Meteor Crater Blog

Hi - Kim here. This month our “Hot Off the Press” is an article called “Vesta Likely Cold and Dark Enough for Ice.” Previously in this blog you have heard about Vesta, a large body in the asteroid belt currently being studied. New information about this fascinating asteroid has recently been released. Vesta is considered dry, however “…roughly half of the giant asteroid Vesta is expected to be so cold and to receive so little sunlight that water ice could have survived there for billions of years…”

Hi – Kim here. The folks here at Meteor Crater all thought an impact 65 million years ago killed the dinosaurs, but we were wrong. Today we had one stop by with his human traveling companion. Unfortunately the dinosaur could not come in, but his companion told us he was a good traveler and didn’t eat much. Like we say, you never know what you will see here at Meteor Crater.

Hi – Kim here. While visiting Meteor Crater you might notice the rocks have something growing on them. What you see are lichens. The University of California website (http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/) tells us that “Lichens are unusual creatures. A lichen is not a single organism the way most other living things are, but rather it is a combination of two organisms which live together intimately.” So when you see these on the rock remember -  They’re alive!

Hi- Kim here. Happy New Year! This month our “Hot Off the Press” is an article called “New App Helps NASA Keep Track Meteoroids.” Did you know that over 40 tons of meteoroids strike our planet every day? You might say “WOW! That’s a lot but what can I do about it?” If you have an iPhone, iPad, or iPod you can help NASA track them with their new App. It lets you register brightness and even make comments. To read the entire article and find where to download the App go to: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/13dec_meteorcounter/

Hi-Kim here. This week we didn’t just have human visitors – we had PF (Pink Flamingo) stop by with his human traveling companions. They tell me he wanted to fly south for the winter. It was fun having them all here. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all.

Hi- Kim here. At Meteor Crater we are all ready for the holidays. We want to wish everyone the very best Season Greetings and a very Merry Christmas.

Hi – Kim here. Want to learn more about Meteor Crater? Space.com published an article entitled “Meteor Crater Helps Unlock Planetary History” by Leonard David. The article discusses such things as astronaut training here at Meteor Crater. You can read the article at: http://www.space.com/13868-barringer-meteor-crater-arizona-science-planets.html  also...

Hi – Kim here. This month our "Hot Off the Press" has two articles that discuss the mysterious Geminid meteor shower which is due to peak on Dec.13^th.  Most meteor showers come from comets but the Geminid shower comes from an object called 3200 Phaethon; an object that acts more like an asteroid and doesn’t shed enough debris to explain the Geminid shower. The articles names are: “The Geminids: Meteors from the Twilight Zone” and “Geminid Meteor Shower Defies Explanation.” You can find these articles on the following websites:

Hi – Kim here. The BBC and the Discovery Channel were at Meteor Crater this week filming their new documentary “Earth’s Wild Ride.” It’s about the trip our Earth takes around our Sun. Be sure to watch for it.

Hi - Kim here. Did you know that most of the Apollo Astronauts that trained here were military men as well? Thank you, all veterans for your service.