It traveled millions of years through space, dropped into the Mojave Desert and was snatched up by rock collector Robert Verish. Then, for 20 years, it was left unnoticed in a crate in his backyard. It’s been a long journey for the so-called Los Angeles meteorite, now on exhibit at the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park. UCLA scientists have confirmed that the half-pound chunk of basalt came from Mars–one of only 14 Martian meteorites to have been found on Earth.