The earth's atmosphere protects it from small meteorites - actually the specific part is the mesosphere. When meteorites contact this part of the atmosphere they wither burn up or become very small. I don't understant the "earth's moon is" part, sorry.
meteorites
When meteoroids enter Earth's atmosphere they are usually traveling around 10-70 kilometers per second. The atmosphere quickly burns up smaller ones and slows larger ones down to around 300 kilometers per hour before they strike the Earth.
a crater
A meteoroid which reaches the ground is called a meteorite. A small number of meteorites have been found which scientists believe originated on the Moon or Mars. The composition of meteorites gives us valuable information about the universe. Meteorites typically fall into one of five categories.IronsThese meteorites are made of a crystalline iron-nickel alloy that resembles the outer core of the earth. Similar in structure to some asteroids (type M), 5.7% of meteorites are irons.Stony-IronsThese meteorites are mixtures of iron-nickel alloy and non-metallic mineral matter. Scientists believe they are like the material which would be found where the Earth's core meets the mantle. 1.5% of meteorite falls are stony irons.Stony MeteoritesThere are three subclasses of stony meteorites:Chondrites: These meteorites are the most numerous, comprising 85.7% of all meteorites found. They are characterized by chondrules: small (average diameter of 1 millimeter) spheres of formerly melted minerals that have melded with other minerals to form a solid rock. Chondrites are believed to be among the oldest rocks in the solar system and are similar in composition to the mantles and crusts of earth and the other terrestrial planets.Carbonaceous Chondrites: These meteorites are very rare and contain elemental carbon, the basic building block for life on earth.Achondrites: Stony meteorites without chondrules, representing about 7.1% of meteorites. Scientists believe that some of these meteorites originate on the surface of the Moon or Mars.From http://www.odec.ca/projects/2006/jauc6s2/kinds.htm
Its called friction. When the rock enters the atmosphere it can be travelling at thousands of miles and hour. In space there is nothing to slow it down, when it comes to the Earths atmosphere there is resistance as the air tries to slow it down, this creates heat and the tempretures can reach thousands of degrees, rock melts at about 1200ºC.
meteorites
meteorites
Besides providing oxygen to breathe, the atmosphere protects us from ultraviolet radiation (thanks to the ozone layer), meteors and meteorites (which burn up from the friction), and excesses of heat and cold (by spreading the sun's heat more or less equally around the Earth, and insulating us from the worst of it).
Meteorites
Meteorites
The Earth is constantly hit by small meteorites simply because space has no friction. Therefore, if a small asteroid were to somehow been flung out of the Asteroid belt (becoming a meteor), and was aim at Earth, chances are that it'll hit.
Everywhere, all over the entire Earth. Of course, most meteorites are pretty small; pebble sized, not much longer. Big meteorites are pretty rare.
meteorites
Yes, apart from small additions when meteorites fall to earth from space
Small objects - and even some fairly large objects - that strike the Earth are heated to incandescence by friction and compression as they enter the Earth's atmosphere. Most such meteorites either explode harmlessly far above the ground or are vaporized entirely.
If the fragments had their origin in outer space, the fragments to be found on Earth would be called "meteorites".
It is known that uranium 238 is found in meteorites and Plutonium 242 is found in very small amounts naturally in Uranium ores here on earth. So I would take a guess that in meteorites where uranium is found, tiny amounts of plutonium 242 will also be found.