DRY RUN 03 · METEOR · PROCEDURE SHEET
What to do if a meteor explodes over your town
SHORT ANSWERPROCEDURE · SOURCED
Look away from the flash, then get away from the windows. A big airburst's blast can arrive minutes after the light: in Chelyabinsk in 2013 it reached the city about 2:23–2:57 later, and broken glass caused most of the 1,491 injuries. Interior wall, get low, cover your head, and stay down until the booms stop. Then go out carefully and look up. If a rock comes through the roof, it's usually cool: photograph it where it landed, pick it up with clean foil or a new bag, no magnets. In the US it belongs to the landowner. Report the fireball to the American Meteor Society.246793
Watch the dry run
DRY RUN 03 · 5:29 · CHAPTERS
A Meteor Exploded Over Your Town. You Have 2 Minutes
- 0:00 The second sunrise
- 0:23 It's a table
- 0:48 1,491 injured, 0 hit by the rock
- 1:05 The NASA sky camera
- 1:21 The bang takes the bus
- 1:38 Decision 2 · The window
- 2:21 Decision 3 · The first boom
- 2:47 Decision 4 · Through the roof
- 3:21 Decision 5 · The magnet
- 3:50 Decision 6 · Whose rock is it
- 4:27 Decision 7 · Report or sell
- 5:01 Your slip
- 5:07 The Taurids
Why a meteor airburst is about the windows
The Chelyabinsk meteor never hit the city. On 15 February 2013 it broke apart about 30 km up, with the energy of roughly 400–500 kilotons of TNT, about 30 Hiroshima bombs.21
Light arrives instantly. The bang doesn't. The blast reached Chelyabinsk roughly 2 minutes 23 seconds to 2 minutes 57 seconds after the flash.2
When it arrived, it blew the windows in. 1,491 people sought medical help, nearly all of them hurt by indirect effects, mainly broken glass. Nobody was hit by the rock.2
Big fireballs aren't that rare. NASA's sky cameras caught one off Florida in February 2026 as bright as the full Moon, and in the first three months of 2026 the American Meteor Society logged 40 fireballs with 50 or more reports each, about double the 2018–2025 average.53
That's why the procedure looks the way it does: don't watch the window, use the silence to get away from the glass, stay down through the booms, then deal with the rock.12
There is no official meteor-specific procedure. The window steps follow general blast guidance from Ready.gov4 and what actually hurt people in Chelyabinsk12. The ownership answer is US law9.
The procedure: stuck in an elevator, what to do
Look away from the flash
Don't watch it. The Chelyabinsk fireball was momentarily brighter than the Sun. People found it painful to look at, and glancing away prevented lasting eye damage. More than 180 people reported eye pain.21
Count: the blast is coming
Light arrives instantly; the shock wave travels at the speed of sound. Chelyabinsk burst about 30 km up, and the blast reached the city roughly 2:23 to 2:57 after the flash. That gap is your time.2
Get away from the glass
Move to an interior wall or room, away from windows. Get low and cover your head. Ready.gov's blast guidance: if you have warning, take cover from the blast behind anything that might offer protection. Broken window glass caused most of the 1,491 injuries in 2013.42
Stay down through the booms
Big fireballs break into pieces, and the pieces can make their own bangs. In Chelyabinsk, sharp sounds heard after the main shock wave pointed to the fragmentation. One boom is not the all-clear.1
Go out slowly and look up
Give it a few minutes after the last boom. Cracked glass can keep falling off buildings, so look up before you step under anything. In Chelyabinsk alone, 3,613 apartment buildings had shattered and broken glass.1
If a rock comes in, leave it
It won't burn the house down. Meteorites usually land cool: the hot outside burns off on the way down. At Colby, Wisconsin, on 4 July 1917, one was so cold that frost formed on it after it was dug out. No bucket of water.6
Photo first, then foil or a clean bag. No magnets.
Photograph it where it landed. Pick it up with clean foil or a new bag, not bare hands. Never test it with a magnet: hand magnets usually erase a meteorite's magnetic record.78
Check whose land it is
In the US, a meteorite belongs to the owner of the land it falls on: Goddard v. Winchell, Iowa Supreme Court, 1892. Renting? It's your landlord's.910
Report the fireball
File a report with the American Meteor Society: the time, where you were, the direction it moved, what you heard. Reports and videos from many witnesses let scientists trace the path and search for the rest. Don't sell it tonight.311
The three decisions
A IS USUALLY THE MOVIE ANSWER
INJECT 01-1 · DECISION 1CALDER CO.
“Nine twenty in the morning. The sun comes up a second time. From the wrong side of the sky.”
- IF B · LOOK AT IT
- OUTCOME: SKIN + EYE BURNS · AVOIDABLE
Most of you looked. In Chelyabinsk more than 180 people reported eye pain, 70 had temporary flash blindness and 20 reported sunburn-like UV burns. From a meteor.2
- IF A · LOOK AWAY
- OUTCOME: EYES PROTECTED · CORRECT
Turn away. In the Chelyabinsk survey, people found the fireball painful to look at, and glancing away prevented lasting eye damage.1
INJECT 01-2 · DECISION 2CALDER CO.
“Total silence. Your phone is already out.”
- IF A · FILM IT
- OUTCOME: GLASS INJURIES
You filmed it. So did half the city. The blast reached Chelyabinsk roughly 2:23 to 2:57 after the flash and blew the windows in. Broken glass caused most of the 1,491 injuries.2
INJECT 01-3 · DECISION 3CALDER CO.
“Boom. Your ears are ringing. It's over.”
- IF B · GO OUTSIDE
- OUTCOME: GLASS FROM ABOVE
Big fireballs break apart, and the pieces can bring their own booms. In Chelyabinsk, sharp sounds after the main shock wave pointed to the fragmentation. And cracked glass keeps falling off buildings.1
- IF A · WAIT
- OUTCOME: STILL UNDER COVER · CORRECT
Give it a few minutes. When you do go out, look up first. In Chelyabinsk alone, 3,613 apartment buildings had shattered and broken glass.1
INJECT 01-4 · DECISION 4CALDER CO.
“Then something comes through your roof. It's on the kitchen floor.”
- IF A · WATER IT
- OUTCOME: A WET ROCK · NOTHING HISSED
Nothing hisses. Meteorites usually land cool: the hot outside burns off on the way down, and the inside is still cold from space.6
- IF B · LEAVE IT
- OUTCOME: LEFT ALONE · CORRECT
Leave it where it is. It's not going to burn the house down. Colby, Wisconsin, July 1917: one was so cold that frost formed on it after it was dug out. In July.6
INJECT 01-5 · DECISION 5CALDER CO.
“Is it real? There's a fridge magnet right there.”
- IF B · MAGNET
- OUTCOME: HISTORY ERASED · PERMANENT
That magnet just erased part of its history. MIT researchers found hand magnets usually wipe a meteorite's magnetic memory, and a 2025 review says magnets and other stray fields have erased the record of more than 60% of meteorites in collections.78
- IF A · NO MAGNET
- OUTCOME: RECORD INTACT · CORRECT
No magnets. Photograph it where it landed, then pick it up with clean foil or a fresh bag. No bare hands.7
INJECT 01-6 · DECISION 6CALDER CO.
“Whose rock is it? It came through your roof.”
INJECT 01-7 · DECISION 7CALDER CO.
“Last one. The fireball is all over your feed. Someone wants the rock tonight.”
- IF B · SELL IT
- OUTCOME: PATH UNKNOWN · THE REST UNFOUND
Reports and videos are how scientists find the rest. Peekskill, 1992: at least 16 people caught the fireball on video, and the tapes traced its path. The rock had hit a parked car, a Chevy Malibu.11
- IF A · REPORT IT
- OUTCOME: REPORTED · CORRECT
Report the fireball to the American Meteor Society: time, direction, what you heard. In the first three months of 2026, 40 fireballs drew 50 or more reports each, about double the 2018–2025 average.3
Myths vs facts
MYTH
A meteorite lands red-hot.FACTUsually it lands cool. The hot outside burns off on the way down. At Colby, Wisconsin, in July 1917, frost formed on one after it was dug out.6
MYTH
One boom means it's over.FACTBig fireballs break up, and the pieces can make their own booms. In Chelyabinsk, sharp sounds after the main shock wave pointed to the fragmentation. Wait a few minutes, then look up before you go out.1
MYTH
It's just a light show. Watch it.FACTThe Chelyabinsk flash was momentarily brighter than the Sun: more than 180 people reported eye pain and 20 reported sunburn-like UV burns. Minutes later the blast blew the windows in, and glass caused most of the 1,491 injuries. The rock hit nobody.21
MYTH
Test it with a fridge magnet.FACTHand magnets usually erase a meteorite's magnetic memory. A 2025 review says magnets and other stray fields have wiped the record of more than 60% of meteorites in collections.78
MYTH
Finders keepers.FACTIn the US, a meteorite belongs to the owner of the land it falls on (Goddard v. Winchell, Iowa, 1892). Ann Hodges' landlady sued for the meteorite that hit her in 1954.910
EXPERTS DISAGREE
Where the guidance runs out
An official meteor procedure
There isn't one. The closest official advice is Ready.gov's guidance for a blast you have warning of, written for nuclear explosions: take cover behind anything that might offer protection, and if you're outside, lie face down. The same page says to get inside and away from windows.4
How far away is safe
No set distance. Directly under the Chelyabinsk fireball the shock wave knocked people off their feet; modeled damage reached about 120 km from the track. In the direction of flight it only shook buildings.1
Magnet tests
Meteorite hunters have long used magnets to identify finds. MIT researchers and a 2025 review say the same magnets erase the magnetic record.78
Who owns it
In the US, an 1892 Iowa Supreme Court ruling gives it to the landowner. The Hodges case settled out of court before a judge ruled. Outside the US, local law applies; this sheet doesn't cover it.910
Two of these are physics. Two are paperwork. Do the physics first: glass, wall, down.
REAL CASE · NOT STAGEDCALDER CO.
One real case
On 15 February 2013, at about 9:20 in the morning, an asteroid about 20 meters across broke apart about 30 km above Russia's Chelyabinsk region, with roughly 400–500 kilotons of energy.12 People found the flash painful to look at.1 The blast reached the city roughly two and a half minutes later, blew in windows across six cities and damaged more than 7,200 buildings.2 1,491 people sought medical help, nearly all hurt by indirect effects, mainly broken glass; nobody was hit by the rock.2 Teacher Yulia Karbysheva saw the flash, moved her class away from the windows into duck and cover, and was badly cut by the glass herself when the blast arrived.2 The dust from the burst circled the Northern Hemisphere in four days.12
Your slip
The correct string tonight is A-B-A-B-A-B-A. Got all seven? The rock is still your landlord's.
Every real slip carries a checksum. Clone channels copy the scenario. They don't get the checksum.
Questions people search
What should you do if a meteor explodes overhead?
Look away from the flash and get away from windows. A big airburst's shock wave can arrive minutes after the light: in Chelyabinsk in 2013 it reached the city roughly 2:23 to 2:57 after the flash. Move to an interior wall, get low, cover your head, and stay there until the booms stop. Then go out carefully and look up for falling glass. There is no official meteor-specific procedure; this follows general blast guidance and what actually hurt people in Chelyabinsk.
Is a meteorite hot when it lands?
Usually not. The hot outside burns off on the way down and the inside is still cold from space. A meteorite that fell at Colby, Wisconsin, on 4 July 1917 was so cold that frost formed on it after it was dug out.
Who owns a meteorite that lands on your property?
In the US, the landowner. In Goddard v. Winchell (1892), the Iowa Supreme Court held that a meteorite that falls on land is the property of the owner of that land. If you rent, it's your landlord's. In 1954 Ann Hodges' landlady sued for the meteorite that hit her; the case settled out of court. Other countries have their own rules.
How long after a fireball flash does the boom arrive?
It depends on how high and how far away it bursts. Light arrives instantly; sound is slow. The Chelyabinsk meteor burst about 30 km up, and its blast reached the city roughly 2 minutes 23 seconds to 2 minutes 57 seconds after the flash. In the first three months of 2026, 33 of the 40 most-reported fireballs in American Meteor Society data came with sonic booms.
How do you report a fireball?
Use the American Meteor Society's online fireball report at amsmeteors.org. Note the time, where you were, the direction it moved, how bright it was and what you heard. Reports and videos from many witnesses let scientists work out the path and where pieces may have landed.
How many people were hurt by the Chelyabinsk meteor?
1,491 people sought medical help, nearly all of them hurt by indirect effects, mainly glass from windows blown in by the shock wave. Nobody was hit by the meteorite. More than 7,200 buildings were damaged.
Sources
Procedures were checked against these. Where a source is a summary of a code, we say so. Spot an error? Comment on the video or email business@dryruninstitute.com and we'll pin the correction.
- [1] Popova OP, Jenniskens P, et al. (Chelyabinsk Airburst Consortium). Science 342(6162):1069–1073 (2013). Chelyabinsk Airburst, Damage Assessment, Meteorite Recovery, and Characterization
- [2] Wikipedia (accessed 2026). Chelyabinsk meteor
- [3] American Meteor Society (2026, updated 31 Mar). Q1 2026: Has Something Changed in the Near-Earth Fireball Environment? (links the fireball report form)
- [4] Ready.gov (FEMA) (accessed 2026). Radiation Emergencies (blast guidance: take cover, lie face down; get inside, away from windows)
- [5] NASA Meteoroid Environment Office, All-Sky Fireball Network (2026). Event 20260203-023717 (fireball off Florida, 2 Feb 2026)
- [6] WSAW (K. O'Brien), via Clark County, Wisconsin History & Genealogy (undated). Colby: Meteors Hit Colby, WI (fall of 4 July 1917)
- [7] MIT News (J. Chu) (2023). A message to meteorite hunters: Put down your magnets!
- [8] Gattacceca J, Maurel C, Hutzler A, Rochette P, Weiss BP. Space Science Reviews 221:67 (2025). Curation and Storage of Astromaterials: A Magnetic Perspective
- [9] Iowa Supreme Court (via Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School Library) (1892). Goddard v. Winchell, 86 Iowa 71
- [10] Alabama Museum of Natural History (University of Alabama Museums) (2018). Hodges Meteorite (Sylacauga, Alabama, 1954)
- [11] Beech M, Brown P, Hawkes RL, Ceplecha Z, Mossman K, Wetherill G. Earth, Moon, and Planets 68:189–197 (follow-up to Brown et al., Nature 367:624–626, 1994) (1995). The Fall of the Peekskill Meteorite: Video Observations, Atmospheric Path, Fragmentation Record and Orbit
- [12] NASA Scientific Visualization Studio (2013). Chelyabinsk Bolide Plume as seen by NPP and NASA Models (SVS 4094)
Fiction framing. Procedures are real. Not a substitute for professional training. Calder County, June Hadley and the tabletop are fictional. The EXERCISE ODDS readout in the video is a tabletop estimate, not a statistic. In a real emergency, call 911 and follow instructions from responders on scene.