Summer 1998 has seen two films, Deep Impact and Armageddon, based
on the possibility of a meteor colliding with earth. These have
been exciting movies with a plethora of special effects but in
the meantime real scientists are going to an unpenetrated part
of Bolivia where the last large meteorite may very well have left
its mark. The Iturralde Structure was discovered in 1985 by Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery in
northwest Bolivia. The area showing the possible crater is at
the southern limit of the tropical forest where the forest abruptly
gives way to pampas. Access to the area is greatly affected by
rainfall and two attempted missions to the Iturralde Structure
have been turned back by the conditions. The NASA Mission to Iturralde is slated for mid-October and will
involve meteoriticists and a communications specialist from Goddard
Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, and Bolivian scientists.
There will be communication with classrooms and through this web
page as the mission is staged and executed. A superb opportunity
will allow schools and students to get involved by participating
in current, relevant science as it unfolds.
