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.
The main use of hydrogen is to remove the sulfur that occurs naturally in fuels, a process that improves air quality. Sources of fossil energies such as crude oil naturally contain sulfur. The combustion of fuels containing sulfur produces sulfur oxides: SOx. These irritating gases cause a number of serious respiratory ailments.