Summary
In this lesson, you learned about different types of space rocks and some of the forms they can take.
- A meteoroid flying through space becomes a meteor when it enters Earth's atmosphere.
- A meteor becomes a meteorite when it hits the Earth's surface.
- Fun fact: Meteorite rocks are found on Earth and in space!
Hot and cold deserts like those found in Northwest Africa and Antarctica are good spots for finding meteorites.
Astronauts have some challenges to overcome when gathering space rocks for their research, but solutions are available. AI is one of the solutions and the technology is improving every day.
The NASA OSIRIS-REx mission gathers regolith space rock samples from the asteroid Bennu. The mission equipment captures high-quality photos while in orbit. The photos are sent to rock experts on Earth, who analyze features of the photos to gain information about our Solar System.