Mysterious object that shook Texas last week identified as a likely meteorite by NASA
CBSN
A mysterious object that crashed into Texas last week has been identified as a meteorite. NASA experts believe the object weighed a whopping 1,000 pounds as it hurtled toward Earth last week, before breaking into pieces and landing near McAllen, Texas in the southern part of the state near its border with Mexico.
The meteor traveled at about 27,000 miles per hour, according to NASA Meteor Watch, which posted about the meteorite on Facebook. The angle and speed at which it entered the atmosphere and weather radar imagery helped NASA determine the object was likely a meteorite.
On Feb. 15, several law enforcement agencies near McAllen said they received calls from residents who heard what sounded like an explosion after 5 p.m. Houston Air Traffic Control received two reports from aircraft about a meteorite west of the city, Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra said federal agencies told him.
An American Airlines jet with 60 passengers and four crew members aboard collided with an Army helicopter Wednesday night while coming in for a landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington. The Black Hawk helicopter was carrying a crew of three. Officials said early Thursday that everyone on board both aircraft is believed dead, which would make it the deadliest U.S. air crash in nearly a quarter century.