WE PROTECT EARTH

A.ANDINI, f.LIONETTI , D.PASCALE , L.PERRONE , M. SABELLA

Classe 1 CS

Istituto Istruzione Secondaria Superiore

Francesco Saverio Nitti

• There were, during the years, meteorite impacts on the Earth. The first impact occurred about 4 billionsyears ago and since then there have been others.

• One occurred in 1938 in Illinois, America and another, again in the USA, took place in Peekskill in 1980.

• Ten years later there were two more impacts:.

one in Spain in 1990 and one in Japan in 1995.

• The impacts are generally caused by asteroids, fragments of asteroids and meteorites.

• There are three types of meteorites: those rocky, ferrous and rocky-ferrous ones.

• The first and second ones are very common while the rocky-ferrous meteorites are very rare.

• These «bodies» are very dangerous for us and for the world around (schools, houses, buildings, etc…); in fact, many people were injured because of these «bodies» impact.

In order to understand the damages caused by the impact of meteorites on the Earth, we carried out an experiment with different materials to have a similar impact of a meteorite on the surroundingground.

• In order to develop the simulation of the impact ofmeteorites on the land, we used two containerswe have filled with different materials (flour, sugar)and various objects of circular form which stood formeteorites. Then, we set the heights from whichwe launched those meteorites and we started thesimulation.

• The results of the experiment are reported in the following chart.

TABLE OF EXPERIMENTAL MEAUSUREMENTS

Material Type of

ball

Launch

height

Ball

size

Crater

width

Crater

depth

Flour Ping-pong 1.50m 3.0cm 3.5cm 1.0cm

Flour Orange 1.50m 6.0cm 6.0cm 2.0cm

Flour Gum 1.50m 2.5cm 3.0cm 1.5cm

Flour Sponge 1.50m 4.0cm 4.0cm 1.5cm

Sugar Ping-pong 1.70m 3.0cm 1.0cm 0.5cm

Sugar Ping-pong 1.60m 3.0cm 2.0cm 0.5cm

Sugar Tangerine 1.80m 4.0cm 4.0cm 2.0cm

GRAPH OF EXPERIMENTAL MEASUREMENTS «FLOUR»

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Ping-pong Orange Gum Sponge

launch eight

ball size

crater width

crater depth

00.20.40.60.8

11.21.41.61.8

22.22.42.62.8

33.23.43.63.8

44.2

Ping-pong Ping-pong Tangerine

launch eight

ball size

crater widht

crater depth

GRAPH OF EXPERIMENTAL MEASUREMENTS «SUGAR»

Thanks to our experiment, we have understood thatmeteorite craters will be of variable width an depth, depending on the size and material of the meteorite

itself.

• The possibility that a meteorite hits the Earth in a short time are few.

• According to scholars, a good metod to detectspace objects that could collide on the Earth, issending satellites around the orbit of the Earth to alert researchers in case of a meteorite approaching.

• American scientists are discussing about the way to help protect the Earth from possible impacts with meteorites.

• American scholars, an observatory in Arizona are considering the possibility of building a space shield.

• The «space shield» program that has been begun in the observatory in Arizona, has shown that the NEO can be detected at a certain distance from the ground.

• With the use of large telescopes, the distance within which we can see these bodies, can increase.

• Space shield program should provide for a system of six telescopes, each one with a diameter of 2.5 cm, which can monitor 6000 square degrees of sky.

• This program could help protect the Earth from many meteorites and prevent global disaster.

THANKSAlessia, Francesco, Davide, Lorenzo, Mario