Meteorites and Planet Formation

Abstract

Meteorites are a remarkable resource. They capture the imagination of people worldwide with their spectacular entry through Earth’s atmosphere as fireballs, and their exotic character of being pieces of other worlds. Scientifically, they are critical to interpreting the early stages of formation of the Solar System, as well as the geological evolution of asteroids, the Moon, and Mars, and they are vital to understanding planetary formation processes. With the burgeoning exploration of extrasolar planetary systems, knowledge of the fundamental process of planetary growth from protoplanetary disks has taken on a new significance. Meteorites provide essential and detailed insight into the...