[meteorite-list] Meteorite Picture of the Day

[valparint]

Today's Meteorite Picture of the Day: NWA 1685

Contributed by: Hanno Strufe

http://www.tucsonmeteorites.com/mpodmain.asp
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[meteorite-list] ADVERT: Subtype 3.00 — NO RESERVE

[Darryl Pitt]

Hi Folks! 

Hoping you're well. 

Select auctions ending late this afternoon — all with no reserve:

http://bit.ly/1gHpc8M

Featuring

NWA 7731 - subtype 3.00 - along with Semarkona (which is untouchable) this is 
THE most primitive, unequilibrated planetary material that exists—and it's a 
complete slice!

NWA 5717 - subtype 3.05 - two edges of fusion crust along with a rare dark 
inclusion;

TISSINT - two edges sides of fusion crust;

VALERA - the only meteorite known to have killed an animal;

KAINSAZ - rare CO3.2 witnessed fall;

NWA 7944 - a new, fresh Martian meteorite;

NWA 7214 - the freshest aubrite obtainable (W0/W1) that is not a witnessed 
fall;  


Good luck and Happy Holidays!


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[meteorite-list] SC GA Meteor 19DEC2013

[drtanuki]

List,
http://lunarmeteoritehunters.blogspot.jp/2013/12/ga-sc-daytime-fireball-meteor-19dec2013.html


Dirk Ross...Tokyo
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[meteorite-list] A widely seen event in the UK on the 19DEC2013

[drtanuki]

List,
  A widely seen event in the UK on the 19DEC2013
http://lunarmeteoritehunters.blogspot.jp/2013/12/uk-scotland-daytime-bolide-meteor.html

Dirk RissTokyo
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Re: [meteorite-list] The Year in Falls 2013

[Galactic Stone & Ironworks]

Hi Mike and List,

Too many falls vanish into obscurity and I am often left wondering
what the heck happened.  Years later, everyone forgets them and they
are lost to science, collectors, and history.  They are either
unrecovered and rotting in the field, or they are sitting in someone's
desk drawer, or what?

I cannot emphasize this enough - if you have a meteorite from an
unrecorded fall in your possession, please send a 20/20 sample to a
reputable institution for analysis and approval.  For heaven's sake,
it's only 20 grams or 20% of the specimen - shave off a broken spot
and send it to the lab for crying out loud.

Chelyabinsk alone makes 2013 a great year for falls.  Even if it was
the only fall of the year, I'd say it was a win for collectors and
science.  In fact, Chelyabinsk is the "fall of the century" so far,
IMO.

Best regards and happy huntings,

MikeG

-- 
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On 12/19/13, Michael Farmer  wrote:
> No, that is real, there was a garbage dump fall that was totally fake.
> Sadly both the Colombian fall and the Namibian fall vanished into thin air,
> likely never to be seen, like the Honduras fall last year, gone forever.
> Overall 2013 was a crappy fall year, in collections only Chelyabinsk
> available. The German fall is being hoarded, the Connecticut fall is sold I
> one collector, Brazil who knows what is happening, the rest seem to be
> lost.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Dec 19, 2013, at 6:19 PM, "Galactic Stone & Ironworks"
>>  wrote:
>>
>> Hi Mike, Mike, and List,
>>
>> It's this fall -
>> http://news.xinhuanet.com/tech/2013-07/18/c_125026612.htm
>>
>> Is this the so-called "garbage dump" fall?  I recall hearing something
>> about a weird or bogus meteorite around that time, but was it the same
>> thing as this Chinese event?
>>
>> If this one is dubious, then someone please chime in, so I can strike
>> it from the record.
>>
>> Best regards,
>>
>> MikeG
>>
>> --
>> -
>> Web - http://www.galactic-stone.com
>> Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/galacticstone
>> Twitter - http://twitter.com/galacticstone
>> Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/galacticstone
>> -
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>> On 12/19/13, Michael Farmer  wrote:
>>> Is the china fall the garbage dump fall? That wasn't real.
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
 On Dec 19, 2013, at 5:15 PM, "Galactic Stone & Ironworks"
  wrote:

 Seasons Greetings fellow Fall Watchers,

 The year 2013 was a good one for witnessed falls.

 We started out with our first fall in mid-January - the "Planeta Rica"
 fall of January 15th in Colombia.  It is assumed to be an ordinary
 chondrite, judging from the reports.  Do not expect to see this one on
 the market or in the Bulletin any time soon.

 Planeta Rica was scarcely noticed when the world was rocked by the
 Chelyabinsk event.

 To call Chelyabinsk an "event" is an understatement of cosmic
 proportions.  On February 15th, the world received a wake-up call that
 illustrated how woefully unprepared we are for large-scale meteorite
 impacts.  Everyone reading this knows what happened and it put the
 world of meteorites on every front page paper and television screen in
 the world.  Everybody was suddenly aware of meteorites and the
 collector rush was on.

 Chelyabinsk overshadowed many events this year, including the Wolcott
 Connecticut fall of April 19th.  Less than a week later, Germany was
 gifted a rock from space in the form of the Braunschweig L6 meteorite
 fall on April 23rd.  Braunschweig and Chelyabinsk are the only
 officially-approved falls of 2013 as of this writing.

 On May 9th, there was the Oshika fall in Namibia and about a month
 later on June 15th, we saw the Yuncheng-Shanxi fall in China.  Both
 falls are assumed to be ordinary chondrites and garnered little
 attention during the media frenzy after Chelyabinsk.

 Finally, on September 23rd, there was an ordinary chondrite fall in
 Vicencia Brazil.

 There have been a couple of promising fireballs after the Vicencia
 fall, but nothing has been recovered from these fireballs yet.  Unless
 something turns up very soon, the year will end rather quiet for
 falls, with nothing substantive since late September.  But if history
 is any indicator, we should see a fall soon after the New Year.

 Jan 15, 2013 - "Planeta Rica" (unofficial) (ordinary chondrite?) :
 Colombia
 Feb 15, 2013 - Chelyabinsk - (LL5 chondrite) : Russia (Hammer)
 Apr 19, 2013 - "Wolcott" 

Re: [meteorite-list] The Year in Falls 2013

[Galactic Stone & Ironworks]

Hi Mike, Mike, and List,

It's this fall - http://news.xinhuanet.com/tech/2013-07/18/c_125026612.htm

Is this the so-called "garbage dump" fall?  I recall hearing something
about a weird or bogus meteorite around that time, but was it the same
thing as this Chinese event?

If this one is dubious, then someone please chime in, so I can strike
it from the record.

Best regards,

MikeG

-- 
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Web - http://www.galactic-stone.com
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/galacticstone
Twitter - http://twitter.com/galacticstone
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-




On 12/19/13, Michael Farmer  wrote:
> Is the china fall the garbage dump fall? That wasn't real.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Dec 19, 2013, at 5:15 PM, "Galactic Stone & Ironworks"
>>  wrote:
>>
>> Seasons Greetings fellow Fall Watchers,
>>
>> The year 2013 was a good one for witnessed falls.
>>
>> We started out with our first fall in mid-January - the "Planeta Rica"
>> fall of January 15th in Colombia.  It is assumed to be an ordinary
>> chondrite, judging from the reports.  Do not expect to see this one on
>> the market or in the Bulletin any time soon.
>>
>> Planeta Rica was scarcely noticed when the world was rocked by the
>> Chelyabinsk event.
>>
>> To call Chelyabinsk an "event" is an understatement of cosmic
>> proportions.  On February 15th, the world received a wake-up call that
>> illustrated how woefully unprepared we are for large-scale meteorite
>> impacts.  Everyone reading this knows what happened and it put the
>> world of meteorites on every front page paper and television screen in
>> the world.  Everybody was suddenly aware of meteorites and the
>> collector rush was on.
>>
>> Chelyabinsk overshadowed many events this year, including the Wolcott
>> Connecticut fall of April 19th.  Less than a week later, Germany was
>> gifted a rock from space in the form of the Braunschweig L6 meteorite
>> fall on April 23rd.  Braunschweig and Chelyabinsk are the only
>> officially-approved falls of 2013 as of this writing.
>>
>> On May 9th, there was the Oshika fall in Namibia and about a month
>> later on June 15th, we saw the Yuncheng-Shanxi fall in China.  Both
>> falls are assumed to be ordinary chondrites and garnered little
>> attention during the media frenzy after Chelyabinsk.
>>
>> Finally, on September 23rd, there was an ordinary chondrite fall in
>> Vicencia Brazil.
>>
>> There have been a couple of promising fireballs after the Vicencia
>> fall, but nothing has been recovered from these fireballs yet.  Unless
>> something turns up very soon, the year will end rather quiet for
>> falls, with nothing substantive since late September.  But if history
>> is any indicator, we should see a fall soon after the New Year.
>>
>> Jan 15, 2013 - "Planeta Rica" (unofficial) (ordinary chondrite?) :
>> Colombia
>> Feb 15, 2013 - Chelyabinsk - (LL5 chondrite) : Russia (Hammer)
>> Apr 19, 2013 - "Wolcott" (unofficial) (ordinary chondrite?) :
>> Connecticut USA (Hammer)
>> Apr 23, 2013 - Braunschweig (L6 chondrite) : Germany (Hammer)
>> May 09, 2013 - "Oshika" (unofficial) (ordinary chondrite?) : Namibia
>> Jun 15, 2013 - "Yuncheng-Shanxi" (unofficial) (ordinary chondrite?) :
>> China
>> Sep 23, 2013 - "Vicencia" (unofficial) (ordinary chondrite?) : Brazil
>>
>> All known falls since the year 2000 -
>> http://www.galactic-stone.com/pages/falls
>>
>> Best regards, Happy Holidays, and Happy Huntings,
>>
>> MikeG
>>
>> --
>> -
>> Web - http://www.galactic-stone.com
>> Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/galacticstone
>> Twitter - http://twitter.com/galacticstone
>> Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/galacticstone
>> -
>> __
>>
>> Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com
>> Meteorite-list mailing list
>> Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com
>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
>
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[meteorite-list] Test

[Alan Gayda]

  
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[meteorite-list] The Year in Falls 2013

[Galactic Stone & Ironworks]

Seasons Greetings fellow Fall Watchers,

The year 2013 was a good one for witnessed falls.

We started out with our first fall in mid-January - the "Planeta Rica"
fall of January 15th in Colombia.  It is assumed to be an ordinary
chondrite, judging from the reports.  Do not expect to see this one on
the market or in the Bulletin any time soon.

Planeta Rica was scarcely noticed when the world was rocked by the
Chelyabinsk event.

To call Chelyabinsk an "event" is an understatement of cosmic
proportions.  On February 15th, the world received a wake-up call that
illustrated how woefully unprepared we are for large-scale meteorite
impacts.  Everyone reading this knows what happened and it put the
world of meteorites on every front page paper and television screen in
the world.  Everybody was suddenly aware of meteorites and the
collector rush was on.

Chelyabinsk overshadowed many events this year, including the Wolcott
Connecticut fall of April 19th.  Less than a week later, Germany was
gifted a rock from space in the form of the Braunschweig L6 meteorite
fall on April 23rd.  Braunschweig and Chelyabinsk are the only
officially-approved falls of 2013 as of this writing.

On May 9th, there was the Oshika fall in Namibia and about a month
later on June 15th, we saw the Yuncheng-Shanxi fall in China.  Both
falls are assumed to be ordinary chondrites and garnered little
attention during the media frenzy after Chelyabinsk.

Finally, on September 23rd, there was an ordinary chondrite fall in
Vicencia Brazil.

There have been a couple of promising fireballs after the Vicencia
fall, but nothing has been recovered from these fireballs yet.  Unless
something turns up very soon, the year will end rather quiet for
falls, with nothing substantive since late September.  But if history
is any indicator, we should see a fall soon after the New Year.

Jan 15, 2013 - "Planeta Rica" (unofficial) (ordinary chondrite?) : Colombia
Feb 15, 2013 - Chelyabinsk - (LL5 chondrite) : Russia (Hammer)
Apr 19, 2013 - "Wolcott" (unofficial) (ordinary chondrite?) :
Connecticut USA (Hammer)
Apr 23, 2013 - Braunschweig (L6 chondrite) : Germany (Hammer)
May 09, 2013 - "Oshika" (unofficial) (ordinary chondrite?) : Namibia
Jun 15, 2013 - "Yuncheng-Shanxi" (unofficial) (ordinary chondrite?) : China
Sep 23, 2013 - "Vicencia" (unofficial) (ordinary chondrite?) : Brazil

All known falls since the year 2000 - http://www.galactic-stone.com/pages/falls

Best regards, Happy Holidays, and Happy Huntings,

MikeG

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[meteorite-list] LEGO's Mars Curiosity Rover Model Set for New Year's Day Release

[Ron Baalke]

http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-121813b.html

LEGO's Mars Curiosity rover model set for New Year's Day release
collectspace.com

December 18, 2013 - LEGO will launch its 2014 toy line with a fan-created 
model of NASA's Mars Curiosity rover.

The Danish toy company announced on Wednesday (Dec. 18) that its new "NASA 
Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover" building brick set will be available 
for sale from the LEGO Shop online beginning Jan. 1. The 295-piece model 
will retail for $29.99.

"Hailed by NASA as a 'miracle of engineering' when [the real rover] landed 
on Mars in August 2012, we are thrilled to present a LEGO set based on 
this historic spacecraft," Tim Courtney, LEGO's community manager, wrote 
on the company's website.

The Curiosity model is the fifth product to be released in the LEGO CUUSOO 
line of fan-designed sets.

CUUSOO, which in Japanese means "imagination" or, as it is sometimes 
translated, 
"wish," is a website that invites LEGO enthusiasts to share their ideas 
for new products. Visitors to the website can vote for their favorite 
model concepts to be considered for the next CUUSOO set.

[Image]
Mechanical engineer Stephen Pakbaz displays the LEGO model of the Mars 
Curiosity rover that he designed and inspired. (LEGO)

"Stephen Pakbaz, a mechanical engineer who worked on the actual Curiosity 
rover at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab [in Calif.], designed and submitted 
the rover project to LEGO CUUSOO in late 2011," Courtney explained. "His 
project reached 10,000 supporters within two weeks of the landing in August 
2012, and was selected for production by the LEGO Review Board this June."

Pakbaz created the model to further educational outreach of the Curiosity 
mission and to encourage greater public support for space exploration.

"My hope was to have a set produced while the real rover was still active 
on Mars so that the model could help kids learn about the real rover's 
discoveries as they occurred," Pakbaz told collectSPACE in an interview 
last year.

On Jan. 1, the real car-sized Curiosity will be continuing its trek to 
the base of Mount Sharp, a towering mountain at the center of Mars' Gale 
Crater, where the rover landed. Curiosity should reach Mount Sharp by 
mid-2014, mission team members have said.

[Image]
CUUSOO NASA Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover (LEGO)
Pakbaz and LEGO created the model version of the rover to feature many 
of the same details as its full-size Mars Science Laboratory (MSL).

"It has a functioning rocker-bogie suspension system and fully articulated 
robotic arm," Pakbaz wrote in his review of the final model for LEGO's 
website. "It can be used to explore the unknown regions of your house 
or office."

"Climbing the outer walls of Carpet Crater and descending into Couch Canyon, 
you will finally be able to determine if your living room was ever capable 
of supporting microbial life!" Pakbaz exclaimed.

Similar to earlier LEGO CUUSOO sets, the rover's building instruction 
booklet also includes background information about Pakbaz, the history 
of Mars exploration and the real Curiosity rover.

"It is a high quality booklet packed with all sorts of images and educational 
information about the rover," Pakbaz said. "My favorite parts are the 
tidbits added to the margins of the building steps that provide extra 
information about the various components of the rover as you build them."

[Image]
LEGO's Curiosity model recreates features on the real car-sized rover, 
including its six-wheel rocker-bogie suspension. (LEGO)
LEGO's Curiosity is the latest overlap between real space exploration 
and the iconic color bricks.

In 2012, CUUSOO released a model of Japan's Hayabusa asteroid-sampling 
probe as created by LEGO fan Daisuke Okubo.

LEGO and NASA have also collaborated on a number of outreach projects, 
including flying minifigures to Mars and Jupiter and launching construction 
sets to the International Space Station.

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[meteorite-list] NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for InSight Mission

[Ron Baalke]

December 19, 2013

Joshua Buck
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
jb...@nasa.gov 

George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
george.h.dil...@nasa.gov 
 
CONTRACT RELEASE C13-053
 
NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for InSight Mission

NASA has selected United Launch Services LLC of Centennial, Colo., to launch  
the Interior Exploration Using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat  
Transport (InSight) mission to Mars.

InSight will launch in March 2016 aboard an Atlas V 401 rocket from Space  
Launch Complex 3E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The total cost for NASA to launch InSight is approximately $160 million,  
including spacecraft processing, payload integration, tracking, data and  
telemetry and other launch support requirements.

InSight is scheduled to land on Mars in September 2016 to begin a two-year  
science mission. InSight is a lander that will address one of the most  
fundamental issues of planetary and solar system science -- understanding the  
processes that shaped the rocky planets of the inner solar system more than 4  
billion years ago. The mission will investigate the interior structure and  
processes of Mars to understand better the evolution of rocky planets such as  
Earth. InSight will perform this science using two instrument packages.

NASA's Launch Services Program at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in  
Florida is responsible for management and oversight of the Atlas V launch  
services. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., provides  
management for the InSight mission. United Launch Services, LLC operates as a  
subsidiary of United Launch Alliance.

For more information about NASA's Launch Services Program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/launchservices 

For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov 

-end-
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[meteorite-list] Eight Essential Facts About NASA's Deep Space Network

[Ron Baalke]

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-372  

Eight Essential Facts About NASA's Deep Space Network
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
December 18, 2013

Get to know the Deep Space Network (DSN)-NASA's worldwide radio
telescope array that communicates with spacecraft throughout the solar
system.

As the World Turns: The DSN is Earth's only global spacecraft
communication network

The Deep Space Network has three facilities - at Goldstone, Calif.; near
Madrid, Spain; and Canberra, Australia, all with multiple parabolic dish
antennas, including one dish each that is 230 feet (70 meters) across.
Located about 120 degrees apart around Earth, the placement of the
complexes provides round-the-clock coverage of the solar system. (A
telescope needs a direct line of sight to "speak" with a spacecraft.)

One Small Step: The DSN showed us the first moonwalk

"That's one small step for man. One giant leap for mankind." The DSN
received and relayed to the world the first TV images of astronaut Neil
Armstrong setting foot on the surface of the moon in 1969.

Solar System Ambassador: DSN relays first close-up views of other planets

The historic network enabled the world to see the first-ever image of
Mars, obtained by NASA's Mariner 4 spacecraft in 1965. Mariner 10
returned images of Mercury's surface in 1974. NASA's twin Voyager
spacecraft were the first to fly by Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus,
capturing the first close-up images of these planets, plus some of their
rings and moons. The DSN also relayed Voyager 1's portrait of Earth from
6 billion miles away, the iconic image Carl Sagan called "The Pale Blue
Dot," as well as the spacecraft's entry into interstellar space.

Now Hear This: The DSN speaks with 33 spacecraft

During 1963, the DSN's first year of operation, it communicated with
three spacecraft. In 2013, space is a much busier place. The DSN is
currently communicating with 33 spacecraft across the solar system. The
DSN sends commands to spacecraft and receives telemetry, engineering and
scientific data.

Not Just NASA: The DSN relays data on behalf of international space agencies

While the DSN tracks, sends commands to and receives data from all NASA
spacecraft beyond the moon, the network also supports spacecraft from
the European Space Agency, Japanese Space Agency and Indian Space Agency.

There's Always Room for Science: The DSN is used for scientific observation

In addition to its crucial role in two-way spacecraft communication, DSN
dishes make direct science observations. There's radar science, in which
waves are bounced off objects such as passing asteroids to create radar
images; radio science, where changes in the steady radio link between a
spacecraft and the DSN reveal the internal structure of another world;
radio astronomy, which looks at naturally occurring radio sources such
as pulsars and quasars; and geodetic measurements, which reveal changes
in the crust of Earth by tracking how long it takes a radio signal from
a quasar or other astronomical source to reach different telescopes.

Houston, We've Had a Problem: Apollo 13 relied on the DSN in its hour
of need.

The DSN was called on to support the nerve-wracking Apollo 13 mission
after the rupture of an oxygen tank forced NASA to abort the planned
lunar landing. During the critical re-entry of the capsule, it was
essential that engineers on the ground maintain contact with the
astronauts on board. The spacecraft's minimal power was needed for
re-entry, with little left over for communications. The DSN was able to
capture the "whispers from space," and helped bring home safely Jim
Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise.

Animal Planet: Each DSN facility has a different critter companion

Each of the three DSN facilities around the globe has a different native
species as an unofficial mascot. Goldstone in the California desert has
burros; Madrid has bulls; and Canberra, Australia, has kangaroos.

More information about the Deep Space Network and its 50th anniversary
celebration can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/dsn50 .

David Israel 818-354-4797
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
david.isr...@jpl.nasa.gov

2013-372


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[meteorite-list] NEOWISE Spacecraft Returns First Images after Reactivation

[Ron Baalke]

December 19, 2013

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726
dwayne.c.br...@nasa.gov 

DC Agle
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-9011
a...@jpl.nasa.gov 
 
RELEASE 13-377
 
NASA's Asteroid Hunter Spacecraft Returns First Images after Reactivation

Probe Will Assist Agency in Search for Candidates to Explore

NASA's Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE), a  
spacecraft that made the most comprehensive survey to date of asteroids and  
comets, has returned its first set of test images in preparation for a  
renewed mission.

NEOWISE discovered more than 34,000 asteroids and characterized 158,000  
throughout the solar system during its prime mission in 2010 and early 2011.  
It was reactivated in September following 31 months in hibernation to assist  
NASA's efforts to identify the population of potentially hazardous near-Earth  
objects (NEOs). NEOWISE also can assist in characterizing previously detected  
asteroids that could be considered potential targets for future exploration  
missions.

"NEOWISE not only gives us a better understanding of the asteroids and comets  
we study directly, but it will help us refine our concepts and mission  
operation plans for future, space-based near-Earth object cataloging  
missions," said Amy Mainzer, principal investigator for NEOWISE at NASA's Jet  
Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. "The spacecraft is in  
excellent health, and the new images look just as good as they were before  
hibernation. Over the next weeks and months we will be gearing up our  
ground-based data processing and expect to get back into the asteroid hunting  
business, and acquire our first previously undiscovered space rock, in the  
next few months."

Some of the deep space images taken by the spacecraft include a previously  
detected asteroid named (872) Holda. With a diameter of 26 miles (42  
kilometers), this asteroid orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter in a  
region astronomers call the asteroid belt. The images tell researchers the  
quality of the spacecraft's observations is the same as during its primary  
mission.

The spacecraft uses a 16-inch (40-centimeter) telescope and infrared cameras  
to seek out and discover unknown NEOs and characterize their size, albedo or  
reflectivity, and thermal properties. Asteroids reflect, but do not emit  
visible light, so data collected with optical telescopes using visible light  
can be deceiving. 

Infrared sensors, similar to the cameras on NEOWISE, are a powerful tool for  
discovering, cataloging and understanding the asteroid population. Some of  
the objects about which NEOWISE will be collecting data could become  
candidates for the agency's announced asteroid initiative.

NASA's initiative will be the first mission to identify, capture and relocate  
an asteroid. It represents an unprecedented technological feat that will lead  
to new scientific discoveries and technological capabilities that will help  
protect our home planet. The asteroid initiative brings together the best of  
NASA's science, technology and human exploration efforts to achieve President  
Obama's goal of sending humans to an asteroid by 2025.

"It is important that we accumulate as much of this type of data as possible  
while the spacecraft remains a viable asset," said Lindley Johnson, NASA's  
NEOWISE program executive in Washington. "NEOWISE is an important element to  
enhance our ability to support the initiative."

NEOWISE began as WISE. The prime mission, which was launched in December  
2009, was to scan the entire celestial sky in infrared light. WISE captured  
more than 2.7 million images in multiple infrared wavelengths and cataloged  
more than 747 million objects in space, ranging from galaxies faraway to  
asteroids and comets much closer to Earth. NASA turned off most of WISE's  
electronics when it completed its primary mission in February 2011.

Upon reactivation, the spacecraft was renamed NEOWISE with the goal of  
discovering and characterizing asteroids and comets whose orbits approach  
within 28 million miles (45 million kilometers) from Earth's path around the  
sun.

JPL manages the project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.  
The Space Dynamics Laboratory in Logan, Utah, built the science instrument.  
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colo., built the spacecraft.  
Science operations and data processing take place at the Infrared Processing  
and Analysis Center at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.  
Caltech manages JPL for NASA.

Some of the first images taken during the spacecraft's checkout period are  
available at:

http://go.nasa.gov/1dnQPyc

More information about NEOWISE is available online at:

http://www.nasa.gov/wise 

For more information on the asteroid initiative, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/asteroidinitiative 

-end-

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[meteorite-list] Traveling to S. Australia

[jack satkoski]

Geologist and wife arriving Adelaide about April 15. Looking to connect with 
meteorite, gold hunters for trips to outback.  jacko...@yahoo.com. I am retired 
geologist and lived in worked in Adelaide 1970s.
Jack Satkoski

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[meteorite-list] Lecture: Asteroid Redirect Mission (November 2014)

[Ron Baalke]

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures_archive.php?year=2014&month=11  

The von Karman Lecture Series: 2014

Asteroid Redirect Mission: Rearranging the Solar System

Nov. 6 & 7, 2014

The Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission (ARRM) concept seeks to rendezvous
with, capture, and redirect to translunar space an entire small
near-Earth asteroid with a mass of up to approximately 1000 metric
tonnes. It would focus the capabilities of the science, technology, and
the human exploration communities on a grand challenge creating a new
synergy between robotic and human missions to advance human space
exploration beyond low Earth orbit for the first time in 50 years. This
talk addresses the key aspects of the ARRM concept and the options
studied to assess its technical feasibility. Included are evaluations of
the expected number of potential targets, their expected discovery rate,
the necessity to adequately characterize candidate mission targets, the
spacecraft design, the process to capture a non-cooperative asteroid in
deep space, and the power and propulsion technologies required for
transportation.

The work discussed concludes that the key aspects of finding, capturing
and redirecting an entire small, near-Earth asteroid to the Earth-Moon
system by the first half of the next decade are technically feasible.
The study was conducted by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in
collaboration with Glenn Research Center (GRC), Johnson Space Center
(JSC), Langley Research Center (LaRC), and Marshall Space Flight Center
(MSFC).

Speaker:

Brian Muirhead, JPL Chief Engineer

Location:

Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014, 7pm
The von Karman Auditorium at JPL
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA
* Directions 

Friday, Nov. 7, 2014, 7pm
The Vosloh Forum at Pasadena City College
1570 East Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA
* Directions 

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[meteorite-list] NASA Extends Deadlines for Student Exploration Design Challenge

[Ron Baalke]

December 19, 2013

Ann Marie Trotta
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1601
ann.marie.tro...@nasa.gov 

Ashl Harris
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
ashle.s.har...@nasa.gov 
 
RELEASE 13-380
 
NASA Extends Deadlines for Student Exploration Design Challenge

NASA is extending deadlines for its Exploration Design Challenge, an  
educational program connected to Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) -- the  
first mission for NASA's new Orion spacecraft, scheduled to launch in  
September 2014 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The new deadline for high school students to submit payload design notebooks  
has been extended to Feb. 28. The deadline for all students to complete a  
radiation learning module and fly their names on EFT-1 now is June 30.

The challenge invites students from kindergarten through 12th grade to  
research and design proposed solutions to help protect astronauts from space  
radiation during Orion's long-duration deep space missions to an asteroid and  
Mars.

The Exploration Design Challenge was launched in March through a partnership  
between NASA and Lockheed Martin Corp., in collaboration with the National  
Institute of Aerospace. The challenge brings cutting-edge learning to  
educators and students using standards-based activities, as well as print and  
video resources and technical guidance to help them learn how to solve  
difficult problems associated with human space exploration.

Participating students in grades kindergarten through 8 will analyze  
different materials that simulate space radiation shielding for human space  
travelers aboard the Orion spacecraft. After participating in activities  
guided by their teachers, students will recommend materials that best block  
harmful radiation.

Participating students in grades 9-12 can take the challenge a step further  
by designing a shield to protect a sensor inside Orion from space radiation.  
Five high school team designs will be selected for program review in March  
2014, and the final winning design will be announced by the end of the school  
year. The high school team with the winning payload design will be flown to  
NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to watch their experiment launch into  
orbit aboard Orion.

NASA and Lockheed Martin are developing the Orion spacecraft to carry  
astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit and on to an asteroid or Mars. EFT-1 is  
Orion's first uncrewed mission in space, providing an opportunity to test the  
protective abilities of the students' payload design as the spacecraft  
travels through the intense radiation of the Van Allen Belt during its  
3,600-mile journey above Earth.

To learn more about the Exploration Design Challenge and sign up to become a  
virtual crew member, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/education/edc 

For information about NASA's education programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/education 

For more information about Orion, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/orion 

-end-


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[meteorite-list] Beatles Legend, Antiwar Author among Those Honored by Newly Named Mercury Craters

[Ron Baalke]

http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/news_room/details.php?id=249

MESSENGER Mission News
December 19, 2013

Beatles Legend, Antiwar Author among Those Honored by Newly Named Mercury 
Craters 

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) -- the arbiter of planetary 
and satellite nomenclature since its inception in 1919 -- recently approved 
a proposal from the MESSENGER Science Team to assign names to 10 impact 
craters on Mercury. In keeping with the established naming theme for craters 
on  Mercury, all of the newly designated features are named after "deceased 
artists, musicians, painters, and authors who have made outstanding or 
fundamental contributions to their field and have been recognized as art 
historically significant figures for more than 50 years."

The newly named craters are

* Barney, for Natalie Clifford Barney (1876-1972), an American-French 
playwright, poet, and novelist.

* Berlioz, for Hector Berlioz (1803-1869), a French Romantic composer 
best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe 
des morts.

* Calder, for Alexander Calder (1898-1976), an American sculptor best 
known as the originator of the mobile, a type of kinetic sculpture made 
with delicately balanced or suspended components that move in response 
to motor power or air currents.

* Capote, for Truman Capote (1924-1984), an American author whose short 
stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction include the novella Breakfast at 
Tiffany's and the true-crime novel In Cold Blood.

* Caruso, for Enrico Caruso (1873-1921), an Italian tenor who sang to 
great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas and 
appeared in a wide variety of roles from the Italian and French repertoires 
that ranged from the lyric to the dramatic.

* Ensor, for James Sidney Ensor (1860-1949), a Belgian painter and 
printmaker, 
considered an important influence on expressionism and surrealism.

* Giambologna, for Jean Boulogne Giambologna (1529-1608), a Dutch 
sculptor 
known for his marble and bronze statuary in a late Renaissance or Mannerist 
style.

* Lennon, for John Winston Ono Lennon (1940-1980), an English 
songwriter, 
musician, and singer who rose to worldwide fame as a founding member of 
the Beatles, the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed 
band in the history of popular music.

* Remarque, for Erich Maria Remarque (1898-1970), a German author best 
known for his novel All Quiet on the Western Front, which depicted the 
horrors of war from the viewpoint of young German soldiers.

* Vieira da Silva, for Maria Elena Vieira da Silva (1908-1992), a 
Portuguese-born 
French painter of intricate, semiabstract compositions.

These ten newly named craters join 114 other craters named since the MESSENGER 
spacecraft's first Mercury flyby in January 2008. More information about 
the names of features on Mercury and the other objects in the Solar System 
can be found at the U.S. Geological Survey's planetary nomenclature web 
site: http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/ .

"The MESSENGER team is delighted that the IAU has named an additional 
10 impact craters on Mercury," said MESSENGER Principal Investigator Sean 
Solomon of Columbia University. "We are particularly pleased that eight 
of the 10 individuals honored made all or many of their artistic contributions 
in the Twentieth Century, the same century in which the MESSENGER mission 
was conceived, proposed, and approved for flight. Imagine."

MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) 
is a NASA-sponsored scientific investigation of the planet Mercury and 
the first space mission designed to orbit the planet closest to the Sun. 
The MESSENGER spacecraft launched on August 3, 2004, and entered orbit 
about Mercury on March 17, 2011 (March 18, 2011 UTC), to begin a yearlong 
study of its target planet. MESSENGER's first extended mission began on 
March 18, 2012, and ended one year later. MESSENGER is now in a second 
extended mission, which is scheduled to conclude in March 2015. Dr. Sean 
C. Solomon, the Director of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth 
Observatory, leads the mission as Principal Investigator. The Johns Hopkins 
University Applied Physics Laboratory built and operates the MESSENGER 
spacecraft and manages this Discovery-class mission for NASA.

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[meteorite-list] Ad, Sale, 30% Off

[Steve Witt]

Greetings Listoids,

Sorry about the double post and the first post was sent without a subject. It's 
late here. I hate giving money to auction sites, so I decided to do a sale on 
the list instead. I'm taking 30% off (almost everything I have available). This 
sale does not include NWA 7325.  The sale will last for 48 hours from the time 
this posts. Pictures of all that I have available are posted on Flickr. All 
slices have been expertly prepared by Marlin Cilz of Montanna Meteorite Lab, so 
you will get great surface to weight ratio on all slices. Regular prices will 
be listed at the top of each page I have a link to and here also. Check 
descriptions, sold items will be marked as such. I have the following available:

NWA 7955 - Polymict Diogenite regularly $20 per gram, now $14 - 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevewitt/sets/72157637883098175/

NWA 7957 - CO3.5 (S2,W2) regularly $20 per gram, now $14 - 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevewitt/sets/72157637066409445/

NWA 7954 - Monomict Eucrite regularly $12.50 per gram, now $8.75 - 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevewit/sets/72157637054980564/

NWA 7987 - H4 (S2,W2) regularly $2 per gram, now $1.40  - 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevewitt/sets/72157636635091753/

NWA 7956 LL6 (S2,W1) regularly $2 per gram, now $1.40 - 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevewitt/sets/72157636632571394/

NWA 8007 L3.2 (W1) regularly $10 per gram, Now $7 - 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevewitt/sets/72157636572967283/

NWA 7989 (Prov)Eucrite Shock Melt slices regularly $20 per gram, now $14 -  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevewitt/sets/72157636479471674/

NWA7989 (Prov) Eucrite Shock Melt larger pieces - Will deal on these!! 450 
grams and 72.7 grams. Make reasonable offer or trade.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevewitt/sets/72157638455819634/

None of my prices are written in stone (pun intended), so feel free to make an 
offer if you see something you like. I'm also willing to do a trade on any of 
this material if you are so inclined. I'm trying to grow my personal collection 
and currently am looking for irons, (slices or complete specimens) of stable 
material (my first choice), let me know what you want to trade, I will consider 
about anything. All specimens will be shipped in an appropriate sized acrylic 
display case or Riker box with ID card. All inquiries off list please. Paypal 
preferred. Thanks for your time. This is getting posted late in my part of the 
world, so if you respond immediately you may not get an answer, but I will 
answer all inquiries in the order that I receive them tomorrow. Good night.

Regards,
Steve


Steve Witt
IMCA #9020
http://imca.cc/ 
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[meteorite-list] (no subject)

[Steve Witt]

Greetings Listoids,

I hate giving money to auction sites, so I decided to do a sale on the list 
instead. I'm taking 30% off (almost everything I have available). This sale 
does not include NWA 7325.  The sale will last for 48 hours from the time this 
posts. Pictures of all that I have available are posted on Flickr. All slices 
have been expertly prepared by Marlin Cilz of Montanna Meteorite 
Lab, so you will get great surface to weight ratio on all slices. Regular 
prices will be listed at the top of each page I have a link to and here also. 
Check descriptions, sold items will be marked as such. I have the following 
available:

NWA 7955 - Polymict Diogenite regularly $20 per gram, now $14 - 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevewitt/sets/72157637883098175/

NWA 7957 - CO3.5 (S2,W2) regularly $20 per gram, now $14 - 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevewitt/sets/72157637066409445/

NWA 7954 - Monomict Eucrite regularly $12.50 per gram, now $8.75 - 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevewit/sets/72157637054980564/

NWA 7987 - H4 (S2,W2) regularly $2 per gram, now $1.40  - 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevewitt/sets/72157636635091753/

NWA 7956 LL6 (S2,W1) regularly $2 per gram, now $1.40 - 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevewitt/sets/72157636632571394/

NWA 8007 L3.2 (W1) regularly $10 per gram, Now $7 - 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevewitt/sets/72157636572967283/

NWA 7989 (Prov)Eucrite Shock Melt slices regularly $20 per gram, now $14 -  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevewitt/sets/72157636479471674/

NWA 7989 (Prov) Eucrite Shock Melt larger pieces - Will deal on these!! 450 
grams and 72.7 grams. Make reasonable offer or trade.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevewitt/sets/72157638455819634/

None of my prices are written in stone (pun intended), so feel free to make an 
offer if you see something you like. I'm also willing to do a trade on any of 
this material if you are so inclined. I'm trying to grow my personal collection 
and currently am looking for irons, (slices or complete specimens) of stable 
material (my first choice), let me know what you want to trade, I will consider 
about anything. All specimens will be shipped in an appropriate sized acrylic 
display case or Riker box with ID card. All inquiries off list please. Paypal 
preferred. Thanks for your time. This is getting posted late in my part of the 
world, so if you respond immediately you may not get an answer, but I will 
answer all inquiries in the order that I receive them.

Regards,
Steve


Steve Witt
IMCA #9020
http://imca.cc/ 
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