Two of the most famous meteorite hunters developed a passion for these rocks from space after observing a fireball. On the American plains, Harvey H. Niniger (1887-1986) set up a program to educate the general population about meteorites. He harvested many meteorites, proving to everyone that falls and finds were frequent. He created a meteoritic society and founded a museum with his collection.

In the last 20 years, the most well-known meteorite hunter has been Robert Haag. He scours the areas around craters throughout the world. Whereas Nininger raised the awareness of local farmers, Haag gets help from entire villages-and the harvest is all the more fruitful. Other hunters explore the corners of the planet where meteorites are most likely to be discovered, and they jump at the chance to investigate areas where a fireball has been observed.