ALH 84001

ALH 84001 is a meteorite found in Antarctica in December 1984 by a team of US meteorite hunters from the ANSMET prject. Like other members of the group of SNCs, ALH 84001 is almost certainly from Mars, blasted off of the surface some 3.6 billion years ago in a meteorite impact.

In 1996 ALH 84001 became newsworthy when it was announced that it was believed that the meteorite contained traces of life from Mars, as published in an article in Science by Dr. David McKay of NASA. This caused a considerable stir at the time and opened up interest in Martian exploration. As of 2003 however, most experts agree that the microfossils are not indicative of life.

External links:

Mars Meteorite ALH 84001 – An Illustrated History