The fall of a meteorite is one of the worst natural disasters that can cause great damage and take hundreds of thousands of lives. However, would you ever think that you can build good earnings on these natural bodies that bring very large amounts of money? And this is quite real. In any case, the two Russians Mikhail and Alexei succeeded. After the fall of the Chelyabinsk meteorite, they decided to search for fragments of asteroids that fell from heaven several millennia ago. They managed to find as many as 14 fragments, which brought them a very good fee. There were many disappointments and unsuccessful trips all over Russia. But first things first.
How it all began
A meteorite fell in the Lipetsk region on June 21, 2018, but the guys only learned about the incident the next day. Arriving at work, they began to search on the Internet for videos that captured this moment. Hunters for fragments of cosmic bodies were struck by the brightness of a car falling from the sky. They had no doubt that a huge lump during the flight split into many fragments, so they decided not to hesitate, but to go looking immediately.
From several pictures, Alexei and Mikhail managed to calculate the approximate place of the fall. They already had a similar experience, so they did not have to spend a lot of time. According to them, searches should be conducted near the village of Shilovo. Arrived at the place early in the morning and immediately began to question the locals and rummage around.
Unexpected news
A few days after the meteorite fell on the official website of NASA, information appeared that the mass of the meteorite was almost 3 kilotons. So many huge asteroids on our planet have not collapsed for a very long time. At the time of the collision, modern spy satellites recorded a powerful explosion.
The specified coordinates coincided with the place calculated by two young guys. At the same time, American scientists attached photographs and video materials to the article, which greatly simplified their work. The hunters had to drive 50 kilometers south from the village towards Ozerki-Polskie. Searches were made every 300-500 meters, carefully inspecting each bush and ravine. Other search groups worked on the spot, so the chances of finding at least one meteorite fragment were greatly reduced.
Expedition Results
Unfortunately, Mikhail and Alexei did not manage to find a single fragment. The reason for this is incorrect calculations of the flight path and the place of impact. But not only they were mistaken. The team of scientists from the Ural Federal University also miscalculated. They were also completely sure that meteor shower occurred near the village of Polskoe, but the true place was about five kilometers from it.
But the trip still was not in vain. In it, Mikhail and Alex met with other meteorite hunters, made some useful acquaintances and exchanged phone numbers. As for the local residents, unfortunately, there were no eyewitnesses of what happened. Many villagers woke up in the middle of the night from a strong roar, but they could not even understand what had happened.
Further searches
The guys spent the night in a landing near the village of Ozerki. We spent the night in a tent, and in the morning set to further search. They were held in a triangle formed by such settlements as Residential, Polish and Ozerki. This area was noted in a published NASA report.
The unsuccessful searches continued for several days, so it was decided to move to the Zlobino-Ozerki line, where at that time a group from Ural Federal University was already working.But no fragments were found there either. On the third day of the stay, heavy rain began, forcing the two adventurers to return to Moscow. Already in the capital, they learned that a fragment was nevertheless discovered, and by the middle of the week, scientists had found five more, the largest of which weighed 550 grams.
Long-awaited success
Since the group from Ural Federal University managed to find fragments, Mikhail and Alex decided to try their luck again. They again went to the site of the alleged meteorite fall and continued their search. This time, luck was more favorable to them.
The first small fragment was discovered only a few hours after the start of the search. Although his weight was only 5 grams, he gave the children hope that they were on the right track. In 5 days they found 6 fragments, the largest of which was weighing 300 grams.
That's how two ordinary guys from ordinary office workers turned into meteorite hunters. Today, with the search for fragments of cosmic bodies, they travel all over the country, earning quite good money on their hobby. I want to note that the guys are really great. Despite the fact that they encountered difficulties and failures, they did not stop, and then continued towards their goal. No wonder now they get good money, they deserve it.