Mars, meteorites and the search for life

Nasa's Perseverance rover will be carrying some Martian rock when it lands on the Red Planet next year.

The meteorite material was, until recently, lodged in the collection of London's Natural History Museum (NHM). The rock's known properties are to be used to calibrate the workings of a rover instrument called Sherloc. This will give added confidence to any discoveries the robot might make.

Prof Caroline Smith, head of Earth sciences collections at the NHM and a member of the Perseverance science team, describes the meteorite and the role it will play in the Nasa mission.

Read more here: Martian meteorite to head home to Red Planet