The physical properties of the stone meteorites provide important clues to understanding the
formation and physical evolution of material in the Solar protoplanetary disk as well
providing indications of the properties of their asteroidal parent bodies. Knowledge of these
properties is essential for modeling a number of Solar System processes, such as bolides in
planetary atmospheres, the thermal inertia of atmosphereless solid body surfaces, and the
internal physical and thermal evolution of asteroids and rock-rich icy bodies. In addition …