One of the largest Mars rocks in the world, which is set to be exhibited in the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka, was taken from the National Institute of Polar Research in Tokyo on Wednesday for transport to the event site.
The Mars rock will be shown at the government's Japan Pavilion at the expo, which is slated to start in mid-April on Yumeshima, an artificial island in Osaka Bay. The rock will arrive at the Expo site on Thursday morning.
Discovered by a Japanese Antarctic research expedition in 2000, the rock is 29 centimeters wide, 16 cm long and 17.5 cm high. The rock is viewed as scientifically important because it contains a mineral that indicates Mars once had water.
At the Japan Pavilion, the whole rock will be exhibited in a case that can maintain temperature and humidity at certain levels. A section will be also prepared to allow people to touch a piece of the rock.
"We hope this (exhibition) will be an opportunity for many people to think about the universe and the Earth," said Hiroyasu Kumagai, a spokesman for the National Institute of Polar Research.
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