50,000 Years in the Making

When that 150-foot-wide iron-nickel meteorite hit the Arizona desert, it wasn't just a "rock falling." It struck with the force of 2.5 million tons of TNT, about 150 times more powerful than an atomic bomb. Here are some other facts that we learned about the site. Because Arizona is so dry, this is the best-preserved meteorite impact site on Earth. While other craters have been eroded by rain or covered by forests, this one looks almost exactly as it did 50,000 years ago. It is nearly one mile across and 550 feet deep. A favorite fact from the museum is that you could fit 20 football fields in the bottom, with enough room on the sides for two million spectators!

Training for the Moon

They have an Apollo 11 test capsule in the courtyard, which is cool because we have seen the Apollo 8 Command Module at the Griffen Museum of Science and Industry. We were able to take some pictures with this one, too!  Because the crater’s terrain so closely mimics the lunar surface, NASA used this site in the 1960s to train astronauts. They needed to learn how to identify "impact rocks" and navigate the rocky, cratered landscape they would eventually find on the Moon.

The 2026 Visitor Experience

Here is a list of fun things to do while you are visiting.

• The Blast Zone: This is a newer, fully immersive exhibit designed for kids (and the young at heart). It features a "Gravity Floor" where you can feel what it's like to walk with different planetary gravities.

• COLLISION! 4D Theater: This is where we caught an interactive and interesting movie. The 4D effects—like the feeling of the shockwave and the rumble of the impact—really bring the science to life in a way a textbook never could.

• The Holsinger Meteorite: You can't leave without touching the "big one." The Holsinger is the largest surviving fragment of the original meteorite, weighing over 1,400 pounds.

Why It Was Worth the Expense

There is a profound feeling that comes with standing on the rim of a hole in the Earth created by a visitor from outer space. It’s a rare moment where you feel both incredibly small and incredibly lucky to witness such a well-preserved piece of cosmic history.