--- Jim Gibson <xajax99@yahoo.com> wrote:
David I believe meteors have to have a certain mass before they make it all the way to earth without burning up all of their material. Perhaps if the shuttle had decenagrated any sooner, there is a good chance nothing would have made it.
It's a combination of speed, mass, and composition that determine if a meteor becomes a meteorite. Micro-meteorites lose speed fast, and essentially float down from around 200,000 ft. relatively unscathed. Some meteroites can travel over 70,000 mph relative to the earth, and Columbia was doing what, say around 15,000? But even assuming that a piece of debris didn't burn-up completely, and made it all the way down, if it got caught in the jetstream it could have been carried hundreds of miles off the flight path. Then, dropping out of the jetstream, it would have been at the mercy of winds nearer the surface, which might have been blowing in a completely different direction. IMO, looking for debris west of Texas would be the act of the ultimate optimist. Not saying it's not there, but it will be as hard to find as winning the lottery. Someone in authority said weeks ago that it could take up to two years or more to recover all the debris that IS recoverable. Eventually weathering will take it's toll, and some pieces will never be found. Sooner or later the investigation team will have to make a decision based on what they have in-hand. C. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Send Flowers for Valentine's Day http://shopping.yahoo.com