Thaindian News

By Gina Gomez
Virginia, Feb 1, (THAINDIAN NEWS) The meteorite that smashed through the roof of a doctor’s clinic in Virginia last month has landed itself in a rather bizarre ownership battle. Dr. Frank Ciamp, who narrowly escaped being hit by the half pound rock when it crashed in his office on January 18, is reportedly in an ownership tussle with the landlord of the building.

Following the incident, the space rock was donated to the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of Natural History to analyze whether the rock was indeed a meteorite or just a rocky material. The institution reportedly paid the doctor $5,000 in appreciation, which presumably sparked the ownership battle. The landlords of the Lorton, building where the doctors’ office is located, are claiming that they are actually the rightful owners of the space rock.

Meanwhile, doctors Marc Gallini and Frank Ciampi, who had planned to donate the money to the victims of the earthquake ravaged nation of Haiti, have stated that the main intention of the landlords is to take away the meteorite. However, a member of the family that owns the Virginia building has emphasized that the meteorite is currently being kept at the Smithsonian Institution.

Meanwhile, researchers at the institution where the rock has been examined have confirmed that the rock was indeed an extraterrestrial material. Cari Corrigan, a planetary scientist at the institution has added that the space rock, which is speculated to be around 4.5 billion-year-old, is extremely beautiful. At the same time, it is being presumed that Smithsonian institution would put the space rock for display at its museum, which would be made part of its collection.