Have you ever played with a gyroscope? They’re pretty fascinating little gadgets. Gyroscopes can do things that we don’t see in any other objects. Here’s a video showing some kids doing tricks with their gyroscope. See if you can spot what it is that seems so strange about gyroscopes.
Chillaxed? Me too. Loved that swanky bossa nova music.
What does a gyroscope do that a regular toy top can’t? Did you see the gyroscope defying gravity by floating in mid air horizontally as it spun on a base? That’s what makes a gyroscope so special. This gravity defying effect is called precession. Here is a video by YouTuber, adambarito. It is also especially soothing and features some splendid sideburns and snarky ‘tude:
(He’s a growing boy. Very hungry.)
You will see a lot of bicycle wheels during demonstrations of gyroscopic effects. Surprisingly, the gyroscopic effect is not the reason that we are able to stay upright on our bikes when we ride them. Dr. Hugh Hunt has a web page describing his experiment to find out if the gyroscopic effect is responsible for keeping bikes upright. Go check it out.
This positively soporific video introduces you to some of the physics involved in the otherwise unusual behavior of the gyroscope.
As you saw there gyroscopes are often used in aviation for stability.
Helicopters, unlike bicycles, are heavily influenced by the gyroscopic effect. Helicopters have huge gyroscopes in the form of their rotors spinning on them and must account for the gyroscopic effect when maneuvering. Smarter Every Day has this awesome video explaining why navigating helicopters can be so tricky. As you will see, the gyroscopic effect doesn’t always make intuitive sense.
I’m awake and 90 degrees out of phase now! It was great the way they got their bike wheel up to speed by holding it up to the back wheel of their bike as they cranked the pedal.
Finally, if it is extreme, cutting-edge gyroscoping you crave to get you going and alert, program and sync up your flying gyroscopes like the folks from University of Pennsylvania’s GRASP lab:
The heading of the want ad of your dreams right? Many of us can’t think of a more prestigious job. Adventure! Exploration! Guts! Glory!
NASA recently posted just such a want ad for astronaut candidates as seen here. Even though you may not qualify (yet) and the open period to apply ended on midnight EST Friday January 27, 2012, do not despair. NASA will need to train another group of new astronauts every so often. You are bound to see a listing like this again in the future. Until that time, this is your golden opportunity to check out what NASA is looking for in an International Space Station crew member and tailor your study and career goals toward working in space.
WHO MAY BE CONSIDERED:
This announcement is open to all qualified U.S. citizens.
Okay, if you want to work for NASA in this job you have to be a U.S. citizen. However, many other countries have space programs and now there are increasing numbers of commercial space companies that will need astronauts and cosmonauts as well. Having many of the qualifications listed below for the NASA Astronaut Candidate Program will help give you the skills necessary to become an astronaut for a country other than the U.S. or as a commercial astronaut.
This guy could be your astroboss. Vrooooom, Mr. Branson, sir. Vrooooom!
NASA, the world’s leader in space and aeronautics is always seeking outstanding scientists, engineers, and other talented professionals to carry forward the great discovery process that its mission demands. Creativity. Ambition. Teamwork. A sense of daring. And a probing mind. That’s what it takes to join NASA, one of the best places to work in the Federal Government.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has a need for Astronaut Candidates to support the International Space Station (ISS) Program and future deep space exploration activities.
Active duty military personnel are eligible to apply for this position. In addition to applying through USAJobs, active duty military personnel must also submit their application through their respective military service. Military points of contacts can be found at Astronaut Candidate Program.
NASA says they are looking for talented professional people like engineers and scientists. You will need to study science, engineering, and mathematics in school and consider specializing in something in those fields that will be useful as an astronaut. Astrophysics, space medicine, exobiology/astrobiology, and engineering with a specialty in manned space flight are all good suggestions of careers that will make you a desirable astronaut candidate.
Military a plus, but not required. There has been a long tradition of astronauts coming from the military especially the Air Force. Military astronauts have already undergone training to endure and perform under extreme conditions like the ones they will experience as astronauts. Many have flown as high-performance aviators and have worked with cutting-edge technology during their time in the military.
DUTIES:
Astronauts are involved in all aspects of assembly and on-orbit operations of the ISS. This includes extravehicular activities (EVA), robotics operations using the remote manipulator system, experiment operations, and onboard maintenance tasks. Astronauts are required to have a detailed knowledge of the ISS systems, as well as detailed knowledge of the operational characteristics, mission requirements and objectives, and supporting systems and equipment for each experiment on their assigned missions.
In brief, you will be using special equipment to perform experiments and gather scientific data. You need to know how to operate and keep that equipment in good working order. You will know how to maintain *everything* inside and outside the space station that keeps it running normally. (or die)
Long-duration missions aboard the ISS generally last from 3 to 6 months. Training for long duration missions is very arduous and takes approximately 2 to 3 years. This training requires extensive travel, including long periods away in other countries training with our international partners. Travel to and from the ISS will be aboard the Russian Soyuz vehicle. Consequently, astronauts must meet the Soyuz size requirements, as indicated below. Additional information about the position can be found at Astronaut Candidate Program.
Frequent travel may be required. Astronauts are away from home a lot. It can be a drag.
The book Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Voidby Mary Roach relates the many reasons that being in space is stressful physically, mentally, and socially on astronauts. It’s an eye-opening book that convinced me that I would have made a terrible astronaut. (Let’s just say that I’m easily annoyed.)
You have to be in good health and in top physical shape to be an astronaut. Our bodies did not evolve to live for months in weightlessness. All of your muscles, including your heart, will atrophy in zero gravity. It’s important to blast off in peak condition. Be prepared to have to work out all of the time for your job.
QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:
Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements before submitting an application.
1. Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in engineering, biological science, physical science, or mathematics. Quality of academic preparation is important.
Notes on Academic Requirements:
Applicants for the Astronaut Candidate Program must meet the basic education requirements for NASA engineering and scientific positions, specifically: successful completion of standard professional curriculum in an accredited college or university leading to at least a bachelor’s degree with major study in an appropriate field of engineering, biological science, physical science, or mathematics.
The following degree fields are not considered qualifying:
–Degrees in Technology (Engineering Technology, Aviation Technology, Medical Technology, etc.)
–Degrees in Psychology (except for Clinical Psychology, Physiological Psychology, or Experimental Psychology, which are qualifying)
–Degrees in Nursing
–Degrees in Exercise Physiology or similar fields
–Degrees in Social Sciences (Geography, Anthropology, Archaeology, etc.)
–Degrees in Aviation, Aviation Management, or similar fields”
It is great that they included a list of degree fields that they DON’T want. Don’t waste your time with these if your goal is to be a NASA astronaut.
“2. Degree followed by at least 3 years of related, progressively responsible, professional experience OR at least 1,000 hours pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft. An advanced degree is desirable and may be substituted for experience as follows: master’s degree = 1 year of experience, doctoral degree = 3 years of experience. Teaching experience, including experience at the K – 12 levels, is considered to be qualifying experience for the Astronaut Candidate position; therefore, educators are encouraged to apply.
Over and above the 4-year bachelor degree in the right kind of science, engineering, or mathematics from #1 you must have an additional 3 years of solid professional work in your scientific, engineering, or mathematics field OR have over 1,000 hours experience in piloting jets. In other words, it would be a good plan to get a degree from a good university and then join the air force and fly advanced aircraft. Do you think you can swing that?
You can also continue your education by getting a master’s degree or PhD. However, you are only given credit for 1 year’s worth of experience for a master’s degree. Most people do their masters degree in about 2 years. If after your masters degree you go on to get a doctorate you only get 3 years in experience points. NASA appears to value practical professional success and 1,000 hours of piloting jets over advanced academic degrees.
It looks like if you are a teacher with at least 3 years of teaching kids or teenagers you qualify. However, I’d make sure that you rate in some of the other areas, as well.
From the above list of criteria it sounds like the impossibly perfect candidate would be a successful engineering entrepreneur with college diploma who sold her company to fly jet fighters for the military for a while, and now teaches high school mathematics.
3. Ability to pass the NASA long-duration space flight physical, which includes the following specific requirements:
Distant and near visual acuity: Must be correctable to 20/20, each eye
The refractive surgical procedures of the eye, PRK and LASIK, are allowed, providing at least 1 year has passed since the date of the procedure with no permanent adverse after effects. For those applicants under final consideration, an operative report on the surgical procedure will be requested.
Blood pressure not to exceed 140/90 measured in a sitting position
Standing height between 62 and 75 inches.
Notes on Space Flight Physical Requirements:
Since all crew members will be expected to fly aboard the Soyuz vehicle and perform Extravehicular Activities (space walks), applicants must meet the anthropometric requirements for both the Soyuz vehicle and the extravehicular activity mobility unit (space suit). Applicants brought in for interview will be evaluated to ensure they meet the anthropometric requirements.
In addition to being an accomplished scientifically-minded professional who is also a jet pilot, you need to be healthy and have good vision. You can’t be shorter than five feet and two inches or taller than six feet and three inches. The Soyuz spacecraft will take someone as short 4’11″ per the table at spaceref.com, so I’m assuming that the minimum of five feet and two inches requirement is necessary to wear a space suit.
You will have to pass a swimming test during the first month of training.
You must pass periodic drug tests.
You must pass a background check.
Evaluation and training will take about 2 years before you are an astronaut.
If you are male, make sure you register for the draft.
If you still want to be an astronaut after reading NASA’s job listing, I strongly recommend again that you read Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Voidby Mary Roach. The book cuts through the glamor and glory of space exploration to give the reader the day-to-day challenges of the astronaut experience. It’s not all moonwalks and zero gravity hijinks. If you are one of the lucky astronauts ever chosen for a space mission, a good day will be exhausting, dirty, smelly, cramped, dangerous, and sickening. But…you, YOU will be exploring space and it will all be worth it.
Hooray! Science hasn’t figured everything out yet. There is more to discover and explore about the world. The funny thing is, though, that when we don’t have an explanation for something it can seem pretty spooky. For example, our minds and bodies can do something very mysterious. Sometimes our bodies can be fooled into getting better when we are sick or in pain without proven treatment or even real surgery. A fake remedy for a physical or mental complaint is known as a placebo and placebo effect is what happens when the fake remedy actually works to make someone feel better.
For example, imagine that someone who suffers from headaches is given a prescription for sugar pills (sugar isn’t a medicine (you knew that)). She takes the sugar pill like an aspirin for a headache and the headache goes away.
Placebo researchers aren’t sure why placebos work. It could be because the medical problem was almost over anyway or that people are used to having medical problems relieved by pills, so the very act of taking a pill or getting a shot causes it to go away. Other researchers say that it is the belief or expectation that the treatment is going to help that causes our bodies to trigger a cascade of processes related to being treated and cured. Others suggest that going through the motions of seeking a remedy to a complaint is responsible for some relief. The coolest thing about the placebo effect is that even though it is unexplained and mysterious at this time, it is real and well-documented.
This video shows a dramatic example of the placebo effect:
This is like getting scientific proof of the benefits of witch doctoring. The actof going through the motion of invasive knee surgery was enough to relieve this man’s agonizing knee pain.
Don’t worry, surgeons in most countries are not allowed to pretend to operate on you unless you give them permission.
The placebo effect works enough under certain conditions to make it a very intriguing field of study. Perhaps someday soon the placebo effect can be used to relieve a percentage of minor health complaints. Maybe it could save people money, minimize side effects and drug interactions.
I already use a placebo a few times a week. My personal pet placebo has NEVER, EVER* been trashed by science for it is the one-true-most-effective-placebo-of-all-time. There is lots of evidence to support that my one-true-most-effective-placebo-of-all-time contributes to optimal health. I exercise. Over and above the scientifically verified benefits of exercise, I might be AM DEFINITELY enjoying an extra placebo kick of well being. Yes. Plus, it gives me a youthful glow, don’t you think?
Here is Ben Goldacre discussing the current findings of research into the placebo effect, as well as the ethics surrounding the use of placebos:
He also did a two-part radio program on placebos that you can find here.
I also recommendBad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks by Ben Goldacre. It has a whole chapter on the placebo effect. This book is also a very good easy-to-read primer on using the scientific method to weed out bad solutions to health problems.
…How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Near Earth Objects
On November 8, 2011, you probably heard or read the news that an asteroid, 2005 YU55, flew between the Earth and the Moon. If you haven’t seen it yet, here is a little animation of images of the asteroid from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. These pictures were taken when the object was getting close to the Earth on November 7, 2011. 2005 YU55 is about the size of an aircraft carrier.
Asteroids and other near Earth objects or NEOs are a concern because when they hit the Earth they do a lot of damage. Sometimes they cause catastrophic damage. For example, a giant asteroid is theorized to have hit the Earth causing so much devastation that it caused many of the life forms on Earth at the time, including the dinosaurs, to become extinct as a result. 2005 YU55 is just one of thousands of known near earth objects or NEOs that NASA’s Near Earth Object Program and other groups are watching closely.
Drawing by Josh Armstrong. Color & design by Tom McKay Price
Dr. Phil Plait is an astronomer and author of Death from the Skies!: These Are The Ways The World Will End. In this book he pretty much lists many of the ways that the universe in which we live can kill us and the odds of these events happening. Fortunately, the odds of these things happening in our lifetime are fairly low. (phew) Unfortunately, there is still a chance. So it’s a good idea for us to find things like near Earth objects that might some day hit the Earth and figure out a way to prevent them from turning our planet into a lifeless, molten ball of fiery lava. (whimper)
Phil Plait comes to the rescue by outlining a plan for preventing asteroid impacts in his awesome Ted Talk here.
Thanks, Bad Astronomer! You’ve saved the day!
Phil Plait writes the Bad Astronomy blog here. Almost every day, he points out new wonders of astronomy including gorgeous images of the universe and planetary aspects of the Earth.
By the way, ted.com is a site that is full of great, cutting-edge ideas in science and many other topics from the most brilliant people in a variety of fields. I encourage everyone to browse TED and enjoy the videos for their progressive and inspiring messages.
Photo of Dean Kamen, founder of FIRST, robot, and Will.i.am, FIRST enthusiast, via ABC
If you are an American middle or high school student YOU can build a real robot by joining your high school’s FIRST robotics team. If your school doesn’t have one, you need to pester the science and technology teachers to start one. Send them to www.usfirst.org.
FIRST, also i.am.FIRST, is a national annual robot build and design competition for high school students. Students start with a robot kit with no instruction manual and a task their robot needs to perform. With the help of a team mentor, the teams use their combined skills to rise to the challenge of assembling and programming their robot. Through innovation, cooperation, and problem solving the kids work to make the best performing robot they can. The teams compete on a local level and then winners move up to nationals for the super robot smackdown and killer party as seen in the following video about i.am.FIRST and the 2011 finalists.
Robot partay!
You and your team will gain experience in engineering, design, electronics, programming, problem solving, communication, team building and fashion.
In the video, I heard one of the team mentors say that the kids needed to use their language skills to apply for grants (donations of money) as well. I can’t think of a better way to acquire and use such a wide variety of valuable life skills while having a blast with friends.
Kids in the FIRST program have an awesome cheerleader, the super talented Will.i.am, of the pop group Black Eyed Peas. Will.i.am is a passionate promoter of science and technology education. He paid for and produced the i.am.FIRST program televised on ABC in the United States. He understands that the valuable the hands-on science and technical experience gained from building a robot can give kids a leg up on a better future. He rocks and rules.
We promised you adventures in science. This is a good one if you can make it through the first few minutes, because it is the most disgusting but fascinating science show we have ever seen. If you don’t wimp out, you’ll get to see something amazing and rare—the inside of a dead sperm whale.
Before watching “Sperm Whale” _Inside Nature’s Giants_ make sure you have an empty stomach and are sitting down.
Ready?
Mwah-ha-ha-ha. Let the torture begin.
SPOILERS BELOW!
W
H
A
L
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That is Professor Joy Reidenberg slipping around in that whale’s guts and cutting its eyeball apart for us to see. She is a comparative anatomist which is someone who studies and compares the structure or parts of different animals. In the video, she uses her knowledge of comparative anatomy to safely dissect and study this poor whale adding to our knowledge of whales. She is amazing.
“Sperm Whale” _Inside Nature’s Giants_ is another great BBC science program. It has also been broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the U.S. Look for it and the rest of the programs from the _Inside Nature’s Giants_ series featuring elephant, python, and giant squid.
A breach and wave of the flipper to Ed Yong who recommended the show @edyong209 on Twitter.
A couple of weeks ago 18-y.o. Stephen Thomas uploaded a video of his high school physics presentation to YouTube and it went viral. He’s taken his favorite show, My Little Pony, and with his knowledge of physics determined whether some of the ponies’ adventures and misadventures were possible. He did a pretty good job.
Even though Stephen Thomas debunked the Sonic Rainboom *whimper*, One Giant Leap of Awesome names him an
At explainthatstuff.com there is a great explanation of magnetism and magnetic fields for kids by Chris Woodford. If you read that first you will get more out of this post. At the bottom of this post I’ve included a link to a more advanced video on magnetic fields from khanacademy.org for those who want a more detailed explanation.
Now let’s play…
Let’s explore the magnetic field or region of space around magnets in which the magnetic force occurs to get some insight into what it is like and how it works. Most of the time magnetic fields are invisible to our eyes. The demonstrations in the following videos help us to see the lines and curves of force of magnetic fields around different types of magnets.
First is this video from funlearners channel on YouTube:
Here we can see some slices through the magnetic field with all of the little compass pointers on the plexiglass lining up. Plus we can see that the magnetic field changes shape with the two differently shaped magnets. You really get a sense of the 3-D shape of the field when the bar magnet is in the middle and the man spins the viewer.
Here is a 3-D magnetic field viewer by wbeaty that you can make yourself:
Easy peasy! Try not to touch the steel wool slivers that you cut off too much. Instead of picking them up with your fingers just cut them over a sheet paper and then pour them into the bottle down the crease of the paper folded in two. Also, rinse your fingers after working with the steel wool to avoid nasty metal slivers in your skin or eyes.
Experiment with your 3-D magnetic field viewer using one, two or more magnets. Try different shapes and types of magnets to see if and how the fields differ. Carry your viewer around the house and see if you can spot a hidden magnetic field. Then try to figure out what is causing it.
This video from KJMagneticsProducts is what happens when you stick a powerful magnet into magnetic paint:
That magnet is going to be hard to get clean again. That paint is wet, but the particles of iron pile up on each other in the shape of the lines and curves of the magnetic field until it looks solid. There are many videos on the internet showing ferrofluids, which are liquids that become strongly magnetized by a magnetic field. Ferrofluids display the beautiful geometries and movement of magnetic fields. We will revisit ferrofluids in a future post on OGLoA. Until then, go look them up. You won’t be sorry!
For the older kids, if you have an old-style computer monitor just lying around, research how it can be made into a magnetic field viewer. Get permission from your parents first! Here is a great one featured in this video by YoungTesla:
Move over LavaLite, we’re going to make one for parties! YoungTesla has three magnet/computer monitor experiments on his YouTube channel and lots more. Check it out.
As promised here is more on magnets and magnetic fields from KhanAcademy.org:
Here you can see our rock sticking to a powerful rare earth magnet that we have on the fridge.
We found this rock with a metal detector in our neighborhood in suburban Chicago about three or four years ago. We have been having fun arguing over whether it is a meteorite ever since.
Fortunately for us, a new T.V. series called Meteorite Men started on the Science Channel a year and a half ago. The show follows two meteorite hunters, Geoff Notkin and Steve Arnold, as they go on expeditions to suspected or known meteorite impact sites. The show is always an adventure with Geoff and Steve suffering freezing cold, deadly heat, threat of rattlesnakes or unexploded bombs on a military base as seen in a recent episode.
The Meteorite Men designed many pieces of their equipment themselves. They invented a way to make giant metal detectors to drag behind their truck or ATV to cover more ground. They have rare earth magnets attached to sticks that attract small meteorites or fragments. In a recent episode, Orange County Choppers constructed the ultimate meteorite hunting ATV for the Meteorite Men complete with GPS, winch, laptop clamps, metal detectors and many more features. Sweeeet!
Here’s an excerpt from that episode with the bike!
Let’s not forget the science. The show is all about looking for rocks from outer space that have fallen to Earth. The Meteorite Men have been studying space rocks for years and are really good at spotting meteorites but sometimes—like our rock attached to the fridge– they are just not sure and they consult an expert meteorite scientist to identify a find. The expert carefully follows a series of steps and performs tests on the rock. If the rock fails the tests—it is not a meteorite.
We contacted the Meteorite Men a few months ago about our possible meteorite. We asked them for a series of tests that we could perform at home to test our rock. They told us that everything we need to know about meteorite identification is on their web site here:
So we followed the link and started to read and check out our rock.
CHARACTERISTICS OF METEORITES
“Attraction to a magnet.”
As you can see from the picture of our rock it can be suspended above the ground with a rare earth magnet. However! It falls off very easily. Hmm.
“Weight. Meteorites are dense; they will feel heavier than Earth rocks.”
Our rock only feels slightly heavier than a normal rock. Not sure.
“Fusion crust. Recently fallen meteorites will exhibit fusion crust. This is a thin black rind, sometimes shiny, sometimes matte black, which is acquired during burning in the atmosphere. A freshly fallen stone meteorite will look much like a charcoal briquette. Even stone meteorites that have been on the Earth for a long time usually retain some fusion crust and almost always appear much darker than ordinary rocks.”
Our rock does not appear to have a fusion crust.
“Surface features. Meteorites, especially irons, often acquire “regmaglypts” (thumbprints) caused when their surface melts during flight. Stone meteorites sometimes display regmaglypts too, but they are not as well defined as in irons. Meteorites, particularly irons, may also show angular features such as points and ridges, and also flowlines which are caused by melting.”
Our rock doesn’t look like it has any flowlines. It has some jagged areas, but that could be from regular breakage. Our rock doesn’t have regmaglypts. This doesn’t look good for our rock, does it?
“Metallic flakes. Nearly all stone meteorites contain small, bright metallic flakes. These are tiny pieces of extra-terrestrial iron and nickel. You can usually see them after slicing off a small piece, or removing a corner with a bench grinder.”
We didn’t do this test because we don’t have a bench grinder.
“Chondrules. Small, colorful, grain like spheres which occur in most stone meteorites, hence the name of these meteorites—chondrites. Chondrites are the most common type of meteorite. Chondrules are not found in earth rocks.”
Our rock has a grainy texture on the surface, but we think we would need to cut it open to know for sure if the grains were chondrules. We haven’t done that because we don’t have a bench grinder.
Rust or patina. Meteorites which have been on the Earth for a long time will likely start to rust, or – in dry desert environments – acquire a “patina” caused by oxidation. The natural patina of irons is often yellow/ochre, red, or orange.
Yes. Our rock has a slight ochre patina. We washed most of it off when we wet the rock to see the surface grain.
TESTS-How to determine if you have a genuine meteorite
“Visual Inspection. Does your rock exhibit any of the characteristics discussed above?”
Our rock is magnetic, slightly heavier than usual, has small grains, and an ochre patina. It does not have a fusion crust, regmaglypts, or flowlines. We don’t see any shiny metal flakes on the surface and don’t have a bench grinder to look inside for metal flakes.
“The Magnet Test. Please remember, a meteorite will stick easily to a good magnet. If your rock does not adhere to a powerful magnet you almost certainly do not have a meteorite. There are many Earth rocks that also stick to magnets, so if your specimen adheres to a magnet it is not automatically a meteorite, but it’s a step in the right direction.”
Our rock can be suspended by a magnet, but it falls off easily.
“The Streak Test. Iron oxides like hematite and magnetite are the Earth rocks most frequently mistaken for meteorites. They are moderately heavy (not nearly as heavy as iron meteorites) and appear metallic in composition. Some specimens will stick to a magnet. If you think you have an iron meteorite, here’s an easy test you can perform at home: Take your rock sample and scrape it against the coarse (unglazed) face of a white bathroom tile, just like you were drawing on a blackboard with a piece of chalk. If your rock leaves a reddish or rust-colored streak on the tile it is likely hematite. If it leaves a dark gray streak it is likely magnetite. This test only works on iron meteorites (not stones). A genuine iron meteorite will typically leave NO STREAK, or possibly a grayish mark. Please note that the streak test only work on iron meteorites.”
We drew on a white bathroom tile with some force with our rock and got a very faint gray line.
“The Nickel Test. Most meteorites contain a significant percentage of nickel and iron. Naturally occurring Earth rocks do not, so if your specimen tests positive for nickel it may be a meteorite. Kits that test for nickel can be purchased via the internet, or you can take your rock to a lab that assays (tests) for various mineral components.”
We haven’t done this test yet. We need to order a kit.
Here is a video showing more tips on how to identify a possible meteorite via the Meteorite Times Magazine.
“…but the cold hard truth, is less than one percent, one percent! is actually going to be a meteorite.”
At this point, we still don’t know for sure if we have a meteorite or a meteor-wrong. It is most likely that we have an Earth rock, perhaps a piece of magnetite, and didn’t do the scratch test correctly. In the near future we will do the nickel test and then the Window Test as described in the video above. If we are still uncertain, then we will send our rock to a meteorite expert for a definite answer.
