When space rocks meet road trips: South Aussie vet's Tesla survives cosmic collision

The odds of winning Lotto are about 8 million to one. The odds of being struck by lightning in your lifetime are roughly 15,300 to one.

But the odds of having a meteorite smash through your windscreen while you're peacefully driving through the South Australian countryside? Well, that's so rare it might just be a world first.

Dr Andrew Melville-Smith was having an ordinary Sunday evening drive with his wife on 19 October when the extraordinary happened.

The 71-year-old veterinarian from South Australia was cruising along the Augusta Highway in their new Tesla, listening to a podcast, when what he described as 'a very, very violent explosion' shattered their peaceful journey.

A cosmic surprise on a quiet country road

The sudden collision sent 'hot' shards of glass throughout the car as they travelled 40 kilometres north of Port Germein at 9pm. The impact left Andrew stunned for a good 10 seconds, covered in glass fragments, while his wife exclaimed, 'Oh, the car's blown up.'

But here's where this story takes a fascinatingly modern twist. The Tesla, in self-driving mode at the time, carried on as if nothing had occurred. 'I thought we'd had an accident, but then I looked at the screen and went 'Oh, we're still driving',' Andrew recalled.

The car's autopilot system, detecting that the occupants were still moving around and therefore presumably alert, was quite content to continue its journey to Port Augusta.

The telltale signs of a visitor from space

According to Geologist Dr Kieran Meaney from the South Australian Museum, the damage to the windshield suggested a meteorite might be responsible.

'The little detail that's really selling it for me at the moment is that whatever it was that hit the windscreen seems to have been very hot,' Mr Meaney told The Adelaide Advertiser, noting the discolouration where the plastic laminate had been scorched.

This 'hot' signature is a classic calling card of meteorites. When space rocks hurtle through Earth's atmosphere at speeds of up to 50 kilometres per second, the intense friction heats them to thousands of degrees Celsius, creating that distinctive burn pattern that Dr Meaney spotted.

A rare club of cosmic collision victims

While meteorite impacts on vehicles are extraordinarily rare, Dr Melville-Smith has joined a very exclusive club. The most famous precedent occurred on 9 October 1992, in Peekskill, New York, when a 27-pound meteorite struck a parked Chevrolet Malibu, creating a large dent in the car's trunk and leaving burn marks around the impact site.

His windshield was shattered after impact. Image source: 10 News / Youtube.

Harvard's International Comet Quarterly states that a meteorite is reported to have struck a man-made structure about once per year, though it's likely that there are many more that aren't reported.

But the Tesla incident could indeed be groundbreaking—if confirmed, it could be the first reported incident of its kind involving a meteorite hitting a vehicle while it was actually being driven.

When insurance calls it an 'act of God'

For Australians wondering about the practical implications, there's an intriguing historical precedent. In 1965, when a meteorite struck a car in Barwell, England, the owner found his vehicle was insured for acts of vandalism but not meteorite strikes. The insurance company saw it as an 'act of God' and refused to pay a dime.

The chances of this happening is said to be a trillion to one. Image source: 10 News / Youtube.

However, the cosmic collision could prove to be a blessing in disguise. In 2012, pieces of the famous Peekskill meteorite were selling for more than $150 per gram, and the vehicle's original title and a broken taillight bulb sold for over $5,000.

The Peekskill car has been displayed in museums worldwide, including New York City's American Museum of Natural History and France's National Museum of Natural History.

The hunt for proof continues

Andrew wasn't able to locate the meteorite itself, but there is hope that fragments embedded in the windscreen may offer clues as to the source of the foreign object. 'But until we can actually find the object and have a good look at the windscreen ourselves, we can't say for certain what it was,' Dr Meaney said.

The South Australian Museum team is now working to examine the windscreen, hoping to find microscopic fragments that could confirm the space origin of Andrew's unwelcome passenger. If verified, this could add a significant chapter to the scientific understanding of meteorite impacts.

A cosmic reminder of our place in the universe

For Dr Melville-Smith, the experience has been both frightening and fascinating. 'I've been hit by rocks a few times while driving over the years, but this instance was markedly different,' he explained. The lack of warning, the violent explosion, and the distinctive hot fragments all pointed to something far more extraordinary than roadside debris.

The incident serves as a humbling reminder that we share our solar system with countless pieces of cosmic debris, most of which burn up harmlessly in our atmosphere. But occasionally, very occasionally, one makes it through to surprise an unsuspecting motorist on a quiet Sunday evening drive.

Whether this proves to be Australia's first confirmed meteorite car strike, or simply an unusual case of space debris, Dr Melville-Smith's experience will likely be talked about for years to come. And who knows? In a few decades, tourists might be queuing up to see the famous meteorite Tesla in a museum, right next to that well-travelled Chevrolet from Peekskill.

Have you ever experienced something unexplained while driving through the Australian countryside? Or perhaps you're curious about what you'd do if a piece of space rock decided to rearrange your windscreen? Share your thoughts and stories in the comments below.