Simulating meteorite impacts - an outdoor field experiment
Felix Bettonvil (Royal Netherlands Association for Meteorology and Astronomy (KNVWS), Universiteit Leiden)
S.J. de Vet (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering, Royal Netherlands Association for Meteorology and Astronomy (KNVWS))
Gert Jan Netjes (Royal Netherlands Association for Meteorology and Astronomy (KNVWS))
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Abstract
We report on the design of a meteorite impact simulator and evaluate the first results. Artificial meteorites were dropped on the ground with realistic terminal velocities. The soil disturbance and impact pit remained recognizable for approximately 3 months. These experiments foster our understanding of impact dynamics in soft deformable top soils, and contribute observables to improve the success rate of meteorite search campaigns.