NASA scientists and their research partners from South Korea and Japan have identified a new mineral in meteorites Yamato 691, 4.5 billion year old meteorite discovered in Antarctica in 1969. The new mineral is named Wassonite.
His name is taken as a tribute to Johnson T Wasson, a professor at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles), known as the result of research on meteorites. The new identity of minerals has been approved by the International Mineralogical Association.
NASA scientist Keiko Nakamura said, "Wassonite is the only mineral formed from two elements, sulfur and titanium. However, this mineral has a unique crystal structure that has never been found in nature."
Identification of crystal structure Wassonite possible thanks to the progress of nanotechnology in one department of NASA's Johnson Space Center. Chemical properties and atomic structure viewed with the aid of electron microscope.
Lindsay Keller of NASA's Johnson Space Center said, "Meteorites and minerals contained in it is a window to understand the solar system. By examining it, we can now understand the condition of the solar system and process that will take place."
Yamato 691 meteorite is a meteorite thought to originate from asteroids between Mars and Jupiter. The meteorite was found by members of the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition on Mount Yamato.
