New study reveals how space rocks become meteorites

New study reveals how space rocks become meteorites Analysis of the atmospheric passage of 75 meteorite falls identifies seven distinct processes as space rocks melt, fragment and slow before they fall as meteorites PRESS RELEASE DATE August 24, 2026... More

New study reveals how space rocks become meteorites Analysis of the atmospheric passage of 75 meteorite falls identifies seven distinct processes as space rocks melt, fragment and slow before they fall as meteorites PRESS RELEASE DATE August 24, 2026 CONTACT Rebecca McDonald Director of Communications, SETI Institute rmcdonald@seti.org ONLINE Press Release/Image https://tinyurl.com/rze8ytvj A stony meteorite in NASA Ames Research Center’s Arcjet Interaction Heating Facility. A thin black line outlines the holder that supports the stone (left). Air flow is from left to right. Melt flows from the meteorite surface and a thin shock wave is visible in front of the stone. Credit: SETI Institute/ NASA Ames, courtesy of Zev Hoover and Ron Dantowitz, Dexter Southfield Schools/MARS. August 24, 2026, Mountain View, CA – What happens to a space rock as it falls through Earth’s atmosphere and becomes a meteorite? By studying 75 meteorite falls captured on video and in photographs, researchers iden Less