We need very much to study meteorites more, but we need more sampling to get this done. One way to do this is to go out hunting for meteorites. This is much easier said than done. But perhaps using some current technology it will not be quite so hard. For instance AFF Automated flight following systems has been used for more than a decade now. It uses GPS tracking by satellite to guide aerial fire fighting aircraft into the drop zone to let loose of their fire retardant. This is especially important when you cannot see and know that there is no ILS Instrument Landing System to guide you in. We also have GPS systems which are used in construction with way points for heavy equipment, along with GIS they can do leveling with graders and scrapers almost without people involved. We also have robotic small tractors, which are being developed for use by Sandia Labs. Yet much of this technology is now; off the shelf technology. Take for instance the; Kanga D800R Radio Controlled Skidder. This could easily be used in conjunction with the AFF systems and GIS/GPS satellite tracking. http://www.baumpub.com/publications/arc/heg_05apr/kanga.htm You can actually buy one of these for your backyard. Now realize each meteorite has an electromagnetic signature which is different than Earth and it also has a metallic component which makes it easy to detect. On top of that it is a different color. So sensors to pick up these difference could be loaded onto the Kanga units and they could be set out in a grid pattern of 3 meters apart and simple scan the entire desert for meteorites. There are vasts amounts of meteorites, which are simply laying on the ground waiting for discovery and we need these to help us learn about other worlds. By using current technology we can collect all the meteorites available to us. Think on this. |
