Brenham, Kansas - Houston Museum of Natural Science Meteorite Dig - Use of Ground Penetrating Radar to visualize buried meteor

The Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) brought in the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) and its GPR (ground penetrating radar) experience to reveal the true nature of a potential meteor find before unearthing began. The Lunar and Planetary Institute is developing GPR tools that will be used on future NASA Mars rover missions, mainly to locate possible deep underground water reserves... a necessity to long duration human visits to the planet. The museum also has brought along an excavation team of paleontologists and archeologists that hope to discovery information that can give an idea of the impact trajectory and time of the event.

The Brenham Meteorite Company, who last year found a rather large 1400 pound meteorite in the area, initiated the search with its metal detection techniques. Several possible sites were identified and then the LPI team, using GPR, scanned the sites to determine a clearer picture of what lies beneath. The GPR scan can give a three dimensional image of the object, so the team can determine if the site is worthy of continuing study.

With several possible finds discovered with the metal detection route, the GPR gave a clearer picture of one site, that upon excavation proved to be a meteorite approximately 18 by 13 inches in size weighing in at 154 pounds. It is a rare pallasite type, not the typical iron variety.

After the science team completely unearthed the find it is on its way to the Houston museum and LPI for further study and finally will be put on display in an exhibit called Great Balls of Fire. Home Run Pictures is documenting the dig photographically and then will create animations for an HMNS fulldome planetarium program called What Lies Beneath that will talk about methods scientists use to look below the surface of Earth and other planets, moons or asteroids.

Last year I was part of a team of LPI and French scientists who took the GPR equipment out into the Sahara Dessert of Western Egypt. The Sahara, being an Earth based site close in geological structure to what NASA feels they may encounter on Mars, was a test site to gather data. This Sahara trip will also be featured in the planetarium show Home Run Pictures is creating animation for.

Below are a a few photos and a frame from one animation we have already produced. The photos are in a "fisheye" format, taken with a special camera and lens used to capture imagery used for the fulldome format planetarium programs we create content for.

Comparision of GPR screen image next to final excavated meteorite...

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