The
Grand Canyon visit was short but educational and inspirational.
We left the Grand Canyon and headed East towards New Mexico. On our way
to our destination, we came across the Meteor Crater Visitor Center off
Interstate 40, Exit 233. We were informed of the destination by the posted
signs and billboards on the side of the road. One of
the signs read, "Meteor Crater National Landmark 6 miles",
curiosity got the best of us.
It was only
6 miles to the National Landmark! This totally grabbed our curiosity
so we ended up driving up the road to meet up with the curiosity. None of
us had ever heard of this place before our visit. Besides how often do we get
the chance to see a meteor crater?
We had to climb a small
driveway up to the visitor center. The crater is in the middle of the AZ desert
with little around but some cattle on nearby ranches. As you can see there is nothing else nearby
for miles other than sky and ground.
Walking
out of the visitor center and museum, there are sets of stairs that take you to
platforms where you can get closer to the Meteor Crater. Lining the crater rim and the platforms are
telescopes that help one look to the bottom of the crater. This is what we saw:
There we saw it, a Meteor Crater which is one mile across, 2.4 miles in circumference and more than 550 feet deep. It is believed to be approximately 50,000 years old or so. This is considered one of the best preserved meteor crater on Earth. The entire Earth!
NASA
and the U.S. Geological Survey provided extensive science training at the
Meteor Crater for the Apollo Astronauts from 1964 through 1972 as per their
website. As you walk through the visitor’s center there is information
about the science behind the meteor crash.
The place brings out your excitement about our sky and the what is really out there in the Universe. We wondered about what it must have been all those years ago when NASA trained Apollo Astronauts on this location. Then we realized that we got the chance to walk the same ground as the Apollo Astronauts. The experience left us with wanting to know more about science.
We highly recommend the Meteor Crater Visitors Center for all who love science, beautiful mother Earth or just love an adventure. We had a great time exploring science at the Meteor Crater in Arizona.
If you want to visit, please go to their website to find out their hours of operation.
Disclaimer: This is a personal blog. All opinions and thoughts are all my own. We did not receive any monetary compensation. This post is intended for entertainment and to inspire you.
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