Conference on meteorites

An All-Union conference devoted to problems of meteorites has been lately held in Moscow.

So far meteorites are the only bodies of celestial origin that can be readily subjected to immediate laboratory study. Comprehensive meteorite study is highly important for the solution of the problem of the origin of planets, including the earth.

What was the origin of the meteorites? What was their development in time? We seem to be near to the solution of such problems, but the final answer to these questions can hardly be given at present. It is therefore natural that the discussion was centered largely on the origin of meteorites and their role in solar system.

One of the scientists delivered a short report on the origin of chondrules, curious rounded bodies making the bulk of large stone meteorites. He advanced a new hypothesis on the origin of chondrules; they could hardly originate as a result of the disruption of celestial bodies, but are rather themselves the "dust" mass that makes up the protoplanetary cloud, which gives birth to asteroids.

A geochemist from Leningrad presented highly interesting data on meteorites. His research work was based largely on investigating rocks with the help of radioactive isotopes, a method lately developed in the Russia. A member of the Commission on Interplanetary communication told the Conference about precise calculations of the effect of meteorite collision against the hard surface of other planets when traveling at a high speed of several miles per second.

New, highly effective instruments will shortly be ready for use in the man-made earth satellite. They will detect the contact of hard meteoric dust flying near the atmospheric layer and penetrating to our planet from the cosmic space.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-25