A hundred miles south of Tuba City on I-40 is where a meteor hit and splashed a hole in the ground a mile across and knocked out everything for a hundred miles.

Geologists from all over go there because it is the best-preserved meteor site on Earth. And because the terrain is very much like the Moon and other planets, NASA sends astronauts there to learn crater mechanics, geology of impact structure, how to sample strata and see how changes occur when big impact.

AURA

Big ugly hole in the ground.

SINE

It's big. And empty. It's where some of earth used to be. You had to be there. Except you would not notice it because it happened in an instant with nothing left. Except the hole. You and it would be only a memory. Even with 50,000 years hindsight, it did not seem like a meteor made it. Because of erosion. - Scientists at 50,000 years later finally figured out what happened. (And scientists very smart! Ask Aura.) But at least with new knowledge we' are finding many other meteor craters on this little blue ball. They are not as clear, because erosion. But big enough: Vredevert Ring in South Africa 130 miles diameter but 250 million years old. And numerous enough: Sikhote-Alin group of 200 craters and pits in Siberia from 1947 meteor shower. But, erosion.

CORONADO

You might as well be talking in Chinese to me.

AURA

The way Sine talks you’d think it’s time for another one. - Which reminds me: where’s my hat?

SINE

On my head. It is good the National Parks Service made this crater a Landmark to get people to look. It helps make people understand it is not a bad idea to be on some other planets also, just in case. Their museum, lectures and movies help too.

AURA

If we start living on the moon I can see from the pictures you’ve shown me that the Park Service will run out of Landmark signs.

SINE

For now this is one of very few places the astronauts can really comprehend where they going. Meteor Crater Museum there has a one thousand pound meteorite you can see and touch. Even I touched that one. I tell people: It is only 35 miles east of Flagstaff on I-40. So, like Aura says: Go dig it.

●Meteor Crater - Intro

●Figuring it out

●Hours, Admission

●10 day weather forecast