a few weeks ago on September 16, 2010.  Have wheels will travel was the motto and pretty soon as you can see, the little rover bumped right up to it and gave us this nice close up look.

Using the microscopic imager and the X-ray spectrometer the mission team determined this is an nickel-iron meteorite.  The mission team named the meteorite Oileán Ruaidh for an island off the northwest coast of Ireland (YAY Ireland!!  I love Ireland, got kin there and it’s a great place to visit).  According to NASA it is pronounced ay-lan ruah, my Gaelic is next to nothing so I’ll take their word for it.

So now the rover has been there and done that as they say and is heading off towards Endeavour Crater.

It’s hard to keep a good rover down. 

Before anybody comments that such a dense meteorite should have left a rather big hole. . .  I’m there too.  Speculate away.