Antarctic Meteorite Sample Preparation
Cabinet Processing: Carbonaceous Chondrites and Martian Meteorites
Since 1978, carbonaceous chondrites have had a dedicated cabinet for processing due to the possibility that these samples contain unique organic compounds. Since 1997, martian meteorites have been processed in a dedicated cabinet, again due to the possibility that there are organic or other compounds that are specific to these samples, and to minimize the effects of handling under less clean conditions. On occasion, an additional cabinet will be cleaned for targeted processing of specific meteorites, such as lunar meteorites.
Martian meteorite processing cabinet in the Meteorite Processing Lab at NASA Johnson Space Center