Objects closer to Earth than the L1 point are controlled by Earth's gravity. Objects beyond the L1 point are controlled by the Sun. When J002E3 came close to the L1 point in April 2002, the object passed throuhgh L1--like a portal--from a Sun-orbit to an Earth-orbit.
In the top 20km of the Earth's crust, the conditions are right to produce a nearly inexhaustible supply of hydrogen, said Prof Freund. Studies by the team of common rock types such as granite and olivine have revealed extraordinarily high levels of trapped hydrogen.
On its own, hydrogen is not a fuel or source of energy. Rather, when hydrogen burns, it reacts with the oxygen in the air to create heat. This heat is then used for energy. Water and a few nitrogen oxides are the only by-products. Therefore, hydrogen is considered an energy carrier â it stores energy first created elsewhere.