[meteorite-list] Crash Boom Bang: City Killers & 2008 TC3

From: Meteorites USA <eric_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:36:54 -0700
Message-ID: <49F88226.5080905_at_meteoritesusa.com>

Hi all,

Are you ready for the big one? It's a matter of when, not if, a city
killer will strike. What will this do for science, and I hate to sound
morbid, but the meteorite business in general?

http://www.usnews.com/articles/science/2009/04/29/new-mexico-scientist-part-of-team-tracking-asteroids.html

According to the article in US News :

"...Space rocks of that size, about 6 feet across, typically hit Earth a
few times each year, usually exploding high in the atmosphere with no
advance warning..."

"...Rocks that size never make it to the ground, exploding in a flash as
they are superheated by friction as they speed through Earth's upper
atmosphere..."

Wasn't there just an asteroid not much larger than this that hit earth
and was recovered?

Original Article On NASA's Website:
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news159.html

After Recovery:
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/tc3/

Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_TC3

How big DOES an asteroid have to be to survive entry? It matters at what
velocity and angle it enters I know but... There are other factors to
consider is material or mineral composition, and of course density and size.

So how big was 2008 TC3?

-- 
Regards,
Eric Wichman
Meteorites USA
http://www.meteoritesusa.com
904-236-5394

Received on Wed 29 Apr 2009 12:36:54 PM PDT