Are We Martians?

The article discusses the assumption that life first originated on Mars and then was delivered by Martian meteorites on Earth. Typical collection sites for meteorites, including Martian ones, and photographs of some of them are presented. The 287 known to date Martian meteorites vary in mass from 11 g to 18 kg. Isotope studies have shown that the largest of them, before entering the Earth’s atmosphere, had a mass of 150 to 270 kg and were in outer space from 1.2 to 10.8 Myr. However, the calculations show that the range of values for the time spent by a Martian meteorite in space is very large; almost direct Mars—Earth flights with a space flight duration of about several years are possible with a probability of 10–7. This very low probability, however, could be realized. During the period of intense meteorite bombardment 3.9–4.5 billion years ago, when its rates were 3–4 orders of magnitude higher than in the modern era, such express—flights could and even should have happened.

life on Mars, Martian meteorites, duration of the flight from Mars to Earth