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To: ROCKLOBSTER
If it passed a fraction of an inch from his hand without hitting it, wouldn’t the same injury have happened to him?

Yes, but then it should not have been described as having 'bounced off his hand'

26 posted on 06/12/2009 4:38:37 AM PDT by Erik Latranyi (Too many conservatives urge retreat when the war of politics doesn't go their way.)
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To: Erik Latranyi
Yes, but then it should not have been described as having 'bounced off his hand'

Correct. NO WAY this was traveling at 30K MPH when it hit him. Even if it came close and the shock wave is what hurt him (as some have suggested)...a rock the size of a pea traveling at 30K will vaporize on impact. An object that size traveling at 30K MPH contains 900K joules of energy...which equates to about a 1/2 lb of exposives when it hits the ground.

49 posted on 06/12/2009 6:30:53 AM PDT by NELSON111
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To: Erik Latranyi
Yes, but then it should not have been described as having 'bounced off his hand'

That's just poor journalism. They also should not have called the object that hit him a meteorite either. It does not become a meteorite until in hits the ground and comes to rest to be found as a rock or chuck of metal in or on the ground. While moving, it's a meteor.

If I knew the weight of the meteorite, and assuming the 30K mph, I could calculate the inertia of the meteor at the time it impacted his hand. However, I doubt the 30K mph figure. While it was probably still faster than the speed of sound (the report says that he heard the sound a split seconds after the impact), which is 671 mph, it was probably still faster than terminal velocity, which should be about 170 - 200 mph, depending on the density of the meteor.

Given that it was found not too deep in the ground and only did minimal damage to the soil, I suspect it is a very light, rocky meteorite and not iron/nickel.

78 posted on 06/13/2009 2:53:14 PM PDT by Swordmaker (Remember, the proper pronunciation of IE is "AAAAIIIIIEEEEEEE!)
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