(meteorobs) Artificial meteor experiment

[Richard Kramer]

I don't understand the conclusion that living organisms could not 
survive a reentry. Isn't it true that these simulated meteors would 
have been subjected to high temperatures considerably longer than 
would be the case with a natural meteor? If so, then the conclusion 
that the heating would destroy all life up to 2 cm deep in the rock 
would probably not apply to a natural meteor. Or is there something 
that I'm overlooking?

At 10:46 AM 10/1/2008, Thomas Ashcraft wrote:

>Of possible interest to those interested in
>meteoroids/meteors/meteorites that may be carrying living organisms.
>
>
>http://www.astrobio.net/news/article2889.html
>
>"In 1999, ESA created the first artificial meteorite experiment in
>space, STONE-1, which tested the effects of entry into the Earth's
>atmosphere on samples of igneous and sedimentary rock as well as a
>simulated sample of martian regolith. Since then, further STONE
>experiments have tested the effects on different rock types and
>biological traces. During descent, the re-entry capsule reaches a
>velocity of 7.6 kilometres per second, slightly lower than normal
>meteorite velocities of 12-15 kilometres per second. "
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