Draft:Meteorite Observation and Recovery Program
| Abbreviation | MORP |
|---|---|
| Location |
The Meteorite Observation and Recovery Program (commonly abbreviated as MORP) was a scientific program in the Canadian Prairies which operated from 1971 to 1985. The aim of the program was to photograph meteors, determine where they landed, and thus locate and analyse their meteorites. The program consisted of a network of twelve observatories. The Innisfree meteorite was the only meteorite recovered during the program, but more meteorites were recovered using data from the program.
History
The program was planned and constructed in the 1960s. The prairie provinces of Alberta, Sasketchewan, and Manitoba were chosen because of their clear night-sky conditions and suitable terrain. Site searches began in 1966. Eight of the twelve observatory sites were selected in 1967, and the other four were selected in 1968. The network was operated from a headquarters in the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. The observatory near Asquith was the first to be constructed for the network in 1968. The network became fully operational in 1971.[1][2][3]
The program ended in 1985.[4]
Observatories
The MORP network consisted of 12 observatories, named after nearby settlements:[1]
| Observatory | Coordinates | Elevation (metres) |
|---|---|---|
| Asquith | 52°12′04″N 107°07′04″W / 52.20111°N 107.11778°W | 527 |
| Neilburg | 52°41′25″N 109°36′11″W / 52.69028°N 109.60306°W | 651 |
| Vegreville | 53°32′03″N 112°06′45″W / 53.53417°N 112.11250°W | 640 |
| Lousana | 52°07′42″N 113°11′48″W / 52.12833°N 113.19667°W | 929 |
| Brooks | 50°29′53″N 111°53′15″W / 50.49806°N 111.88750°W | 774 |
| Leader | 50°54′01″N 109°37′1″W / 50.90028°N 109.61694°W | 677 |
| Ernfold | 50°31′18″N 106°51′04″W / 50.52167°N 106.85111°W | 710 |
| Lajord | 50°16′21″N 104°09′28″W / 50.27250°N 104.15778°W | 600 |
| Langenburg | 50°44′51″N 101°43′08″W / 50.74750°N 101.71889°W | 512 |
| Alonsa | 50°44′36″N 99°03′31″W / 50.74333°N 99.05861°W | 287 |
| Birch River | 52°24′06″N 101°00′49″W / 52.40167°N 101.01361°W | 277 |
| Watson | 52°01′29″N 104°34′21″W / 52.02472°N 104.57250°W | 533 |
Recovered Meteorites
Innisfree Meteorite
The MORP program lead to the recovery of the Innisfree meteorite in 1977.[1][4][5] It was the only meteorite observed by the program that was recovered before the program ended.[6]
TBA
References
- ^ a b c https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1978JRASC..72...15H
- ^ https://www.rasc.ca/sites/default/files/publications/JRASC-2001-02.pdf, p.26
- ^ https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1992JRASC..86..130B
- ^ a b https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1989JRASC..83...49H
- ^ https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2020/12/aa38649-20/aa38649-20.html
- ^ doi: 10.1111/maps.13142