[meteorite-list] Rocks from Space Picture of the Day - September 25, 2008
http://www.rocksfromspace.org/September_25_2008.html **Looking for simple solutions to your real-life financial challenges? Check out WalletPop for the latest news and information, tips and calculators. (http://www.walletpop.com/?NCID=emlcntuswall0001) __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] ESAs artificial meteorite probes panspermia
Hello list, an artificial meteorite shows that sedimentary martian soil could reach earth, but possible microbes would get killed by the atmosferic flight: http://www.europlanet-eu.org/demo/index.php?option=com_contenttask=viewid=123Itemid=41 Regards, Jan -- Das Universum expandiert? Komisch, ich finde immer seltener einem Parkplatz! (Harald Lesch) Ist Ihr Browser Vista-kompatibel? Jetzt die neuesten Browser-Versionen downloaden: http://www.gmx.net/de/go/browser __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] AD - Ebay Auctions ending
Good Morning List Members I have auctions ending tonight catchafallingstar.com. All started at 99 Cents!!!: There are some nice planetaries as well as our Meteorite Medals still at low prices, http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPageuserid=catchafallingstar.com Full recap with photos on Paul and Jim's website: http://www.meteorite.com/meteorites/ebay/catch_a_falling_star_meteorites.htm Thanks for looking Jim Strope 421 Fourth Street Glen Dale, WV 26038 http://www.catchafallingstar.com __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] (AD) MILLBILLILLIE 53 gram forsale
Hi list.I need to raise some money so I am putting up my 53 gram millbillillie stone meteorite up forsale.$500 takes it home.I will also pay for shipping.But please NO PAYPAL!!I will accept either private checks,cash,money order,or cashiers check or western union for my non usa customers.This is 100% fusion crusted not a mark on it and has flowlines and all the original red and black patina.Thanks and offlist please. Steve R.Arnold,Chicago! http://chicagometeorites.net/ __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] Worlds in Collision
Great picture for this on APOD: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html - Original Message - From: Darren Garrison [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Meteorite Mailing List meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2008 1:04 AM Subject: [meteorite-list] Worlds in Collision http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,427023,00.html Huge Planetary Collision Left Tons of Space Debris Around a distant star, two planets similar to Earth collided and were destroyed, astronomers said today. The somewhat speculative scenario is based on the leftovers: a ring of debris around the star that includes a million times more dust than now circles our sun. It's as if Earth and Venus collided, said researcher Benjamin Zuckerman, UCLA professor of physics and astronomy. Astronomers have never seen anything like this before. Apparently, major catastrophic collisions can take place in a fully mature planetary system. The researchers used X-ray data and other observations of a star called BD+20 307. They had assumed it was a young star, just a few hundred million years old, and the debris was leftovers from planet formation. But earlier this year, another study showed the star was actually a binary pair, and that the stars were billions of years old. So why all the debris? The dust is about the same distance from the stellar pair as Earth is from the sun, and given current theories of planet formation, that debris should have been swept up into planets by now or pushed away by stellar radiation. It simply shouldn't be there. A colossal collision must have created all that dust sometime in the past few hundred thousand years and perhaps much more recently, the astronomers figure. It would have been a whopper. If any life was present on either planet, the massive collision would have wiped out everything in a matter of minutes - the ultimate extinction event, said Gregory Henry, an astronomer at Tennessee State University (TSU) who worked with Zuckerman on the research. A massive disk of infrared-emitting dust circling the star provides silent testimony to this sad fate. To put the collision into context, Zuckerman said: By contrast with the massive crash in the BD+20 307 system, the collision of an asteroid with Earth 65 million years ago, the most favored explanation for the final demise of the dinosaurs, was a mere pipsqueak. The work was funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA, and also by TSU and the State of Tennessee. It will be detailed in the December issue of the Astrophysical Journal. The conclusion has the astronomers thinking about home. This poses two very interesting questions, said TSU astronomer Francis Fekel. How do planetary orbits become destabilized in such an old, mature system, and could such a collision happen in our own solar system? It has already happened here, in fact. Our moon is thought to have been created when a Mars-sized object slammed into Earth. Henry points out that computer models done by other researchers suggest that as planets in our solar system migrate over time, there is a small probability for collisions of Mercury with Earth or Venus sometime in the next billion years or more. Of course by then the sun will have expanded and we might be toast anyway. __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] (AD) MILLBILLILLIE 53 gram forsale
How many AD's we've had from this address this week? Chergach? Gao? Now Millie? Don't know ... Matthias - Original Message - From: steve arnold [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2008 2:44 PM Subject: [meteorite-list] (AD) MILLBILLILLIE 53 gram forsale Hi list.I need to raise some money so I am putting up my 53 gram millbillillie stone meteorite up forsale.$500 takes it home.I will also pay for shipping.But please NO PAYPAL!!I will accept either private checks,cash,money order,or cashiers check or western union for my non usa customers.This is 100% fusion crusted not a mark on it and has flowlines and all the original red and black patina.Thanks and offlist please. Steve R.Arnold,Chicago! http://chicagometeorites.net/ __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] WANTED : Meteorite Pendant
Hi folks! I am looking to purchase a meteorite pendant - either the NWA 869 heart-shaped pendant, one of the interesting looking carved NWA 869 beads (preferred), or an etched iron pendant (like Gibeon). I do not want any of the wire-wrapped pendants or oft-seen Campo pendants. My wife's birthday is coming up and I want to give her something meteoritic in addition to the usual gift fare. I have been bidding on these pendants on eBay for a week now and I keep losing the auction every time - because the price gets too high for my budget or I forget to watch the auction and it closes while I am out lollygagging. If you have one of these to part with, email me with your price shipped to zipcode 70360 via Priority Mail. I can pay via PayPal. Thanks and clear skies! MikeG . Michael Gilmer (Louisiana, USA) Member of the Meteoritical Society. Member of the Bayou Region Stargazers Network. Websites - http://www.galactic-stone.com and http://www.glassthrower.com MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/fine_meteorites_4_sale .. __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] ESAs artificial meteorite probes panspermia
On Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:40:22 +0200, you wrote: Hello list, an artificial meteorite shows that sedimentary martian soil could reach earth, but possible microbes would get killed by the atmosferic flight: http://www.europlanet-eu.org/demo/index.php?option=com_contenttask=viewid=123Itemid=41 The more interesting part of the experiment, to me, is the production of creamy white fusion crusts. Wonder how many Martian sedementary meteorites (and old Earthites) have been passed over in the deserts because they were the wrong color? http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925083252.htm __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] MRO HiRISE Images - September 24, 2008
MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER HIRISE IMAGES September 24, 2008 o Clusters of Mounds at Acidalia Planitia http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_009485_2185 o Outcrops in Aurorae Chaos http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_009498_1730 o Tube-Fed Lava Flow Field http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_009501_1755 o Dark Spot Near Olmpus Mons Volcano http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_009502_1980 All of the HiRISE images are archived here: http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ Information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is online at http://www.nasa.gov/mro. The mission is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, of Denver, is the prime contractor and built the spacecraft. HiRISE is operated by the University of Arizona. Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp., of Boulder, Colo., built the HiRISE instrument. __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] ESAs artificial meteorite probes panspermia
Wasn't there a lady professor that wrote an article a while back on the possibility of there being atypical appearing meteorites and we might be overlooking them? I realize that is somewhat of a wide-open question but to possibly narrow it down a bit, the name Prof. C. Floss seems to come to mind in my remembering this article. Seems like it had to do with mantle or lack of meteorites from a certain layer, or something similar. Anyone else remember this article? I'd like to read it again if I could come up with the link. Mike On Sep 25, 2008, at 9:05 AM, Darren Garrison wrote: On Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:40:22 +0200, you wrote: Hello list, an artificial meteorite shows that sedimentary martian soil could reach earth, but possible microbes would get killed by the atmosferic flight: http://www.europlanet-eu.org/demo/index.php? option=com_contenttask=viewid=123Itemid=41 The more interesting part of the experiment, to me, is the production of creamy white fusion crusts. Wonder how many Martian sedementary meteorites (and old Earthites) have been passed over in the deserts because they were the wrong color? http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925083252.htm __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] AD: Semi-Famous Meteorites For Sale
Hi all, I have a few Semi-Famous Meteorites for sale. Take a look and email me of list. http://www.mr-meteorite.com/famousmeteorites4sale.htm Ruben Garcia Phoenix, Arizona http://www.mr-meteorite.com http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=meteorfrightp=v __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] MRO Reveals Rock Fracture Plumbing On Mars
Sept. 25, 2008 Dwayne Brown Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1726 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Guy Webster Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-354-6278 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Lori Stiles University of Arizona, Tucson 520-626-4402 [EMAIL PROTECTED] RELEASE: 08-244 NASA ORBITER REVEALS ROCK FRACTURE PLUMBING ON MARS PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed hundreds of small fractures exposed on the Martian surface that billions of years ago directed flows of water through underground Martian sandstone. Researchers used images from the spacecraft's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, or HiRISE, camera. Images of layered rock deposits at equatorial Martian sites show the clusters of fractures to be a type called deformation bands, caused by stresses below the surface in granular or porous bedrock. Groundwater often flows along fractures such as these, and knowing that these are deformation bands helps us understand how the underground plumbing may have worked within these layered deposits, said Chris Okubo of the U.S. Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Ariz. Visible effects of water on the color and texture of rock along the fractures provide evidence that groundwater flowed extensively along the fractures. These structures are important sites for future exploration and investigations into the geological history of water and water-related processes on Mars, Okubo and co-authors state in a report published online this month in the Geological Society of America Bulletin. Deformation band clusters in Utah sandstones, as on Mars, are a few yards wide and up to a few miles long. They form from either compression or stretching of underground layers, and can be precursors to faults. The ones visible at the surface have become exposed as overlying layers erode away. Deformation bands and faults can strongly influence the movement of groundwater on Earth and appear to have been similarly important on Mars, according to this study. This study provides a picture of not just surface water erosion but true groundwater effects widely distributed over the planet, said Suzanne Smrekar, deputy project scientist for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Ground water movement has important implications for how the temperature and chemistry of the crust have changed over time, which in turn affects the potential for habitats for past life. The recent study focuses on layered deposits in Mars' Capen crater, approximately 43 miles in diameter and 7 degrees north of the equator. This formerly unnamed crater became notable due to this discovery of deformation bands within it and was recently assigned a formal name. The crater was named for the late Charles Capen, who studied Mars and other objects as an astronomer at JPL's Table Mountain Observatory in southern California and at Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Ariz. The HiRISE camera is one of six science instruments on the orbiter. It can reveal smaller details on the surface than any previous camera to orbit Mars. The orbiter reached Mars in March 2006 and has returned more data than all other current and past missions to Mars combined. The mission is managed by JPL for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. Lockheed Martin Space Systems of Denver built the spacecraft. The University of Arizona operates the HiRISE camera, built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp. of Boulder, Colo. Images of the deformation band clusters and additional information about the mission are on the Internet at: http://www.nasa.gov/mro For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov -end- __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Artificial Meteorite Shows Martian Impactors May Carry Traces of Life
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/artificial-meteorite-shows-martian-impactors-may-carry-traces-of-life_10099727.html Artificial meteorite shows Martian impactors may carry traces of life Thaindian News September 25, 2008 Berlin, September 25 (ANI): An artificial meteorite designed by the European Space Agency (ESA) has shown that traces of life in a Martian meteorite could survive the violent heat and shock of entry into the Earth's atmosphere. The experiment's results also suggest that meteorite hunters should widen their search to include white rocks if they want to find traces of life in Martian meteorites. The STONE-6 experiment tested whether sedimentary rock samples could withstand the extreme conditions during a descent though the Earth's atmosphere where temperatures reached at least 1700 degrees Celsius. After landing, the samples were transported in protective holders to a laboratory clean-room at ESTEC (European Space Research and Technology Centre) and examined to see if any traces of life remained. Recent missions have gathered compelling evidence for water and sediments on early Mars. Potential traces of Martian life are more likely to be found in sediments that have been formed in water. However, although about 39 known meteorites from Mars have been identified, all are basaltic rock-types and no sedimentary meteorites have been found to date. According to Dr Westall, The STONE-6 experiment shows that sedimentary martian meteorites could reach Earth. The fact that we haven't found any to date could mean that we need to change the way we hunt for meteorites. In this experiment, we found that the sedimentary rocks developed a white crust or none at all. That means that we need to expand our search to white or light-coloured rocks, he added. The STONE-6 experiment was mounted on a FOTON M3 capsule that was launched from Baikonur on 14th September 2007. Two samples of terrestrial sedimentary rock and a control sample of basalt were fixed to the heat-shield of the return capsule, which re-entered the atmosphere on 26th September after 12 days in orbit. The basalt was lost during re-entry. However, a sample of 3.5 billion year old volcanic sand containing carbonaceous microfossils and a 370 million year sample of mudstone from the Orkney Islands containing chemical biomarkers both survived. On examination at ESTEC, the 3.5 billion year old sample of sand from Pilbara in Australia was found to have formed a half-millimetre thick fusion crust that was creamy white in colour. About half the rock had ablated but the microfossils and carbon survived at depth in the sample. Approximately 30 percent of the other sediment, a lacustrine sand from the Orkney Islands, also survived, as did some of the biomolecules. The rocks also transported living organisms, a type of bacteria called Chroococcidiopsis, on the back of the rocks, away from the exposed edge. The STONE-6 experiment suggests that, if Martian sedimentary meteorites carry traces of past life, these traces could be safely transported to Earth, said Dr Westall. __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] The Fallen 'Star' of Hoba (Hoba Meteorite)
http://www.newera.com.na/page.php?id=9350 The Fallen 'Star' of Hoba By Chrispin Inambao New Era September 25, 2008 Fifty-seven kilometres east of the B-1 road between Otavi and Grootfontein is a turn-off from where a serpentine dusty road leads to a cluster of fertile commercial farms. From the turn-off one would have to endure a 24-km drive along a bumpy road that traverses several maize fields and fertile cattle ranches that economically sustain the maize triangle to reach one particular farm that possesses a heritage of global significance. Hoba Farm is of global significance in that the largest single piece of ?cosmic dust? to have fallen anywhere on earth from the sky lies several metres embedded in its surface. This meteorite of considerable importance to scientists is a favoured tourist destination. Weighing in excess of 60 tonnes and discovered in 1920 Hoba Meteorite is said to have landed on earth over 80 000 years ago and is one of the reasons tourists flock to Namibia. Multitudes of visitors from America, Germany, Italy, Britain, France and South Africa, among other countries, toting expensive digital cameras are drawn to this metallic stone slab that was discovered through a chance event by a farmer with an ox-drawn plough. Had it not been for this maize farmer, no one would know that beneath Namibia?s surface is buried the largest known meteorite in the world for there is no crater in that area. This meteorite is unusual in that it is flat on both major surfaces possibly causing it to have skipped across the top of the atmosphere in a way a flat stone skips on water. Adelheid Garises and her husband Ambrosius Gariseb are part of a team of people ensuring this national treasure listed among the National Monuments is protected from vandals. In fact, it was declared a national monument on March 15, 1955 and in 1985 Rössing Uranium Ltd availed funds so that additional protection could be taken against vandals. A portion of these funds was utilised to make the site more attractive to tourists. In 1987 Jan Engelbrecht the owner of Hoba West donated the meteorite and the site where it lies to the State for educational purposes. Later that year a tourist centre was opened at the site. Because of these developments, vandalism has ceased and thousands of both local and domestic tourists visit this breath-taking site year in and year out. Previously souvenir-hunters had hacked some pieces of this priceless treasure. In the 50s ISCOR a South African steel company, made an offer to buy the whole stone for a million pounds that at that time was a staggering amount. In astronomical terms Hoba Meteorite is no more than a 'speck of cosmic dust' though on a more modest human scale, this rock is both the largest and heaviest meteorite on earth. It is worth noting the speed at which these meteorites travel by far eclipses that of bullets. Garises said the meteorite is located 24 km from Grootfontein and that it attracts anything from 24 to 80 tourists everyday but that the number could even be higher and groups of school-children undertake guided tours to see this strange-looking metallic stone slab. Geologists from far and wide also travel to this area to scientifically probe this stone. Comprising 84 percent iron and 16 percent nickel this slab will continue being a major tourist attraction in years to come. __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] NASA Identifies Carbon-rich Molecules in Meteors as the 'Origin of Life'
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/research/2008/Origins_of_life_research.html NASA Identifies Carbon-rich Molecules in Meteors as the 'Origin of Life' September 24, 2008 Tons, perhaps tens of tons, of carbon molecules in dust particles and meteorites fall on Earth daily. Meteorites are especially valuable to astronomers because they provide relatively big chunks of carbon molecules that are easily analyzed in the laboratory. In the past few years, researchers have noticed that most meteorite carbon are molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are very stable compounds and are survivors. PAHs are the most common carbon-rich compound in the universe. They are found in everything from distant galaxies to charbroiled hamburgers and engine soot. When they are first formed, or found in space, their structures resemble pieces of chicken wire, fused six-sided rings. However, when found in meteorites, these aromatic rings are carrying extra hydrogen or oxygen. Scientists at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. performed laboratory experiments that explain the process by which these meteoritic hydrocarbons attract the extra hydrogen and oxygen. They are very similar to the molecules identified as evidence of alien microbes in an earlier Science paper (McKay et al 1996). âOur findings are important because it is the first time anybody explained these carbon-rich molecules found in meteorites. They are similar to the molecules that make-up living things,â said Max Bernstein, a space scientist at NASA Ames. As it happened, their findings were judged significant enough to be award-winning. Published in Science (1999) by Bernstein and fellow NASA Ames scientists Scott Sanford and Louis Allamandola, their paper won the 2008 H. Julian Allen Award at NASA Ames Research Center. It takes a long time for scientific papers to win awards. As scientists, we like to quantify things. Scientific papers are judged by the number of times they are cited in other scientific papers. Other scientists need to say that I couldn't have written my paper without your paper. Often it takes a few years, Bernstein explained. These carbon-rich molecules are produced by carbon-rich, dying, giant red stars. When they are first formed, astronomers observe them as normal PAHs. However, when they are seen in meteorites billions of years later, they almost always have oxygen or heavy hydrogen attached to them. (Heavy hydrogen carries an extra neutron, and is called a deuterium isotope.) Something happened to change them, say scientists. To study the process by which these carbon compounds change, the Ames Astrochemistry Laboratory studied PAHs in water ices that were exposed to ultraviolet radiation under space-like conditions. Scientists reproduced conditions including an incredibly high vacuum, extremely low temperatures (- 340 degrees Fahrenheit), and harsh radiation. When the extremely cold temperature was reached, these PAHs were exposed to ultraviolet radiation, and they changed. The experiment successfully reproduced the hydrocarbons found in meteorites. For the first time, scientists were able to show how hydrogen was exchanged for deuterium, or heavy hydrogen. It turns out, you only need water ice and radiation to change these molecules, said Bernstein. Using infrared spectroscopy, the Ames research team proved that the laboratory-produced hydrocarbons were the same hydrocarbons found in meteorites and observed through telescopes. Scientists observed the chemical reaction in a stainless steel chamber as it was happening. The laboratory sample reflected the same infrared colors as the hydrocarbons seen by astronomers using telescopes. Because the techniques used were the same, the results were directly comparable. We were seeing the same molecules from telescopes as were reproduced in the laboratory, said Sandford. Once the molecular-size laboratory sample was retrieved, it was taken to Richard Zare's laboratory at Stanford University, where researchers weighed the individual molecules. Findings showed that ices, modified by radiation, created new molecules. These molecules, called quinones, received considerable attention by the astrobiology community because they are common to all life forms. They are potentially significant for the origin of life or the habitability of planets. How does a planet become habitable? Molecules from space helped to make the Earth the pleasant place that it is today, said Allamandola, founder of the Ames Astrochemistry Laboratory. Our findings were new because we showed how these molecules formed. It was already known that these molecules were in meteorites and delivered to the planets, said Bernstein. We now understand why these life-like carbon compounds are raining down on the Earth and other planets. Knowing this will help us search for life on other worlds by distinguishing these molecules from biomarkers, said Bernstein. For further information,
[meteorite-list] NASA Astronomers Compare Meteors to Spacecraft Re-entry (Jules Verne Reentry)
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2008/08_84AR.html Rachel Prucey Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. 650-604-0643 [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Michael Braukus NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1979 [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Clare Mattok European Space Agency, Paris 33-1-5369-7412 [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sept. 24, 2008 MEDIA ADVISORY : 08_84AR NASA Astronomers Compare Meteors to Spacecraft Re-entry MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- A group of astronomers from NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and other institutions will take to the skies to observe the re-entry of ESA's Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) as it falls back to Earth from the International Space Station on Sept. 29, 2008. An Ames research aircraft will take off from Moffett Field, Calif., and a Douglas DC-8 airborne laboratory will depart from NASA's Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility at Palmdale, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 26, 2008 to fly more than 30 scientists and their instruments over the South Pacific Ocean in ideal and virtually unchanging conditions far above light pollution and clouds. NASA's primary goal during the lengthy airborne mission is to study the re-entry and fragmentation of ESA's Jules Verne ATV spacecraft to gain insight and find similarities to meteor fragmentation. This observation campaign is similar to the January 2006 Stardust and September 2004 Genesis spacecraft re-entry airborne campaigns, in which NASA scientists studied the levels of radiation, light and out-gassing of the descending spacecraft, to better understand meteor radiation mechanisms. Another goal is to validate the computer models astronomers use to predict how an object will fragment and disperse as it enters Earth's atmosphere. NASA astronomers made similar airborne studies for the January 2008 Quadrantid and September 2007 Aurigid meteor showers to determine when they peaked and how they were formed. Peter Jenniskens, the observation campaign principal investigator, at NASA Ames Research Center and the SETI Institute, Mountain View, Calif., and Dave Jordan, observation campaign project manager, at NASA Ames will be available for telephone interviews, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. PDT, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008. To schedule an interview please contact Rachel Prucey, public affairs specialist, at 650-604-0643. For more information on NASA and its programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov For more information about the âJules Verneâ airborne observation campaign, visit: http://atv.seti.org/ - end - __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] AD: Semi-Famous Meteorites For Sale
Hi Ruben and other List members, I would be careful about selling California meteorites found on BLM land. I was told by the BLM that it is illegal to collect meteorites in California on federal lands for comercial purposes. I thought you were involved with some of these warnings. They do monitor eBay and Google. I have been sternly warned about selling meteorites found on California dry lake beds. I donated the Ransburg iron Main Mass becuase of such warnings. Best Regards, Adam __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] NASA Stardust Capsule To Go On Display At Smithsonian
Sept. 25, 2008 Dwayne Brown Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1726 [EMAIL PROTECTED] William P. Jeffs Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 [EMAIL PROTECTED] D.C. Agle Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-393-9011 [EMAIL PROTECTED] RELEASE: 08-245 NASA STARDUST CAPSULE TO GO ON DISPLAY AT SMITHSONIAN WASHINGTON -- Having returned the world's first particles from a comet, NASA's Stardust sample return capsule will join the collection of flight icons in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington. The capsule will go on public display in the museum's Milestones of Flight Gallery on Oct. 1, the 50th anniversary of NASA. Stardust, comprising a spacecraft and capsule, completed a seven-year, 3-billion-mile journey in 2006. A tennis racket-like, aerogel-lined collector was extended to capture particles as the spacecraft flew within 150 miles of comet Wild 2 in January 2004. Carrying the collected particles, the capsule returned to Earth Jan. 15, 2006, landing in Utah. Two days later, it was transported to a curatorial facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Very few people get to build something, launch it into space, see it be successful and then get it back in their hands, said Karen McNamara, Johnson recovery lead for the Stardust mission. To be able to share this with the public is phenomenal. The capsule joins the Wright brothers' 1903 Flyer, Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis and the Apollo 11 command module Columbia that carried the first men to walk on the moon. The Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum is delighted to add to the National Collection the Stardust return capsule, said Roger Launius, senior curator of the Division of Space History at the museum. As one of the premier space science missions of the recent past, Stardust will take its place alongside other iconic objects from the history of air and spaceflight. I look forward to helping to impart more knowledge to our visitors about the makeup of the universe using this significant and path breaking object. Hardware provided to the Smithsonian includes actual flight components. Elements relevant to the science goals of the mission remain with NASA. After successfully completing its mission, Stardust will use its flight-proven hardware to perform a new, previously unplanned investigation. The mission, called Stardust-NExT, will revisit comet 9P/Tempel 1. This investigation will provide the first look at the changes to a comet nucleus produced after a close approach to the sun. It also will mark the first time a comet ever has been revisited. Usually, when a piece of your spacecraft goes into the Smithsonian that means the mission's over, said Stardust-NExT project manager Rick Grammier, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. But the Stardust spacecraft is still doing the job for NASA and in February 2011, it will fly within 120 miles of the comet. Stardust is a low-cost, Discovery Program mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the project. Joseph Veverka of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., is the mission's principal investigator. Lockheed Martin Space Systems of Denver manages mission operations. For information about the Stardust mission on the Web, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/stardust Images of the Stardust capsule being prepared for shipment can be found at: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/home/stardust.html NASA Television will air Video File material to illustrate this story. For NASA TV downlink, schedule and streaming video information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv -end- __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Fireball over Ohio
Hi List, This morning, while driving to work, I saw a beautiful green fireball. Here are the details: Time: 6:23 a.m. ET My location: 40 deg, 25', 2.35 N , 82 deg, 46', 30.67 W (per Google Earth) I was westbound on Ohio 229 about 1 mile east of Marengo when I saw the fireball. The road appears to be trueeast-west where I was located (again per Google Earth) It came from my blind spot (from behind and to my right) and appeared to be traveling from Northeast to Southwest. I saw it for about 3 or 4 seconds before it quickly faded (there were no obstructions so it didn't go behind a tree or building etc.) It was approximately 25 deg high when it disappeared and about 5 degrees to the right of my direction of travel (or at an approximate heading of 275 deg). It was light green, very round, about 1/2 to 3/4 the size of the full moon and about 2/3 the brightness of the full moon. There were no sparks, trails or smoke but it was dark so if there was smoke I would not have been able to see it. The sky was clear and sunrise occurred about an hour after I saw the fireball. I have no idea if it was a meteor or space junk. Did anyone else see it? Best regards, Charley Well, squids don't work. Hey! Let's try elephants ! Hannibal __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] AD: Semi-Famous Meteorites For Sale
So is the link broken, or removed on the back of Adam's reply? Mark Ruben Garcia wrote: Hi all, I have a few Semi-Famous Meteorites for sale. Take a look and email me of list. http://www.mr-meteorite.com/famousmeteorites4sale.htm Ruben Garcia Phoenix, Arizona http://www.mr-meteorite.com http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=meteorfrightp=v -- Mark's Meteorite Pages: http://meteorites.cc __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] Worlds in Collision
Hi, All, The press release says: collisions of Mercury with Earth or Venus sometime in the next billion years or more. Of course by then the sun will have expanded and we might be toast anyway. Not quite. When the Sun formed 4.5 billion years ago, it was only 70% as bright as now, 90% of its present diameter, and about 250 K. cooler. The Sun has been getting bigger and brighter ever since, and will continue to do so for a long time. About 1.1 billion years from now, it will be 10% brighter, and that would be enough to start a runaway Greenhouse that would eventually cause the loss of all the Earth's water out the top of the atmosphere. Of course, that far in the future, any intelligent life will easily be able to orbit a sun screen and prevent the developing catastrophe... By 3.5 billion years from now, when the Sun gets to 40% brighter than present, all the Earth's water would be gone in runaway Greenhouse if there's no intelligent life to prevent it. (And if there's no intelligent life left, does it matter?) The Earth would now resemble present-day Venus very closely. 6.35 billion years from now, the Sun's core runs out of hydrogen to burn, and the Sun starts to expand, burning the final outer layer of hydrogen. At the point the Sun starts expanding, it's 2.2 times brighter than today and 58% bigger. It turns into a Red Sub-Giant. Over the next 0.7 billion years, it gets 130% bigger but no brighter and actually cools off. The solar wind intensifies. Over the next 0.6 billion years, it will lose 28% of its mass, become 2350 times brighter and 166 times bigger than it is today, and cool down to 3100 K., 7.65 billion years from now. The sun will swallow Mercury, and fry the other inner planets, even though all that solar wind will have pushed them much further out than they are now. The solar system does get fried, but not for quite a while; it takes longer than they say. After this, the Sun's life gets really complicated. There's a Helium Flash when it gets hot enough to burn helium, it shrinks and heats up, then expands and cools, uses up all the helium, starts losing mass faster, then blows off much of its mass in a series of short fast pulses, and collapses into a hot little White Dwarf star with about 54% of its present mass and a diameter about the size of the Earth! There might be a short-lived nebula to delight the amateur astronomers of other species in this neck of the galaxy. I hope it's pretty. The White Dwarf Sun will cool and shine for the next 100 billion years and the next 100 billion after that and so forth, ever fainter, for a trillion years or so... But, for the next 5 or 6 billion years, we should be OK, assuming good Planetary System Management and Maintenance. (You gotta do better than we are now, though...) Therefore, avoiding collisions of the existing planets over the next billion years is important, yes, but it's not good enough. I have no idea (well, some ideas) of how you would fiddle with the dynamics of a solar system to avert collisions but I bet, a hundred million years from now, Earth Life (if there is any) will be able to manage it, just as we hope that in a century or two, we will be able to manage to avoid those pesky big asteroid collisions. Then, the authors are assuming that the collision of two independent Earth-sized planets is the only way to produce this much dust and debris. There is another way. Probably rare, but far from impossible, are double planets. The Earth and Moon have been called that, but the Moon only masses 1.25% of the Earth's mass. Pluto and Charon (11% of Pluto's mass) are a much better example (and would have been so defined... well, almost). Imagine a 1.35 Earth mass planet with a 0.65 Earth mass moon, in a temperate place in a solar system, with oceans of volatiles and all the rest of it. The tidal forces generated on such a locked satellite would be enormous. The smaller body would first become tidally locked to the larger, then the tidal drag would slow the rotation of the larger planet, transferring momentum to the orbit of the smaller planet and raising its orbit. Even the piddling force of the lunar tides will drive our Moon away eventually, but a high-mass satellite might well have its orbit pumped up to the point where it would escape or be perturbed free, in only a handful of billions of years. Then, there would be TWO planets sharing nearly identical orbits. This never turns out well. The short-term probability of collision is close to 100%. There are some escape scenarios: the smaller planet is ejected into an eccentric orbit but such orbits have a high probability of future collision, or possibly into a Trojan orbit, also not stable over the long term. Once any collision occurs, total rubblization of the planets involved (and any planets that stood too close) is certain. Another large-moon disaster is a large retrograde double planet. The tidal interaction takes momentum from the smaller planet's orbit and the
Re: [meteorite-list] ESAs artificial meteorite probes panspermia
Mike, List, The publication you almost remember is: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19960027473_1996032004.pdf And there is a C. Floss published in it, but the author you are thinking of is Monica Grady of NHM, London: It seems likely, though, that meteorite curators through the ages, having been presented with a fossiliferous sedimentary rock, would probably not have been able to assess the true nature of such a terrestrial meteorite (notwithstanding the protestations of the owner). How many of these types of sample have been returned to sender? More pertinently perhaps, how many such samples are still preserved in traditional collections? This was in 1996. Whether anybody looked in their old drawers, boxes, and shelves... who knows? I cited this in a pair of posts on sedimentary meteorites on May 30 and 31, 2008, along with a lot of other references to possible sedimentary meteorites. You can find it in the List Archives, in the thread Just Another Question. Sterling K. Webb - - Original Message - From: Michael Murray [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2008 11:28 AM Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] ESAs artificial meteorite probes panspermia Wasn't there a lady professor that wrote an article a while back on the possibility of there being atypical appearing meteorites and we might be overlooking them? I realize that is somewhat of a wide-open question but to possibly narrow it down a bit, the name Prof. C. Floss seems to come to mind in my remembering this article. Seems like it had to do with mantle or lack of meteorites from a certain layer, or something similar. Anyone else remember this article? I'd like to read it again if I could come up with the link. Mike On Sep 25, 2008, at 9:05 AM, Darren Garrison wrote: On Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:40:22 +0200, you wrote: Hello list, an artificial meteorite shows that sedimentary martian soil could reach earth, but possible microbes would get killed by the atmosferic flight: http://www.europlanet-eu.org/demo/index.php? option=com_contenttask=viewid=123Itemid=41 The more interesting part of the experiment, to me, is the production of creamy white fusion crusts. Wonder how many Martian sedementary meteorites (and old Earthites) have been passed over in the deserts because they were the wrong color? http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925083252.htm __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Is the list up?
Hello __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] Is the list up?
G'Day Michael Seems fine to me. Cheers Johnno - Original Message - From: Michael L Blood [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Meteorite List meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2008 7:18 PM Subject: [meteorite-list] Is the list up? Hello __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] Is the list up?
On Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:18:17 -0700, you wrote: Hello This better not be Viagra spam. __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] AD
Well, OK then: No one seems to be interacting with the list, but Here goes I ordered a bunch of a meteorite originally named Mali, then called Erg Chech and now officially called Chergach. Fell in the summer of 2007 in Chergach, Erg Chech in the Timbuktu district of the Republic of Mali. The material on the market is prized due to being a witnessed fall and having rich black fusion crust with a fresh, white interior showing in broken sections. I originally paid $5/g for a lot wholesale, though I have seen it offered for $4/g. I have a very nice shipment that just arrived and I am offering the 5 remaining pieces for $2.25/g for specimens with nearly100% FC and $2/g for specimens with a broken side. I do not believe anyone will ever see this material again for these prices and I will be offering it (if any don't sell) in my catalog at a considerably higher price. So, list members now have a very rare chance to get a nice, big, fresh stone for your collection at the price you now have to pay for highly weathered, unidentified NWA material. (PS: Some of the cut slices and end pieces of this material have shown distinct impact melt brecciation, though none of this material has any cut surfaces, so, I have no idea what a cut section would be like). When ordering, I suggest you name at least ONE alternate, as I suspect these will go very quickly at this price: SEE SPECIMENS AT: http://community.webshots.com/photo/2293914970035542431qhFDNZ Specimens Nearly 100% FC ($2.25/g SALE) 257g = SALE =576- 500g = SOLD 1,077g = SALE =2,425- (Great regmaglypting) Specimens with broken side ($2/g SALE) 117g = SALE = 230- 300g = SOLD 338g = SALE = 675- 708g = SALE = 1,416- if you can't see the photos at: http://community.webshots.com/photo/2293914970035542431qhFDNZ and are interested, email me off list and I will send you an attachment. Best wishes, Michael __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] AD
Well, OK then: I am not getting my own posts - and no one seems to be interacting with the list, but here goes I ordered a bunch of a meteorite originally named Mali, then called Erg Chech and now officially called Chergach. Fell in the summer of 2007 in Chergach, Erg Chech in the Timbuktu district of the Republic of Mali. The material on the market is prized due to being a witnessed fall and having rich black fusion crust with a fresh, white interior showing in broken sections. I originally paid $5/g for a lot wholesale, though I have seen it offered for $4/g. I have a very nice shipment that just arrived and I am offering the 5 remaining pieces for $2.25/g for specimens with nearly100% FC and $2/g for specimens with a broken side. I do not believe anyone will ever see this material again for these prices and I will be offering it (if any don't sell) in my catalog at a considerably higher price. So, list members now have a very rare chance to get a nice, big, fresh stone for your collection at the price you now have to pay for highly weathered, unidentified NWA material. (PS: Some of the cut slices and end pieces of this material have shown distinct impact melt brecciation, though none of this material has any cut surfaces, so, I have no idea what a cut section would be like). When ordering, I suggest you name at least ONE alternate, as I suspect these will go very quickly at this price: SEE SPECIMENS AT: http://community.webshots.com/photo/2293914970035542431qhFDNZ Specimens Nearly 100% FC ($2.25/g SALE) 257g = SALE =576- 500g = SOLD 1,077g = SALE =2,425- (Great regmaglypting) Specimens with broken side ($2/g SALE) 117g = SALE = 230- 300g = SOLD 338g = SALE = 675- 708g = SALE = 1,416- if you can't see the photos at: http://community.webshots.com/photo/2293914970035542431qhFDNZ and are interested, email me off list and I will send you an attachment. Best wishes, Michael __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
