The recovery of asteroid 2008 TC sub(3)

Abstract- On October 7, 2008, asteroid 2008 TC sub(3) impacted Earth and fragmented at 37km altitude above the Nubian Desert in northern Sudan. The area surrounding the asteroid's approach path was searched, resulting in the first recovery of meteorites from an asteroid observed in space. This was also the first recovery of remains from a fragile "cometary" PE=IIIa/b type fireball. In subsequent searches, over 600 mostly small 0.2-379g meteorites (named "Almahata Sitta") with a total mass 10.7kg were recovered from a 307km area. Meteorites fell along the track at 1.3kgkm super(-1), nearly independent of mass between 1 and 400g, with a total fallen mass of 39 plus or minus 6kg. The strewn field was shifted nearly 1.8km south from the calculated approach path. The influence of winds on the distribution of the meteorites, and on the motion of the dust train, is investigated. The majority of meteorites are ureilites with densities around 2.8gcm super(-3), some of an anomalous (porous, high in carbon) polymict ureilite variety with densities as low as 1.5gcm super(-3). In addition, an estimated 20-30% (in mass) of recovered meteorites were ordinary, enstatite, and carbonaceous chondrites. Their fresh look and matching distribution of fragments in the strewn field imply that they were part of 2008 TC sub(3). For that reason, they are all referred to as "Almahata Sitta." No ureilite meteorites were found that still held foreign clasts, suggesting that the asteroid's clasts were only loosely bound.