Mars gets bombarded by meteors and meteorites a lot as is apparent from its dry and pockmarked landscape. NASA's Curiosity's rover on Mars was fortunate enough to come across with one of these space rocks during its exploration.
This meteorite was captured by the rover's Mastcam last week, and the rover analyzed the chemical composition of this new specimen. Upon analysis, mission scientists were able to see a bizarre melted structure, which the rover discovered at the slopes of Mount Sharp in the Gale Crater.
Planetary scientists from the University of Arizona have determined that this meteorite is rich in iron and nickel that are also abundant here on Earth. Curiosity team scientists call this meteorite "Egg Rock."
Since Martian atmosphere is so dry, meteorites and other similar alien material are preserved in a pristine state, thanks to a lack of moisture as well. These conditions can preserve meteorite material for longer periods of time which are especially favorable to metallic meteors.
The scientists plan to study these meteor resources since precious metals can be extracted from them to help establish future Mars colonies. As opposed to mining asteroids, scientists can just opt to search for rare metals in Martian soil.
This is also not the first time that Curiosity has discovered a meteorite on the surface of Mars. In 2014, the six-wheeled robotic explorer also spotted a two-meter-wide meteorite, including other NASA Martian rovers, Opportunity, and Spirit.