1Cosmic dust: interplanetary dust particles -- 1 -- Smallest meteoroids--interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) -- 1 -- Meteors -- 11 -- Harvesting interplanetary dust particles in the space environment -- 18 -- To touch a star -- 19 -- 2 Fall of meteorites -- 27 -- Orbits of meteoroids -- 28 -- Characteristics of a meteoroid's atmospheric passage -- 32 -- Meteoroids to meteorites: a lesson in survival -- 39 -- 3 External morphology of meteorites -- 47 -- Some general characteristics -- 48 -- Weathering of meteorites -- 58 -- Terrestrial lifetimes of meteorites -- 65 -- 4 Classification of meteorites: a historical viewpoint -- 71 -- Early years -- 72 -- Rose--Tschermak--Brezina classification -- 73 -- Prior classification -- 75 -- 5 Primitive meteorites: the chondrites -- 79 -- Petrologic--chemical classification of the chondrites -- 81 -- Chemical classification of the chondrites -- 83 -- Van Schmus--Wood criteria for the petrologic--chemical classification of chondrites -- 86 -- Shock metamorphism and shock stage classification -- 93 -- Brecciated chondrites -- 96 -- 6 Chondrites: a closer look -- 101 -- Chondrite density and porosity -- 103 -- Chondrules -- 106 -- Other chondrites -- 115 -- 7 Primitive meteorites: the carbonaceous chondrites -- 119 -- Ordinary vs carbonaceous chondrites -- 120 -- Carbonaceous chondrite groups -- 121 -- Organic carbon -- 140 -- 8 Differentiated meteorites: the achondrites -- 145 -- Major characteristics of differentiated meteorites -- 146 -- Differentiation -- 147 -- Fractional crystallization and the igneous process -- 148 -- Asteroidal achondrites -- 151 -- Primitive achondrites -- 165 -- Martian meteorites--the SNC group -- 166 -- Lunar meteorites--lunaites -- 175 -- 9 Differentiated meteorites: irons and stony-irons -- 183 -- Mineralogy of meteoritic iron--nickel -- 184 -- Classification of iron meteorites -- 190 -- Chemical vs structural classification -- 197 -- Silicate inclusions in iron meteorites -- 199 -- Cooling the core -- 201 -- Stony-irons: the pallasites -- 203 -- Metallic inclusions in iron meteorites -- 207 -- 10 Meteorites and the early Solar System -- 213 -- Radioisotopes--some basics -- 215 -- Decay constant and half-life -- 216 -- In the beginning -- 220 -- Age of the Solar System -- 234 -- 11 Asteroid parent bodies -- 241 -- Asteroid belt -- 242 -- Asteroids as parent bodies of meteorites -- 249 -- Matching meteorites with parent asteroids -- 252 -- Physical characteristics of asteroids -- 255 -- Finale: NEAR encounter with 433 Eros -- 262 -- 12 Terrestrial impact craters -- 271 -- An impact crater misjudged -- 273 -- Impact cratering in the Solar System -- 276 -- Mechanism of impact cratering -- 279 -- Morphology of impact craters -- 285 -- Criteria for the definitive recognition of terrestrial impact structures -- 291 -- Catastrophic impacts on Earth -- 300 -- Appendix A Classification of meteorites (A.E. Rubin, 2000) -- 307 -- Appendix B Formation ages of selected meteorites -- 309 -- Appendix C Minerals in meteorites -- 311 -- Appendix D Preparing and etching iron meteorites -- 315 -- Appendix E Testing a meteorite for nickel -- 319 -- Appendix F Meteorite museum collections and selected research facilities -- 321 -- Appendix G Known terrestrial impact craters -- 325 -- Appendix H Summary of meteorites by classification (compiled by Bernd Pauli, June 2001) -- 331.