S96-12300 --- This electron microscope image shows tubular structures of likely Martian origin. These structures are very similar in size and shape to extremely tiny microfossils found in some Earth rocks. This photograph is part of a report by a NASA research team published in the Aug. 16, 1996, issue of the journal Science. A two-year investigation by the team found organic molecules, mineral features characteristic of biological activity and possible microscopic fossils such as these inside of an ancient Martian rock that fell to Earth as a meteorite. The largest possible fossils are less than 1/100th the diameter of a human hair in size while most are ten times smaller.
S98-10639 --- Transmitted light image of halite in the Monahans Meteorite, showing a fluid inclusion at the center of the image. Inside the inclusion, a round vapor bubble can be seen. The view measures 1 mm across.
S98-10639 --- Transmitted light image of halite in the Monahans Meteorite, showing a fluid inclusion at the center of the image. Inside the inclusion, a round vapor bubble can be seen. The view measures 1 mm across.
S99-04196 (1997) --- The Carl Sagan Memorial Station, previously known as the Mars Pathfinder Lander, proved that a high degree of knowledge and innovation, coupled with a bit of luck, could put a very-low cost spacecraft on the surface of Mars. Depicted here by an aritist, the lander and rover surpassed their initial design life and went on to return many high resolution images of the ancient flood-washed plain of Ares Valles. This art work was produced for NASA by Pat Rawlings, (SAIC). Technical concepts for NASA's Exploration Office, Johnson Space Center (JSC).
1075 --- These are possible Martian fossilized microbial cells attached to a mineral in the Egyptian meteorite Nakhla. They range from about 1 to 2 micrometers in size and each one is firmly attached to the crystal by clay minerals which are known to commonly form on cells as part of the mineralization or fossilization process. The scale bar is 5 micrometers or about 1/10 the thickness of a human hair.