Helstrup filmed his descent. Image Credit: YouTube / nrk / Anders Helstrup
Anders Helstrup had been parachuting over Norway when he was almost hit by a falling space rock.
The chances of being struck by a meteorite are infinitesimally small, yet Helstrup came perilously close when one whizzed past him during the skydive two years ago.
At the time of his descent the parachutist hadn't actually observed the falling meteorite at all, it was only when he later reviewed footage recorded by the two cameras he had mounted on his helmet that he noticed the rock falling next to him.
Perplexed by the footage, Helstrup consulted with experts who revealed that the rock appeared to be a meteorite that had been cooled and slowed down by the atmosphere. It is the first time such an object has ever been caught on camera while falling.
The race is now on to find where the object hit the ground.
"There is a forest with lots of different places it can easily disappear," said Helstrup. "Even if there is several areas where it would be found easily, there is a river, some marshy spots and areas and lots of high grass. Therefore the best chance of a finding would be in springtime. But we have high hopes!"
It was no accident. Just ask this guy: http://metro.co.uk/2...-aliens-451557/ Classic. He's lucky it wasn't a fireball still. Is he sure the guy up in the plane didn't huck a rock at him?
I find it a bit difficult to believe because of the speed at which meteors enter our atmosphere. Granted drag will eventually slow them down if they survive hitting the atmosphere, but I find it rather surprising that it was moving slowly enough to capture on several frames of film. Still, unless it's a hoax it's hard to explain where the rock came from. Hopefully it wasn't frozen toilet water from a jumbo jet!
When god starts throwing rocks directly at you, its probably time to reassess your life. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/02/130220-russia-meteorite-ann-hodges-science-space-hit/
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