Thank you for the information, Doug. I wrote an email to Edward Anders asking him about the phrase.
I hope he will reply. Best wishes Martin -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht----- Von: MexicoDoug <mexicod...@aim.com> Gesendet: 29.07.2011 00:30:45 An: karm...@email.de, Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com Betreff: Edward Anders on going to the Moon: meteorites, asteroids & politics bonus (was ... 'the poor man's space probe') >Hi List -- While the chemists are having a moment in the Sun- > >More on Edward Anders, a colorful personality with incredible >foresight, who swam with the greats at Chicago during their >unprecedeted heyday (His colleague Harold Urey 'invented' the term >"cosmochemistry" and you all know about amino acids and their possible >relationship to carbonaceous chondrites). Taken in context in 1972, >very impressive, it could be our discussion today (and he better have a >good pair of boxing gloves) ;-) > > >Ref: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientist (December, 1972) pp. 32-38. > >"The first thing we saw on in the Apollo 11 samples was that the soil >was enriched in about a dozen "meteoritic" elements relative to the >rocks. The amount corresponded to an admixture of about 1.5 to 2.0 per >cent meteoritic material. Because the elements ocurred in essentially >solar proportions we could tell that this material was very primitive, >similar to carbonaceous chondrites. And this is still true four >missions later..." > >""I have always been rather critical of the manned space program, at >first because I considered it an extravaganza and later because it >undercut and weakened our unmanned lunar and planetary programs...But >now that the money has been spent...Let us face it, manned Lunar >exploration is probably a one-time adventure for mankind. After the >Apollo program ends, I think it will take many decades or centuries >before mankind attempts another manned lunar program. There is a lot >of fundamental information hidden in the lunar rocks, and as with the >meteorites, it will take a sustained effort over centuries to extract >all this information. So we are really gathering samples for future >generations and the cost of the lunar missions has to be judged from >this point of view. Therefore it is an opportunity to carry out these >missions while we still have trained astronauts, technicians, and >engineers, why not? The ost is something like 50 cents for every man, >woman and child in the country..." > >I opposed asteroid missions because asteroids are probably the only >celestial bodies [sic.] from which samples are delivered free of charge >to our door step. It would be quite embarrassing if an expensive >mission were launched to an asteroid and brought back samples a few >years later esentially identical to meteorites that have been sitting >on museum shelves for many years. We would have spent all this money >to get material that is already on hand. > >I would concede one point, namely, that we probably get meteorites only > from a small fraction of the asteroid population, maybe 10 percent, >maybe less. More than 90 per cent of the asteroids do not communicarte >with us. Among those are some oddballs which are quite different from >the rest. If future work shows that some of these asteroids are keys >to the mysteries of the solar system, then one can make a case for a >mission to such an asteroid. > >Kindest wishes >Doug >PS Next time we go - and we will - it will be with less brawn but at >least as much brains! Got to love the last quote in light of the DAWN >mission at Vesta today. > > >-----Original Message----- >From: MexicoDoug <mexicod...@aim.com> >To: karm...@email.de; Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com >Sent: Thu, Jul 28, 2011 5:39 pm >Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Who invented the phrase 'the poor man's >space probe'? > > >... nothing but a 'poor man's space probe' launched unceremoniously >somewhere in the asteroidal belt sometime during the last two billion >years [sic.] ... > >1960 - Dr. Edward Anders >Univ. of Chicago > >... unless Nininger said something similar earlier! > >Best wishes >Doug > >-----Original Message----- >From: karmaka <karm...@email.de> >To: Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com >Sent: Thu, Jul 28, 2011 4:37 pm >Subject: [meteorite-list] Who invented the phrase 'the poor man's space >probe'? > >Dear list members, > >Does anyone know who was the first who called a meteorite 'the poor >man's space >probe"? > >Best regards > >Martin > >______________________________________________ >Visit the Archives at >http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html >Meteorite-list mailing list >Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com >http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list > > ______________________________________________ >Visit the Archives at >http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html >Meteorite-list mailing list >Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com >http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list > > ______________________________________________ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
