. 24/7 Space News .
DEEP IMPACT
Scientists study India's deadly 'meteorite'
by Staff Writers
New Delhi (AFP) Feb 9, 2016


Indian scientists were Tuesday analysing a small blue object, described by local authorities as a meteorite, which fell from the sky and killed a bus driver.

The team from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics was also examining the crater left in the ground by the plummeting object in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

Experts say other explanations are possible for the incident on Saturday. But if proven, it would be the first confirmed death by a meteorite in recorded history, they say.

"Our team has taken samples from the site and the object. It will take a couple of days to determine its origin," a senior official at the institute, who did not want to be named, told AFP.

"As of now we cannot confirm if it is a meteor or not," he said.

The mysterious object struck inside a college campus in Vellore district, shattering window panes of a nearby building and killing the driver who was walking past.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram said Monday the object was a meteorite.

The college principal said he heard an unusual sound on Saturday afternoon and rushed to the spot with other staff.

"There was a very abnormal sound at 12:30 pm and over the sky there was white smoke stripe... I saw one of my drivers badly injured," G. Baskar told the NDTV news channel.

Police said doctors have found rock fragments embedded in the driver's body.

The object, being held by police, adheres to magnets, indicating it is made of metal, authorities have been quoted as saying.

Experts have said the object could be debris from a rocket or a space shuttle.

Meteors are particles of dust and rock that usually burn up as they pass through Earth's atmosphere.

Those that do not burn up completely, surviving the fall to Earth, are known as meteorites.

Indian experts say meteorites sometimes hit the Earth but no deaths have been recorded in recent history.

In February 2013 a meteorite plunged over Russia's Ural Mountains, creating a shockwave that injured 1,200 people and damaged thousands of homes.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Asteroid and Comet Impact Danger To Earth - News and Science






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
DEEP IMPACT
'Meteorite' kills man in south India, authorities say
Chennai, India (AFP) Feb 8, 2016
Indian authorities say a falling object that killed a bus driver and injured three others was a meteorite. If proven, it would be the first such death in recorded history. Experts said other explanations were possible for the incident Saturday in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The impact of the object left a five-foot-deep crater in the ground, according to the Times of India, and sha ... read more


DEEP IMPACT
Edgar Mitchell, astronaut who walked on Moon, dead at 85

The forgotten moon landing that paved the way for today's space adventures

ASU satellite selected for NASA Space Launch System's first flight

Lunar Flashlight selected to fly as secondary payload on Exploration Mission-1

DEEP IMPACT
Opportunity climbing steeper slopes to reach science targets

Opportunity Reaches 12 Years on Mars!

4 people to live in an HERA habitat for 30 days at JSC

Sandy Selfie Sent from NASA Mars Rover

DEEP IMPACT
NASA tests solar sail deployment for asteroid-surveying CubeSat NEA Scout

Mars or the Moon

The Orion Crew Module Pressure Vessel Ready For Testing

Astronaut rescue exercise proves Det. 3 command, control ready to support DoD, NASA

DEEP IMPACT
China Conducts Final Tests on Most Powerful Homegrown Rocket

Last Launch for Long March 2F/G

China aims for the Moon with new rockets

China shoots for first landing on far side of the moon

DEEP IMPACT
Russia to Deliver Three Advanced Spacesuits to ISS in 2016

Russians spacewalk to retrieve biological samples

Russian spacewalk marks end of ESA's exposed space chemistry

New Tool Provides Successful Visual Inspection of ISS Robot Arm

DEEP IMPACT
SpaceX Conducts Hover Tests

SES-9 Launch Targeting Late February

Space Launch System's first flight will launch small Sci-Tech cubesats

Initial launcher assembly clears Ariane 5 for its payload integration process

DEEP IMPACT
Earth-like planets have Earth-like interiors

The frigid Flying Saucer

Astronomers discover largest solar system

Lonely Planet Finds a Mum a Trillion Km Away

DEEP IMPACT
Russia to Debut 3D Printed Armata Tank

Metal oxide sandwiches: New option to manipulate properties of interfaces

A fast solidification process makes material crackle

Researchers discover new phase of boron nitride and a new way to create pure c-BN









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.