[meteorite-list] Interesting article on life origin

[Steve Dunklee via Meteorite-list]

I thought this was interesting I hope you enjoy it also.

http://www.kurzweilai.net/universes-first-life-might-have-been-born-on-diamond-planets?utm_source=KurzweilAI+Weekly+Newsletter_campaign=c69631c655-UA-946742-1_medium=email_term=0_147a5a48c1-c69631c655-282191077

Cheers
Steve Dunklee
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[meteorite-list] Rover Opportunity Wrapping up Study of Martian Valley

[Ron Baalke via Meteorite-list]

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6536

Rover Opportunity Wrapping up Study of Martian Valley
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
June 14, 2016

"Marathon Valley," slicing through a large crater's rim on Mars, has provided 
fruitful research targets for NASA's Opportunity rover since July 2015, 
but the rover may soon move on.

Opportunity recently collected a sweeping panorama from near the western 
end of this east-west valley. The vista shows an area where the mission 
investigated evidence about how water altered the ancient rocks and, beyond 
that, the wide floor of Endeavour Crater and the crater's eastern rim 
about 14 miles (22 kilometers) away.

Marathon Valley lured the mission because researchers using NASA's Mars 
Reconnaissance Orbiter had mapped water-related clay minerals at this 
area of the western rim of Endeavour Crater. The rover team chose the 
valley's informal name because Opportunity's arrival at this part of the 
rim coincided closely with the rover surpassing marathon-footrace distance 
in total driving since its January 2004 Mars landing.

"We are wrapping up our last few activities in Marathon Valley and before 
long we'll drive away, exiting along the southern wall of the valley and 
heading southeast," said Opportunity Principal Investigator Steve Squyres, 
of Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

As Opportunity examined the clay-bearing rocks on the valley floor that 
were detected from orbit, the rover's own observations of the valley's 
southern flank revealed streaks of red-toned, crumbly material. The science 
team chose to investigate this apparently weathered material. The rover 
approached exposures of it to prepare for using the Rock Abrasion Tool, 
called the RAT. This tool grinds away a rock's surface to expose the interior 
for inspection.

"What we usually do to investigate material that's captured our interest 
is find a bedrock exposure of it and use the RAT," Squyres said. "What 
we didn't realize until we took a close-enough look is that this stuff 
has been so pervasively altered, it's not bedrock. There's no solid bedrock 
you could grind with the RAT."

Instead, the rover exposed some fresh surfaces for inspection by scuffing 
some of the reddish material with a wheel.

Squyres said, "In the scuff, we found one of the highest sulfur contents 
that's been seen anywhere on Mars. There's strong evidence that, among 
other things, these altered zones have a lot of magnesium sulfate. We 
don't think these altered zones are where the clay is, but magnesium sulfate 
is something you would expect to find precipitating from water.

"Fractures running through the bedrock, forming conduits through which 
water could flow and transport soluble materials, could alter the rock 
and create the pattern of red zones that we see."

As of June 14, Opportunity has driven 26.59 miles (42.79 kilometers). 
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, 
California, 
built the rover and manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, 
Washington. For more information about Opportunity, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/rovers

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov

News Media Contact
Guy Webster
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-6278
guy.webs...@jpl.nasa.gov

2016-153 
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[meteorite-list] NASA Mars Curiosity Rover Descends Plateau, Turns Toward Mountain

[Ron Baalke via Meteorite-list]

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6532

NASA Mars Rover Descends Plateau, Turns Toward Mountain
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
June 13, 2016

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has analyzed its 12th drilled sample of Mars. 
This sample came from mudstone bedrock, which the rover resumed climbing 
in late May after six months studying other features.

Since the previous time Curiosity drilled into this "Murray formation" 
layer of lower Mount Sharp, the mission has examined active sand dunes 
along the rover's route, then crossed a remnant plateau of fractured sandstone 
that once more extensively covered the Murray formation.

While on the "Naukluft Plateau," the rover examined its 10th and 11th 
drill targets to repeat an experiment comparing material within and away 
from pale zones around fractures. From there, Curiosity also took the 
latest in a series of self-portraits.

"Now that we've skirted our way around the dunes and crossed the plateau, 
we've turned south to climb the mountain head-on," said Curiosity Project 
Scientist Ashwin Vasavada, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, 
California. "Since landing, we've been aiming for this gap in the terrain 
and this left turn. It's a great moment for the mission."

Curiosity landed near Mount Sharp in 2012. It reached the base of the 
mountain in 2014 after successfully finding evidence on the surrounding 
plains that ancient Martian lakes offered conditions that would have been 
favorable for microbes if Mars has ever hosted life. Rock layers forming 
the base of Mount Sharp accumulated as sediment within ancient lakes billions 
of years ago.

The Murray formation is about one-eighth of a mile (200 meters) thick. 
So far, Curiosity has examined about one-fifth of its vertical extent.

"The story that the Murray formation is revealing about the habitability 
of ancient Mars is one of the mission's surprises," Vasavada said. "It 
wasn't obvious from pre-mission data that it formed in long-lived lakes 
and that its diverse composition would tell us about the chemistry of 
those lakes and later groundwater."

The latest sample-collection target, "Oudam," was drilled on June 4. On 
the Naukluft Plateau, Curiosity drilled "Lubango," within a halo of brighter 
sandstone near a fracture, and "Okoruso," away from a fracture-related 
halo, for comparison. The mission conducted a similar experiment last 
year, with two sample targets drilled at another exposure of the fractured 
sandstone.

This sandstone unit, called the Stimson formation, is interpreted to have 
resulted from wind that draped a band of sand dunes over lower Mount Sharp. 
That would have been after the main stack of the mountain's lower layers 
had formed and partially eroded. Water later moved through fractures in 
the sandstone. Investigation of the fracture-related halos aims to determine 
how fluid moved through the fractures and altered surrounding rock.

"We were about to drive off the Naukluft Plateau and leave the Stimson 
formation forever as we go up Mount Sharp," said Curiosity science-team 
member Albert Yen of JPL. "A few of us were concerned. The fracture-associated 
haloes were becoming more prevalent, and we had only one data point. With 
just one data point, you never know whether it is representative."

As with the similar previous experiment, comparison of Lubango and Okoruso 
found higher silica and sulfate levels in the sample nearer to the fracture. 
Multiple episodes of groundwater flow with different chemistry at different 
times may have both delivered silica and sulfate from elsewhere and leached 
other ingredients away.

"The big-picture story is that this may be one of the youngest fluid events 
we're likely to study with Curiosity," Yen said. "You had to lay down 
the Murray, then cement it, then lay down the Stimson and cement that, 
then fracture the Stimson, then have fluids moving through the fractures."

On Mount Sharp, Curiosity is investigating how and when the habitable 
ancient conditions known from the mission's earlier findings evolved into 
conditions drier and less favorable for life. For more information about 
Curiosity, visit:

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl

News Media Contact
Guy Webster
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-6278
guy.webs...@jpl.nasa.gov

2016-149 
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[meteorite-list] Dawn Mission Honored With Collier Trophy

[Ron Baalke via Meteorite-list]

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6530

Dawn Mission Honored With Collier Trophy
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
June 10, 2016

NASA's Dawn mission, representing the first spacecraft to orbit two 
extraterrestrial 
targets, was honored with the National Aeronautic Association Robert J. 
Collier Trophy at a presentation in Arlington, Virginia, on Thursday, 
June 9, 2016.

The award, presented annually, was given to Dawn "In recognition of the 
extraordinary achievements of orbiting and exploring protoplanet Vesta 
and dwarf planet Ceres, and advancing the nation's technological capabilities 
in pioneering new frontiers in space travel."

The 8-foot-tall (2.4-meter-tall) trophy resides at the Smithsonian National 
Air and Space Museum in Washington and is engraved with the names of 
recipients. 
Dawn competed with a field of nine finalists to win this year's award. 
Dawn's mission is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, 
California, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Previous 
Collier Trophy recipients involving JPL missions include the teams from 
NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (2012) and Voyager (1980).

"All of us at NASA are very proud of our Dawn team. For the past eight 
years, Dawn has taught us much about Vesta and Ceres, and in a broader 
sense, about ourselves," said NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman. "This 
mission isn't only for scientists. It's for all of us who want to discover 
the nature of uncharted worlds and share that discovery with all who gaze 
up at the night sky in wonderment."

Dawn is a project of NASA's Science Mission Directorate Discovery Program, 
managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. 
UCLA is responsible for overall Dawn mission science. Orbital ATK Inc., 
in Dulles, Virginia, designed and built the spacecraft. The German Aerospace 
Center, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Italian Space 
Agency and Italian National Astrophysical Institute are international 
partners on the mission team. For a complete list of mission participants, 
visit:

http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission

More information about Dawn is available at the following sites:

http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov

http://www.nasa.gov/dawn

JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

News Media Contact
Elizabeth Landau
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
818-354-6425
elizabeth.lan...@jpl.nasa.gov

2016-147

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[meteorite-list] NASA Mars Orbiters Reveal Seasonal Dust Storm Pattern

[Ron Baalke via Meteorite-list]

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6529

NASA Mars Orbiters Reveal Seasonal Dust Storm Pattern
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
June 9, 2016

Fast Facts:

* A pattern of three large regional dust storms occurs with similar timing 
most Martian years.

* The seasonal pattern was detected from dust storms' effects on atmospheric 
temperatures, monitored by NASA orbiters since 1997.

* Improving the ability to predict large-scale, potentially hazardous 
dust storms on Mars would have safety benefits for planning robotic and 
human missions.

After decades of research to discern seasonal patterns in Martian dust 
storms from images showing the dust, but the clearest pattern appears 
to be captured by measuring the temperature of the Red Planet's atmosphere.

For six recent Martian years, temperature records from NASA Mars orbiters 
reveal a pattern of three types of large regional dust storms occurring 
in sequence at about the same times each year during the southern hemisphere 
spring and summer. Each Martian year lasts about two Earth years.

"When we look at the temperature structure instead of the visible dust, 
we finally see some regularity in the large dust storms," said David Kass 
of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. He is the instrument 
scientist for the Mars Climate Sounder on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter 
and lead author of a report about these findings posted this week by the 
journal Geophysical Research Letters.

"Recognizing a pattern in the occurrence of regional dust storms is a 
step toward understanding the fundamental atmospheric properties controlling 
them," he said. "We still have much to learn, but this gives us a valuable 
opening."

Dust lofted by Martian winds links directly to atmospheric temperature: 
The dust absorbs sunlight, so the sun heats dusty air more than clear 
air. In some cases, this can be dramatic, with a difference of more than 
63 Fahrenheit degrees (35 Celsius degrees) between dusty air and clear 
air. This heating also affects the global wind distribution, which can 
produce downward motion that warms the air outside the dust-heated regions. 
Thus, temperature observations capture both direct and indirect effects 
of the dust storms on the atmosphere.

Improving the ability to predict large-scale, potentially hazardous dust 
storms on Mars would have safety benefits for planning robotic and human 
missions to the planet's surface. Also, by recognizing patterns and categories 
of dust storms, researchers make progress toward understanding how seasonal 
local events affect global weather in a typical Mars year.

NASA has been operating orbiters at Mars continuously since 1997. The 
Mars Climate Sounder on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which reached Mars 
in 2006, and the Thermal Emission Spectrometer on Mars Global Surveyor, 
which studied Mars from 1997 to 2006, have used infrared observations 
to assess atmospheric temperature. Kass and co-authors analyzed temperature 
data representative of a broad layer centered about 16 miles (25 kilometers) 
above the Martian surface. That's high enough to be more affected by regional 
storms than by local storms.

Most Martian dust storms are localized, smaller than about 1,200 miles 
(about 2,000 kilometers) across and dissipating within a few days. Some 
become regional, affecting up to a third of the planet and persisting 
up to three weeks. A few encircle Mars, covering the southern hemisphere 
but not the whole planet. Twice since 1997, global dust storms have fully 
enshrouded Mars. The behavior of large regional dust storms in Martian 
years that include global dust storms is currently unclear, and years 
with a global storm were not included in the new analysis.

Three large regional storms, dubbed types A, B and C, all appeared in 
each of the six Martian years investigated.

Multiple small storms form sequentially near Mars' north pole in the northern 
autumn, similar to Earth's cold-season arctic storms that swing one after 
another across North America.

"On Mars, some of these break off and head farther south along favored 
tracks," Kass said. "If they cross into the southern hemisphere, where 
it is mid-spring, they get warmer and can explode into the much larger 
Type A dust storms."

Southern hemisphere spring and summer on modern-day Mars are much warmer 
than northern spring and summer, because the eccentricity of Mars' orbit 
puts the planet closest to the sun near the end of southern spring. Southern 
spring and summer have long been recognized as the dustiest part of the 
Martian year and the season of global dust storms, even though the more 
detailed pattern documented in the new report had not been previously 
described.

When a Type A storm from the north moves into southern-hemisphere spring, 
the sunlight on the dust warms the atmosphere. That energy boosts the 
speed of winds. The stronger winds lift more dust, further expanding the 
area and vertical reach of 

[meteorite-list] Mars Odyssey THEMIS Images: May 30 - June 17, 2016

[Ron Baalke via Meteorite-list]

MARS ODYSSEY THEMIS IMAGES
May 30 - June 17, 2016

o Shalbatana Vallis (30 May 2016)
  http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20160530a

o Huo Hsing Vallis (31 May 2016)
  http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20160531a

o Olympia Undae (01 Jun 2016)
  http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20160601a

o More Olympia Undae (02 Jun 2016)
  http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20160602a

o Mamers Valles (03 Jun 2016)
  http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20160603a

o Xanthe Terra (06 Jun 2016)
  http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20160606a

o Cerberus Fossae (07 Jun 2016)
  http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20160607a

o Terra Cimmeria Channels (08 Jun 2016)
  http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20160608a

o Wind Etching (09 Jun 2016)
  http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20160609a

o Cerberus Fossae (10 Jun 2016)
  http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20160610a

o Hebrus Valles (13 Jun 2016)
  http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20160613a

o Yuty Crater Ejecta (14 Jun 2016)
  http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20160614a

o Indus Vallis (15 Jun 2016)
  http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20160615a

o Nanedi Valles (16 Jun 2016)
  http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20160616a

o Daedalia Planum (17 Jun 2016)
  http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20160617a

All of the THEMIS images are archive here:

http://themis.asu.edu/latest.html

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission 
for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission 
Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University,
Tempe, in co.oration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. 
The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State 
University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor 
for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission 
operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a 
division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. 



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[meteorite-list] MRO HiRISE Images - June 1, 2016

[Ron Baalke via Meteorite-list]

MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER HIRISE IMAGES
June 1, 2016

o An Inverted Crater
  http://www.uahirise.org/ESP_043651_1590

  There is a circular feature in this observation that appears to 
  stand above the surrounding terrain. How did it form?

o Beautiful Blocks of Bedrock
  http://www.uahirise.org/ESP_044902_1575

  This image targets a 3-kilometer diameter crater that occurs 
  within the ejecta blanket of the much older Bakhuysen Crater.

o The Plains are Not Plain
  http://www.uahirise.org/ESP_045300_1630

  This image covers some of the plains south of Capri Chasma in 
  eastern Valles Marineris.

o Drag Folds in the North Polar Layered Deposits
  http://www.uahirise.org/ESP_045308_2620

  This image shows what looks like drag folds, where rock layers 
  bend before they break in a fault. 

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.

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[meteorite-list] Mars Rover Opportinty Update: May 17 - June 14, 2016

[Ron Baalke via Meteorite-list]

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE:

sols 4378-4384, May 17, 2016-May 24, 2016: Investigating the Soil Exposed
with the Rover Wheel

Opportunity is exploring 'Marathon Valley' on the rim of Endeavour crater,
inspecting specific outcrops for evidence of clay minerals.

Previously, the rover used the left-front wheel to scuff a red vein feature
to break up and expose its compositional material for further investigation.
On Sol 4379 (May 18, 2016), Opportunity bumped 6 feet (1.75 meters) back
towards the scuff to set up for an in-situ (contact) investigation of
the scuffed material. The rover also collected some targeted Panoramic
Camera (Pancam) 13-filter images and a Navigation Camera (Navcam) panorama.

On Sol 4381 (May 21, 2016), Opportunity began the contact investigation
using the robotic arm to collect a Microscopic Imager (MI) mosaic of the
scuff and then place the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) on the
same. On the next sol, the rover offset the APXS on the scuff by about
1 centimeter and performed another integration. Opportunity continued
on the next sol with yet another APXS offset placement, more MI mosaics
and some more targeted Pancam 13-filter imaging.

As of Sol 4384 (May 24, 2016), the solar array energy production is 636
watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (Tau) of 0.605 and a solar array
dust factor of 0.756.

Total odometry is 26.59 miles (42.79 kilometers), more than a marathon.

--

sols 4385-4391, May 25, 2016-May 31, 2016: Study of 'Wheel Scuff' Continues

Opportunity is exploring 'Marathon Valley' on the rim of Endeavour crater,
investigating outcrops for evidence of clay minerals. The rover is continuing
to examine a previously trenched (scuffed) surface.

On Sol 4385 (May 25, 2016), Opportunity collected some more targeted Panoramic
Camera (Pancam) 13-filter images and continued with an Alpha Particle
X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) integration on the surface target. Then, on
Sol 4386 (May 26, 2016), Opportunity bumped ever so slightly (about 1
cm) in order to reach a particular yellow pebble in the trenched area.
The rover collected more targeted 13-filter Pancam images. And then on
Sol 4389 (May 29, 2016), Opportunity used the robotic arm (IDD) to collect
a Microscopic Imager (MI) mosaic of the yellow pebble and to position
the APXS just above the pebble (since it was too small to make a contact
placement). More targeted color Pancam images have been collected over
the subsequent sols.

As of Sol 4391 (May 31, 2016), the solar array energy production is 643
watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (Tau) of 0.566 and a solar array
dust factor of 0.738.

Total odometry is 26.59 miles (42.79 kilometers), more than a marathon.


--


ls 4392-4398, June 01, 2016-June 07, 2016: Examining Pebbles Exposed
by 'Wheel Scuff'

Opportunity is exploring 'Marathon Valley' on the rim of Endeavour crater,
investigating outcrops for evidence of clay minerals.

The rover is continuing to examine a previously trenched (scuffed) surface
where distinct pebbles have become a focus of interest for the science
team. On Sol 4392 (June 1, 2016), Opportunity continued the investigation
of a 'yellow' pebble with an offset positioning of the Alpha Particle
X-ray Spectrometer (APXS). This pebble has exhibited an elevated sulfate
composition. Offset APXS measurements allow the 'teasing out' of the elements
associated with the pebble versus those in the background (soil).

Over the next two sols, the APXS was allowed to integrate while the rover
collected several multi-color panoramic images of the surroundings. On
Sol 4395 (June 4, 2016), the rover performed another offset positioning
of the APXS followed with a multi-hour integration. On the next sol, a
Microscopic Imager (MI) mosaic was collected using the robotic arm and
the APXS was offset again for yet another integration.

On Sol 4398 (June 7, 2016), with the work complete on the 'yellow' pebble,
the rover bumped about 4 inches (10 centimeters) to another pebble of
interest for in-situ (contact) investigation over the coming sols.

As of Sol 4398 (June 7, 2016), the solar array energy production is 637
watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (Tau) of 0.597 and a solar array
dust factor of 0.735.

Total odometry is 26.59 miles (42.79 kilometers), more than a marathon.

--



sols 4399-4405, June 08, 2016-June 14, 2016: Opportunity Wraps up Work 
on 'Wheel Scuff'

Opportunity is exploring 'Marathon Valley' on the rim of Endeavour crater, 
investigating outcrops for evidence of clay minerals.

The rover is close to completing its investigations within Marathon Valley. 
On Sol 4400 (June 9, 2016), Opportunity continued with the in-situ (contact) 
investigation of the area that was scuffed by the rover wheel. The rover 
collected a Microscopic Imager (MI) mosaic of the 'red pebble' target 
and then placed the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) on the same 
for a multi-hour integration.

On Sols 4402 and 

[meteorite-list] Dawn Journal - May 31, 2016

[Ron Baalke via Meteorite-list]

http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/journal_05_31_16.html

Dawn journal
Dr. Marc Rayman
May 31, 2016

Dear Phodawngraphers,

Dawn is continuing to record the extraordinary sights on dwarf planet 
Ceres. The experienced explorer is closer to the alien world than the 
International Space Station is to Earth.

Dawn has completed more than 1,000 orbital revolutions since entering 
into Ceres' gentle but firm gravitational grip in March 2015. The probe 
is healthy and performing its ambitious assignments impeccably. In the 
last few months, we have described how Dawn has greatly exceeded all of 
its original objectives at Ceres and the excellent progress it has been 
making in collecting bonus data. On schedule on May 25, the spacecraft 
completed the mapping campaign it began on April 11, in which it took 
photographs with the camera pointed to the left and forward as it circled 
Ceres. Now it is looking to the right and forward to get another stereo 
view.

In January we mentioned that, having already acquired far more measurements 
with the visible and infrared mapping spectrometer than anticipated, scientists 
were devoting further observations to infrared rather than visible. Now 
Dawn is operating both spectrometers again. Having seen much more of Ceres 
in the infrared from this low altitude than planned, mission controllers 
now can afford to allocate some of the spacecraft's data storage and 
interplanetary 
radio transmissions to visible spectra in exchange for limiting the infrared 
to a few select targets. In addition, a device in the infrared spectrometer 
that lowers the sensor's temperature to -307 degrees Fahrenheit (-188 
degrees Celsius) is showing signs of age. (We saw here that the sensor 
can detect heat. So to avoid interference from its own heat, it needs 
to be cooled.) Its symptoms are not a surprise, given that the instrument 
has acquired far, far more data at Vesta and Ceres than it was designed 
for. It is continuing to function quite productively, but now its use 
is being curtailed.
Dawn LAMO Image 95

[Image]
Dawn took this picture of canyons in Ezinu Crater from an altitude of 
240 miles (385 kilometers) on April 17. (Ezinu was a Sumerian goddess 
of grain.) Full image and caption. Image credit: 
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

One of the mission's objectives was to photograph 80 percent of Ceres’ 
vast landscape with a resolution of 660 feet (200 meters) per pixel. Dawn 
has now photographed nearly the entirety (99.9 percent) with a resolution 
of 120 feet (35 meters) per pixel. The adventurer has shown us 25 percent 
more terrain than planned with 5.7 times the clarity. We can see detail 
830 times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope revealed.

What is the value of that much detail? The more detailed the portrait, 
the better understanding geologists can obtain. Imagine the difference 
(not only visually but also emotionally and socially) between seeing a 
person at the opposite end of a soccer field and seeing them from five 
inches (12 centimeters) away.

The pictures speak quite eloquently (and succinctly) for themselves, but 
let's take a look at one of the many uses of these sharp photographs: 
determining the age of geological features.

In December, we gave an approximate age of 80 million years for Occator 
Crater, site of the famous "bright spots" (or famously bright spots). 
It takes more than an experienced geological eye to estimate such an age.

[Image]
Occator Crater is shown in this mosaic of photos Dawn took at its lowest 
altitude of 240 miles (385 kilometers). The crater is 57 miles (92 kilometers) 
in diameter. Go to the full image to see exquisite details of the bright 
areas as well as fractures in the crater floor and other intriguing features. 
Note how few craters are within Occator or the area around it. Scientists 
can translate the number and size of craters into an age. From pictures 
taken at higher altitudes, they estimate Occator is 80 million years old, 
as explained below. That age will be refined with these sharper pictures, 
which reveal smaller craters. Full image and caption. Image credit: 
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA/PSI

Now don't forget that we are trying to ascertain the age, but we are going 
to get there on a long and winding path, mostly because it's an opportunity 
to touch on some fun and interesting topics.

To begin, we go back in time, not quite 80 million years, to the Apollo 
program. Astronauts returned from the moon with many treasures, including 
842 pounds (382 kilograms) of lunar material collected on six missions. 
In addition, three Soviet robotic Luna spacecraft came back with a total 
of 11 ounces (0.3 kilograms).

Earth's total inventory of lunar samples is larger. By comparing the chemical 
composition of that material with a great many meteorites, scientists 
have identified nearly 120 pounds (54 kilograms) of meteorites that were 
blasted from the moon by asteroid impacts and then landed on our 

Re: [meteorite-list] Pot Coloring The Kettle Black

[Michael Blood via Meteorite-list]

Hi all,
Teaching Anthropology, which includes linguistics, I began over
30 years ago to collect the origins of phrases.
The original phrase in this instance is
"Pot calling the kettle black."
Michael Blood


On 6/16/16 8:11 PM, "Meteorite List" 
wrote:

> Pot Coloring The Kettle Black


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Re: [meteorite-list] In regards to NWA 10495

[Greg Catterton via Meteorite-list]

Brother against brother and dog eat dog. Welcome to the world of meteorites. 
Sad to see.. Hate to see all this so publicly aired, but thats how people in 
the community handle things... Right Jason Utas? 

 Greg Catterton https://www.wanderingstarmeteorites.org 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wandering-Star-Meteorites/252302821456481

  From: Greg Hupe via Meteorite-list 
 To: meteorite list  
 Sent: Saturday, June 18, 2016 1:58 AM
 Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] In regards to NWA 10495
   
Adam,
If you do to want to read nonsense, you should not write nonsense!
Your written accusations of libel is libel in itself against me. I highly 
suggest you stop while you are behind!
Everybody knows you AND Jeff Kroschell were/are partners and the ones who began 
the project. You dropped the ball and I picked it up years after you couldn't 
do it. I rescued the 'mission' and carried the ball across the finish line. 
Almost everyone is happy except YOU! YOU will never be happy unless you are 
writing 'nonsense' on the List.
Go spend all of the money I put in yours (and hopefully Jeff's family's) pocket 
and quit throwing it away on wasteful things!
Best regards,Greg Hupe
Sent from my iPhone
On Jun 17, 2016, at 7:52 AM, Raremeteorites via Meteorite-list 
 wrote:



To set the record straight, Greg came on board six years after NWA 5000 was 
discovered and performed none of the critical ground work.  He has taken credit 
for images that I paid to have professionally done by Pat Gifford and provided 
them to another website, plagiarized and uses a website that I spent over a 
1,000 hours producing years before he became involved and he is selling 
unauthorized versions of a replica created on a mold/casting system that I 
designed and produced from scratch.  I never planned on these castings to be 
placed in public hands.  He has now committed libel among other previous 
offenses with the falsehoods he posted last night.  People need to respect 
others intellectual, copyrighted and artistic works. This is not about 
shameless self-promotion on my part.  I did not chase the press at its 
inaugural public viewing at the Royal Ontario Museum, was not present and paid 
to have the classifying scientist represent NWA 5000 at the event.  There is 
only a single image of myself on the official NWA 5000 website buried deep at 
the back end.  I have avoided making the story about myself since I will, more 
than likely, only be a footnote in its long-term history anyway.  It has always 
been about the stone in my case.   I just want its history to be reflected 
accurately and not read nonsense. http://themeteoritesite.com/  Adam Hupe 
 - Original Message -  From: geohigg...@yahoo.com via Meteorite-list  
To: Greg Hupe ; meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com  Sent: Thursday, June 16, 
2016 5:22 PM Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] In regards to NWA 10495 
   Who brokered the deals to the new Maine museum? This is where you find the 
trouble maker. The museum and it's supplier are setting this mysterious larger 
lunar up for a sale with these comments, This museum has already been involved 
in a major scandal regarding stolen meteorites. Now the curator has the 
audacity to introduce themselves and the museum to the World by throwing 
attacks and insults. Two strikes already on the museum and the management. I 
can tell you one thing Greg Hupe is the most honorable, honest hard working 
person I ever had the pleasure of knowing in the world of meteorites. His hard 
work, efforts and accomplishments have inspired my passion for meteorites. As 
far as I know this is a time for celebration, when a meteorite goes on display 
in Yale University, everyone of us should be excited. We can all share in the 
excitement of this wonderful achievement. Those of us who decide to put ego and 
jealousy first, shame on  you. This shows who you really are and your true 
intentions. Some people only care about the money they can take from meteorites 
and all they work on is shameless self promotions that don't put science first. 
You are the people who cause the problems in the World and with meteorites too, 
your attitudes suck. Greg's achievements with NWA 5000 and the others during 
the last 20 years are like a beacon in the darkness, his accomplishments 
working with scientists, museums and universities are in start contrast to the 
accusations coming from people who sell their meteorites in auction houses and 
are involved in scandals. Greg I thank you for being the best and staying the 
course, you are the most achieved person in the Meteorite universe and I 
support everything you do and you are a role model to those of us who one day 
hope to make half as many discoveries. All the best, John Higgins  

 - Reply message -
From: "Greg Hupe via Meteorite-list" 
To: "Bigjohn Shea" 

[meteorite-list] Searchable Land

[Raremeteorites via Meteorite-list]

Many are concerned about what land remains searchable and how to find out 
federal land boundaries here in the United States.  You can get this 
information directly from the BLM.  You will need to get a Google Earth 
overlay from them in order to plot federally owned land areas.  Please 
obtain the overlay directly from the BLM as I do not have the time to go 
through the process.  Remember that there is a 10 pound limit and that no 
meteorites found on this land can be resold or bartered.


I provided image links of screen shots to two well-know search areas below. 
Please note that all of the yellow shaded areas are federally owned and 
off-limits for commercial purposes:


Roach and Ivanpah Dry Lake Areas:
http://themeteoritesite.com/adam/FederalLandPrimm.jpg

Red Dry Lake:
http://themeteoritesite.com/adam/FederalLandRedDryLake.jpg

Private Land:

Then there is the subject of searchable private land which is intermingled 
with federal and state land.  I have noticed a trend that land owners are 
becoming increasingly protective of their properties since their 
constitutional rights are being challenged with constant regularity.  Take 
the privately-owned 400 acre property in the middle of Area 51 for example. 
The only thing that has protected their property thus far from the 
government are mining patents that give them supreme ownership rights over 
the government, the way our smart forefathers intended.


One land owner was even jailed in Oregon for collecting rain water that fell 
on his property.  If he had a land patent with intact title instead of a 
warranty deed, he would have been protected since he would have maintained 
title to the center of the Earth to infinity into the space above his 
property.  It is pretty sad that our government even claims rainwater!  They 
may place rain gauges on farms in California so that they can charge for the 
water?


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/16/gary-harrington-oregon-water-rainwater_n_1784378.html

What does this have to do with meteorite hunting?  The answer is that you 
better seek permission and do not be surprised if your request is denied.  I 
saw a no trespassing sign that read, "Note, This Property Is Protected by 
UNITED STATES LAND PATENT. ", "THE RIGHT TO EXCLUDE ANYONE, EVEN THE 
GOVERNMENT, OR LAW ENFORCEMENT IS A FUNDAMENTAL, CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT, SET 
IN LAW, TO WIT:


And Another sign on rare patented land read, "The intruder who enters 
clothed in the robes of authority in broad daylight commits no less an 
invasion of property rights than if he sneaks in the night wearing a 
burglar's mask."


I would be afraid to ask permission or enter either one of these properties.

I am still in the very expensive learning process myself and have focused my 
attention to private property acquisition and how to seek permission to 
search other private property.   I was extremely fortunate to purchase a 
property with a U.S. president (Woodrow Wilson) signed serial land patient 
with the title 100% intact.  It cost a small fortune to have a title 
document research company and lawyers establish a complete title abstract. 
Finding this property is like winning the lottery to me and I will go to any 
length and expense to protect my land and all other rights including 
business contracts and intellectual properties as anyone who has gone 
against me has found out.


Images of BLM land surrounding one of my patented properties in Washoe 
County, Nevada:

http://themeteoritesite.com/adam/CherryCreekLandIsland-a.jpg

http://themeteoritesite.com/adam/CherryCreekLandIsland-b.jpg

Note that it is completely surrounded by federal land.  They have to provide 
access to my property since I have supreme rights that are guaranteed 
forever. Fortunately there are several roads leading to the property that 
are protected forever as well so if the land is nationalized around it, I 
will still have access.  Another nice thing is that the ownership rights are 
so supreme on this type of land that liens can never be brought against it.


Land Patent to my property Serial Number 401771 signed by the President of 
the United States, his secretary and the recorder of the General Land 
Office:

http://themeteoritesite.com/adam/LandPatent.JPG

Here is a case of somebody taking patented land ownership to an extreme.  He 
created his own micro-country (5 acres)here in Nevada in the same county as 
my property.  Nevada recognizes his sovereignty and I find it very 
entertaining.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Molossia

https://www.ksl.com/?sid=26342238

Anyway, I wanted to move onto a another subject instead of the complete 
nonsense which has been plaguing the list for the last several days.


Adam Hupe



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Re: [meteorite-list] In regards to NWA 10495

[Greg Hupe via Meteorite-list]

Adam,

If you do to want to read nonsense, you should not write nonsense!

Your written accusations of libel is libel in itself against me. I highly 
suggest you stop while you are behind!

Everybody knows you AND Jeff Kroschell were/are partners and the ones who began 
the project. You dropped the ball and I picked it up years after you couldn't 
do it. I rescued the 'mission' and carried the ball across the finish line. 
Almost everyone is happy except YOU! YOU will never be happy unless you are 
writing 'nonsense' on the List.

Go spend all of the money I put in yours (and hopefully Jeff's family's) pocket 
and quit throwing it away on wasteful things!

Best regards,
Greg Hupe

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 17, 2016, at 7:52 AM, Raremeteorites via Meteorite-list 
>  wrote:
> 
> To set the record straight, Greg came on board six years after NWA 5000 was 
> discovered and performed none of the critical ground work.  He has taken 
> credit for images that I paid to have professionally done by Pat Gifford and 
> provided them to another website, plagiarized and uses a website that I spent 
> over a 1,000 hours producing years before he became involved and he is 
> selling unauthorized versions of a replica created on a mold/casting system 
> that I designed and produced from scratch.  I never planned on these castings 
> to  be placed in public hands.  He has now committed libel among other 
> previous offenses with the falsehoods he posted last night. 
>  
> People need to respect others intellectual, copyrighted and artistic works.
>  
> This is not about shameless self-promotion on my part.  I did not chase the 
> press at its inaugural public viewing at the Royal Ontario Museum, was not 
> present and paid to have the classifying scientist represent NWA 5000 at the 
> event.  There is only a single image of myself on the official NWA 5000 
> website buried deep at the back end.  I have avoided making the story about 
> myself since I will, more than likely, only be a footnote in its long-term 
> history anyway. 
>  
> It has always been about the stone in my case.   I just want its history to 
> be reflected accurately and not read nonsense.
>  
> http://themeteoritesite.com/
>  
>  
> Adam Hupe
>  
>  
>   
> - Original Message -
> From: geohigg...@yahoo.com via Meteorite-list
> To: Greg Hupe ; meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com
> Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2016 5:22 PM
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] In regards to NWA 10495
> 
> Who brokered the deals to the new Maine museum? This is where you find the 
> trouble maker. The museum and it's supplier are setting this mysterious 
> larger lunar up for a sale with these comments, This museum has already been 
> involved in a major scandal regarding stolen meteorites. Now the curator has 
> the audacity to introduce themselves and the museum to the World by throwing 
> attacks and insults. Two strikes already on the museum and the management. I 
> can tell you one thing Greg Hupe is the most honorable, honest hard working 
> person I ever had the pleasure of knowing in the world of meteorites. His 
> hard work, efforts and accomplishments have inspired my passion for 
> meteorites. As far as I know this is a time for celebration, when a meteorite 
> goes on display in Yale University, everyone of us should be excited. We can 
> all share in the excitement of this wonderful achievement. Those of us who 
> decide to put ego and jealousy first, shame on you. This shows who you really 
> are and your true intentions. Some people only care about the money they can 
> take from meteorites and all they work on is shameless self promotions that 
> don't put science first. You are the people who cause the problems in the 
> World and with meteorites too, your attitudes suck. Greg's achievements with 
> NWA 5000 and the others during the last 20 years are like a beacon in the 
> darkness, his accomplishments working with scientists, museums and 
> universities are in start contrast to the accusations coming from people who 
> sell their meteorites in auction houses and are involved in scandals. Greg I 
> thank you for being the best and staying the course, you are the most 
> achieved person in the Meteorite universe and I support everything you do and 
> you are a role model to those of us who one day hope to make half as many 
> discoveries.
> All the best,
> John Higgins
> 
> 
> - Reply message -
> From: "Greg Hupe via Meteorite-list" 
> To: "Bigjohn Shea" , "meteorite list" 
> 
> Cc: "Galactic Stone & Ironworks via Meteorite-list" 
> 
> Subject: [meteorite-list] In regards to NWA 10495
> Date: Thu, Jun 16, 2016 5:05 PM
> 
> John,
> 
> It matters not about the weight at this point. What matters is how she came 
> aggressively charging out of left field because of the actions and 

[meteorite-list] Meteorite Picture of the Day

[Paul Swartz via Meteorite-list]

Today's Meteorite Picture of the Day: ALH 76009

Contributed by: Paul Swartz

http://www.tucsonmeteorites.com/mpodmain.asp?DD=06/18/2016
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