An old article: http://bolidechaser.tripod.com/lucerne/drylakes.htm And an email sent me from a guy back east: I found a formula for wind resistance for a spherical object in an old college textbook. Using a shot-put ball (16 pounds is standard I think) which is larger, smoother, and greater or equal density than most meteorites you're likely to find, the terminal velocity is 150 m/s. Terminal velocity is only approached asymptotically, so for the necessary altitude you have to be satisfied with just getting to some particular large fraction of terminal velocity. I made a little basic program and found the following values of drop altitude (above ground level) vs speed at impact. One thing not accounted for is that the formula I found was for sea level air, but the salt flats are at an altitude of several thousand feet, and the trajectory will start several thousand feet above that. altitude impact speed 1876 m (6155 ft) 135 m/s 2297 m (7538 ft) 140 m/s 3000 m (9844 ft) 145 m/s