Re: [meteorite-list] CRE ages of Nakhlites and NWA 998
Hi Bernd and Sterling, Thanks for the comments. Both of you have given me something to investigate further. -Walter __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
RE: [meteorite-list] NASA Loses Contact With Mars Global Surveyor
Always SOMETHING! From: Ron Baalke [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com (Meteorite Mailing List) Subject: [meteorite-list] NASA Loses Contact With Mars Global Surveyor Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2006 15:13:29 -0800 (PST) http://www.space.com/news/061110_mgs_missing.html NASA Loses Contact With Mars Global Surveyor By Ker Than space.com 10 November 2006 NASA's Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft has failed to check in with Earth for the fifth straight day in a row, after losing contact during a routine adjustment of its solar array. If contact is not reestablished by Saturday, NASA might try to have another Mars-orbiting spacecraft take pictures of MGS to assess its condition. On Nov. 2, MGS mangers sent commands for the spacecraft to adjust the position of one of its solar power arrays to better track the sun. Returning data indicated a problem with the motor that moves the array, so a backup motor and control circuitry were switched on. No signal was received on Nov. 3 and 4, but a weak signal was received on Nov. 5, suggesting the spacecraft had switched to a safe mode and was awaiting further instructions from Earth. The signal cut out completely later that day and nothing has been heard since. Engineers think the spacecraft has performed a programmed maneuver in which it turns its solar arrays toward the sun to maintain its power supply. When it does this, it also reorients its entire body in the same direction, thus making communication with Earth less effective. The spacecraft has many redundant systems that should help us get it back into a stable operation, but first we need to re-establish communications, said MGS project manager Tom Thorpe of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. It's also possible, Thorpe said, that the spacecraft was hit by a micrometeorite, and that it's antenna was jolted out of alignment. NASA is still trying to contact the spacecraft, because its ability to receive commands might not be impaired. But if nothing is heard from MSG by Saturday, NASA will ask the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) team to begin preperations late next week to take pictures of MGS in order to assess its orientation and condition. The two spacecraft pass within about 60 miles (100 km) of each other several times a week. That would help a lot to determine where we are now and what commands we should be using, Thorpe told SPACE.com. MGS launched towards Mars just over 10 years ago, on Nov. 7, 1996, and marked NASA's first successful return to the red planet in two decades. The spacecraft was originally tasked with examining Mars for a full Martian year, roughly two Earth years. Operations were slated to end in early 2001, but like the two Mars rovers, Opportunity and Sporit, MGS was continued to perform so admirably that its mission was repeatedly extended most recently on Oct. 1 of this year. Since its mission formally began in 1999, MGS has returned a wealth of data about the red planet. The spacecraft has tracked the evolution of a dust storm, gathered information on the Martian landscape, found compelling evidence of gullies apparently carved by flowing water, and revealed the infamous face on Mars, originally photographed in 1976 by Viking 1, to be nothing more than a natural landscape. It has also taken tens of thousands of high-resolution images of Mars and performed the first three-dimensional mapping of the planet's North Pole. __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list _ Buy, Load, Play. The new Sympatico / MSN Music Store works seamlessly with Windows Media Player. Just Click PLAY. http://musicstore.sympatico.msn.ca/content/viewer.aspx?cid=SMS_Sept192006 __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Meteorites A to Z, 3???
Hello to the people involved with the first 2 A to Z books.Is there going to be a 3rd follow up with new additions and locations of this great guide for everyone?For some like me who is an advanced collecter,this to me is the bible of meteorites.One of the most and comprehensive meteorite catalogs out there.A must for everyone. steve arnold Steve Arnold,Chicago,USA!! BIG Steve's Meteorites,1999!! Website://:stormbringer60120.tripod.com Sponsored Link Get a free Motorola Razr! Today Only! Choose Cingular, Sprint, Verizon, Alltel, or T-Mobile. http://www.letstalk.com/inlink.htm?to=592913 __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] looking for a piece mb
Hi again list.I hate writing out the word millbbilliiee,so I shortend it to mb.I am looking for a complete 7 to 12 gram complete 100% crusted individual of mb for my collection.Any offers will be appreciated. Steve Arnold,Chicago,USA!! BIG Steve's Meteorites,1999!! Website://:stormbringer60120.tripod.com Sponsored Link Get a free Motorola Razr! Today Only! Choose Cingular, Sprint, Verizon, Alltel, or T-Mobile. http://www.letstalk.com/inlink.htm?to=592913 __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Re: looking for a piece mb
and milli vanilli could be mv! -Original Message- From: steve arnold [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Nov 12, 2006 10:22 AM To: meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com Subject: [meteorite-list] looking for a piece mb Hi again list.I hate writing out the word millbbilliiee,so I shortend it to mb.I am looking for a complete 7 to 12 gram complete 100% crusted individual of mb for my collection.Any offers will be appreciated. Steve Arnold,Chicago,USA!! BIG Steve's Meteorites,1999!! Website://:stormbringer60120.tripod.com Sponsored Link Get a free Motorola Razr! Today Only! Choose Cingular, Sprint, Verizon, Alltel, or T-Mobile. http://www.letstalk.com/inlink.htm?to=592913 __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] Meteorites A to Z, 3???
Hah! Market she is in ruin since someone trades their copy away and wants more! Bah! DF steve arnold wrote: Hello to the people involved with the first 2 A to Z books.Is there going to be a 3rd follow up with new additions and locations of this great guide for everyone?For some like me who is an advanced collecter,this to me is the bible of meteorites.One of the most and comprehensive meteorite catalogs out there.A must for everyone. steve arnold Steve Arnold,Chicago,USA!! BIG Steve's Meteorites,1999!! Website://:stormbringer60120.tripod.com Sponsored Link Get a free Motorola Razr! Today Only! Choose Cingular, Sprint, Verizon, Alltel, or T-Mobile. http://www.letstalk.com/inlink.htm?to=592913 __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] looking for a piece mb
Maybe if you spelled it 'Millbillillie', you wouldn't hate it so much! - Original Message - From: steve arnold [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2006 9:22 AM Subject: [meteorite-list] looking for a piece mb Hi again list.I hate writing out the word millbbilliiee,so I shortend it to mb.I am looking for a complete 7 to 12 gram complete 100% crusted individual of mb for my collection.Any offers will be appreciated. Steve Arnold,Chicago,USA!! BIG Steve's Meteorites,1999!! Website://:stormbringer60120.tripod.com Sponsored Link Get a free Motorola Razr! Today Only! Choose Cingular, Sprint, Verizon, Alltel, or T-Mobile. http://www.letstalk.com/inlink.htm?to=592913 __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Villalbeto de la Peña individu al of 145g for sale !
Hello to the List, I'm still selling my Villalbeto de la Peña individual. Remember it's soon Christmas ;-) It weighs 145 grams. Price is 2450 euros or 3150 US$ (to be updated with euro/$ rates). Meteorite is sold with a box, label, CD of pictures, articles and strewnfield map, paper photo of the find. You can see pictures of the meteorite here : http://www.meteor-center.com/vdlp2006/145g/ Keep in mind that Villalbeto is rarely seen and that few collectors own even a fragment. Payment must be made with Paypal (or check if you live in France). Best regards, Pierre-Marie PELE www.meteor-center.com ___ Découvrez une nouvelle façon d'obtenir des réponses à toutes vos questions ! Profitez des connaissances, des opinions et des expériences des internautes sur Yahoo! Questions/Réponses http://fr.answers.yahoo.com __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] Slightly OT...but sttill space related!
Chris wrote: What I'd expect to happen in space is that the individual oil droplets will gradually coalesce as they collide (a statistical process). Eventually, you'll have a single blob of oil drifting around in (or on) a single blob of water. Hi, I think Dave has not defined the question enough, and maybe Chris has made the additional assumptions for him for a case with low gravity at an earthly room temperature and pressure. In Dave's question's pure form, this sounds much more like a thought experiment rather than a practical question. The reason I say this is because you have so many factors to worry about: 1-mean temperature (need to be in liquid range for the question to make sense) 2-pressure and whether the system is closed (at low pressure in an open system, e.g., space, it will simply all evaporate away before you have to worry about it - very different than in the ISS.) 3-absorption, emission characteristics vs. radiative wavelengths applied (oil and water are relatively transparent at most wavelengths compared to forming meteoroids) 4-gravity (zero gravity, corrected to micro-gravity according to Chris' assumption, would be impossible since any system has mass - especially a closed one) 5-surface tensions (dependent on which oil you choose, and water purity and temperature) 6-heat flux and gradient (heat from one side, rotisserie style, etc.) not to mention a dozen more secondary factors. Temperature is loosly behind the assumption for what causes Chris' droplet collision and coalescence, and the gradient is behind the dynamics of formation (how it shakes out :)). In my thought experiment what happens follows: God magically prepares a smoothie of oil and water and tells the water and oil they are infinitely immiscible, and that he hath put a stop to concept of evaporation; he makes an open system and puts them in outer space away from any outside gravitational influences, and tells the oil and water thou shalt not absorb or emit radiation; though shalt not freeze at absolute zero ... but thou shalt retain surface tension in the range known to Earthly humans. Thus the surface tension causes a sweating preferentially of the lower surface tension material multiply beading to the surface of the perfect sphere the initial blob assumes under these hypothetical conditions. Then you get an amazing phenomenon something like an hour glass where the initial spherical blob creates many tiny spherical sweat beads on the surface. In the absence of rotational motion of any kind, you'd get a uniform migration to the surface, and at the surface as it got crowded and contacts were made among alike materials, you'd get growing new spheres until the initial sphere was much smaller and purified, or gone, and two contact spherical balls were formed in this strange space hourglass. (If there really was no rotational motion you might even get more than two) spheres, depending on the realtive concentrations, too. Back to reality which is a crockpot, depending on how you crock it you could get any strange but plausible property you want out of the materials by picking suitable conditions. That would include a slow plum pudding formation, or a formation into rinds migrating outward in the hourglass, Chris's cellulitic blob scenario, or God's perfect kissing sphere scenario. So the question isn't silly at all. I think you are just sensing your own bias and trying to overcome it - a bias in which you and essentially all men view the physical reality at earthly conditions (temp, pressure, gravity, radiative, closed, etc.) but something inside says that materials subjected to different conditions might yield properties and phenomena that are very different. I'm not sure about women, though. And I wouldn't go so far as to have oil and water as a favorite model for mesosiderites beyond illustrating the basic concept of immiscibility, if you just as well could talk about other materials like liquid iron and sand, more appropriate at the thought experimental phase, which have much lower evaporative tendencies, and are less gravitationally challenged due to their own mass. Hope this speculation helps, Doug - Original Message - From: Chris Peterson [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: metlist meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com Sent: Saturday, November 11, 2006 5:15 PM Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Slightly OT...but sttill space related! In microgravity, oil and water still won't mix, but they won't separate the way they do under gravity. The reason they don't mix is because oil has very low solubility in water. When you mix them vigorously, you get what's called an emulsion- in this case very small droplets of oil floating in the water. Unless you use special ingredients (as in mayo) to maintain the emulsion, the droplets will separate because of their buoyancy (which is meaningless in microgravity). What I'd expect to happen in space is that the individual oil droplets will gradually coalesce as they
[meteorite-list] Willamette meteorite - AD
Hello list members, I have listed a 2 gram piece of Willamette meteorite on Ebay. This is a piece of oxide that popped off of the mass during the thousands of years it sat here in good old Oregon rain. The Northwest is getting slammed with record rainfall lately. How about if the Heavens let's us have another fresh fallen Northwest meteorite. Oregon only has four so far; Willamette, Klamath Falls, Sam's Valley, all irons and our one stone: Salem. The Washougal has always been referred to as an Oregon fireball because it was witnessed by thousands of people as it came in over Oregon. But the only piece recovered was found in a garden in Washougal, Washington just across the mighty Columbia river which is the border between Oregon and Washington states. The Washougal was a wonderful howardite and sadly it has turned up missing. A national treasure of extreme research value somehow stolen from the State museum. If I can get pictures of it I'll post them to the list so that people can keep an eye out for it. Cheers, E.T. __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Live Chat Tonight?
Greetings, Anyone up for a meteorite chat tonight? How about from now till ?? The official chat site is on Mark Bostick's website and chat room. http://www.meteoritearticles.com/chatroom.html Tonight's topic: The decreasing meteorite supply. Also a good place to ask questions and just have some fun! --AL Mitterling __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Rocks From Space Picture of the Day - November 13, 2006
http://www.spacerocksinc.com/November_13.html __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Ad- Meteorites auctions
Heres the latest assortment: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZmaccers531QQhtZ-1 Thanks Bob __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Re: Zero G oil and water OT...but still space related!
Hi Chris, It seems thenthat at least this question wasn't so silly if NASA had to do it in space. I sort of presumed the persistant immiscibility of the two fluids would factor into it but I wondered if after the droplets coalesced what they would do - so what I guess we would get would be spheres of oil and water bobbing around each other (not unlike molten olivine and iron in pallasite formation) And, of course, the interesting materials that could be made for future engineering projects is quite cool! thanks! ---Original Message--- From: Chris Monrad Date: 11/11/06 22:18:15 To: Dave Harris; metlist Subject: Zero G oil and water OT...but still space related! http://history.nasa.gov/SP-401/ch12.htm Immiscible Liquids Two liquids that will not mix, such as oil and water, are said to be immiscible. When vigorously shaken, the two liquids can become intermingled, but one does not dissolve in the other. Eventually, the force of gravity will cause the heavier liquid to separate from the lighter, producing two distinct layers. Experiments were made in Skylab to determine what happens when immiscible liquids are mixed in zero gravity. Oil and water were placed in transparent plastic vials. By swinging the vials on the end of a string, the two liquids were separated by centrifugal force. The vials were then shaken to disperse the liquids and observed to see whether separation took place. While a gravity force was not present to separate the liquids, some separation by coalescence was possible. Small drops of the same liquid joined as they came into contact, eventually into significant amounts. On Earth, a dispersion of the two liquids separated completely in 10 seconds. In Skylab, the dispersions were observed for a period of 10 hours, during which time only a very small amount of coalescence occurred. Low gravity thus provided an opportunity to form a dispersion of immiscible liquids which could be solidified in that form. The demonstration showed that composite materials with unique properties could be manufactured by such a process. Regards, Chris Monrad -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Dave Harris Sent: Saturday, November 11, 2006 3:05 PM To: metlist Subject: [meteorite-list] Slightly OT...but sttill space related! Hullo, Well, I am a bit stumped by a question I was asked by one of my sons...and I couldn't answer it for certain - I've asked one chap, a good mate of mine, who has an astrophysics masters degree, and he proposed an answer to my query but I am not sure he's right... SO, we all know that oil and water don't mix - the oil will float on the water.What about in zero-g? Would they mix? (think how easy it'd be to make mayo!) or would they still separate out if shaken together? It obviously has a relationship between certain meteorite classes (ie mesos) ie, whether molten silicates would float on molten iron... but I just cannot visualise whether oil on water would still float. Seems a really silly question now I;ve written it down - but nope, just cannot figure what an oil/water mix would do. Any ideas (Bernd.??) Dumbly dave IMCA #0092 Sec.BIMS www.bimsociety.com __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] looking for a piece mb
For after re-sale at few days? Matteo --- steve arnold [EMAIL PROTECTED] ha scritto: Hi again list.I hate writing out the word millbbilliiee,so I shortend it to mb.I am looking for a complete 7 to 12 gram complete 100% crusted individual of mb for my collection.Any offers will be appreciated. Steve Arnold,Chicago,USA!! BIG Steve's Meteorites,1999!! Website://:stormbringer60120.tripod.com Sponsored Link Get a free Motorola Razr! Today Only! Choose Cingular, Sprint, Verizon, Alltel, or T-Mobile. http://www.letstalk.com/inlink.htm?to=592913 __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list M come Meteorite - Matteo Chinellato Via Triestina 126/A - 30173 - TESSERA, VENEZIA, ITALY Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sale Site: http://www.mcomemeteorite.it Collection Site: http://www.mcomemeteorite.info MSN Messanger: spacerocks at hotmail.com EBAY.COM:http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/mcomemeteorite/ __ Do You Yahoo!? Poco spazio e tanto spam? Yahoo! Mail ti protegge dallo spam e ti da tanto spazio gratuito per i tuoi file e i messaggi http://mail.yahoo.it __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Arecibo Observatory Faces Job Cuts
http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/2006/NEWS01/60325/1002 CU's Arecibo Observatory faces job cuts By Tim Ashmore The Ithaca Journal November 11, 2006 Cornell University's Arecibo radio telescope and radar observatory could be losing up to half its federal funding - about $4 million - a cut that could mean job losses in both Ithaca and Puerto Rico, where the facility is based. A report issued by the Senior Review, an advisory committee for the National Science Foundation (NSF), on Nov. 3 recommended that funding be cut for Arecibo by 25 percent over the next three years. The Senior Review also advised the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC) to look for funding from outside partners to cover a 50 percent slash in funding in 2011. Basically what's occurred over the last few years, according to government agencies, is that there have been substantial tax cuts and additional expenditures (such as the Iraq war) puts a strain on the federal budget, said Joe Burns, Cornell's vice provost for physical sciences and engineering. The budget cuts that Arecibo faces led to changes in the way that the telescope and radar will operate. Arecibo will be in more of a survey mode where it will survey the sky rather than taking all of the individual investigations programs that it has. This will allow us to operate with fewer staff, said Burns. The Arecibo Observatory employs 150 workers in Puerto Rico and about a dozen here in Ithaca. Many of those workers are in jeopardy of losing their jobs as a result of less funding. According to Burns, 75 percent of the current $12 million budget is allocated for salaries. It's very likely that Cornell employees will be laid off, said Burns. We have many people that can retire soon, and our hope is that they take early retirement rather than force us to lay them off, he continued. The likelihood of coming up with the much needed $4 million is very slim according to Burns. Cornell will go to NASA, which originally funded the construction of the Arecibo Observatory 45 years ago, to seek funding. According to Burns, a bill that Congress passed last year requires that NASA characterize menacing asteroids that fly close to the Earth. Since Arecibo is considered the world's leading radar in characterizing asteroids, NASA may be interested in providing funding. Cornell will also seek help from foreign countries with an interest in keeping the Arecibo Observatory open. But according to Burns, foreign countries have been able to use Arecibo free of cost for the last 45 years. The Arecibo Observatory is not only home to an antennae with a diameter of 1,000 feet, but also the Angel Ramos Foundation Visitor and Educational Facility that attracts 100,000 visitors per year, as well as 250 scientists from 150 universities worldwide. __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] New Zealand Flare Remains A Mystery
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest/200611121351/kaikoura_distress_flare_remains_a_mystery Kaikoura 'distress flare' remains a mystery Radio New Zealand November 12, 2006 Christchurch police say the origins of a flare reported off the Kaikoura coast on Saturday night remain a mystery. The flare was spotted at about 11pm by several people and reported to police. The Coastguard mounted an air search, which failed to find the source of the flare. Police say radio messages have been sent to boats in the area asking them to keep watch for a vessel in trouble, but there has been no response. They say what people thought was a flare may have been a meteorite. __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Catch A Falling Star (Meteorites)
http://www.columbian.com/lifeHome/lifeHomeNews/11122006news75810.cfm Catch a falling star By Tricia Jones The Columbian (Washington) November 12, 2006 It may not have been the most traumatic event in his childhood, but Stan Seeberg still remembers the day when a piece of the universe was splintered to smithereens. Or so he thought. When Seeberg was about 8 years old, a teenaged prankster who knew the boy's interest in meteorites invited him to hold a stone from space. I was enthralled, said Seeberg, founder of the Vancouver Sidewalk Astronomers. Then he grabbed it away and smashed it to bits. I believe I cried. Seeing how upset Seeberg was, the teen confessed that the broken pieces came from a rock painted with black shoe polish. The shock didn't cause Seeberg to forsake his love for meteorites. Now, some 56 years later, he's still enamored of these hard-edged emissaries of outer space -- though he's quick to point out that he's not an expert, just an enthusiast. Seeberg has plenty of company. The Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, the International Space Station, and the historic proximity of Mars in 2003 have all contributed to a growing public interest in space, according to Dan Gerhards, co-owner of Sean's Astronomy Shop in Battle Ground. And meteor sightings such as a reported fireball over Yakima and another object streaking across three Southwest states, both witnessed on Oct. 1, continue to launch a spate of meteorite-hunting expeditions among earthlings. Not all collectors take to the field, however. The advent of the Internet has greatly boosted the number of people marketing celestial chunks on eBay and other online sites, according to Edwin Thompson, a Lake Oswego, Ore., collector who makes his living selling meteorites. In 1988, there were maybe six full-time meteorite dealers on the planet, Thompson said, adding that now there are probably 300 people who call themselves dealers. A lot of my customers -- (United Parcel Service) drivers, nurses, attorneys, one guy who's a rock concert promoter -- now they have full-blown Web sites, Thompson said. It's not hard to understand why space rocks are generating such universal attraction. Much like Superman, meteorites are strange visitors from another planet with powers far beyond those of mortal men. Most don't bend steel or change the course of mighty rivers (although a very large one could do some significant damage). Their power lies instead in the ability to capture the human imagination. Here's a rock that fell to earth in a fiery ball of flames the temperature of the sun, at a cosmic velocity of roughly 70,000 miles per hour, Thompson said. It's been drifting in a cold vacuum of outer space for literally billions of years ... and it is an amazing snapshot of living history. Gerhards echoes many meteorite admirers when he describes the thrill of grasping a piece of another world. It's interesting to hold it in your hand, even if you can't go there, he said. For those who agree, the next question becomes: How do I get my hands on an interplanetary traveler of my very own? Following are some tips for seekers scouring the ground, as well as for collectors buying from dealers. What am I looking for? Most meteorites are heavier than rocks found on Earth, although some contain no metal at all, according to the Cascadia Meteorite Laboratory at Portland State University. Most, but not all, are attracted to a magnet. And most are irregularly shaped, not round. Look for a thin black or brown layer, called a fusion coating, that may be rusted or partially worn from the object's surface. Thompson said any library will stock books that help identify meteorites. In addition, although the Cascadia Meteorite Laboratory is not open to the public, information can be found its Web site, www.meteorites.pdx.edu. Searching the Earth Sadly, it's not easy to stumble across space rocks landing in the Pacific Northwest. Fewer than a dozen meteorite findings have been reported in Washington and Oregon, according to The Catalogue of Meteorites, published by the National History Museum in London. Theoretically, it's possible to go out in the yard and find one -- but it's not likely you'll know it, Gerhards said. Seeberg and Thompson say part of the problem in this area is the prevalence of dark basalt rocks, which resemble meteorites. Savvy collectors label these and other imposters as meteorwrongs. People will get excited and think they have a meteorite -- I know I have -- but the fact is that less than 1 in 100 specimens will turn out to be actual, Seeberg said. Another drawback is the abundance of vegetation that cloaks potential finds. Meteorites don't grow legs, but they have an uncanny ability to hide, Thompson said. And because it's overcast here most of the year, there are a lot of fireballs that are just never seen. Better sites for meteorite safaris are deserts and open spaces in which wind erosion has left little topsoil, Thompson
[meteorite-list] oil water....
Hi Doug, Well, firstly I thought your answer was very witty indeed! And yes, I DID try to resolve this as a 'gedankenexperiment' and failed which is why I did pose the question. I am glad that it has provoked some thoughts and that perhaps it was a reasonable question to ask after all. I have taken certain assumptions that the environment is STP and zero G - not micro or milli-gravity, but zero. I still that it would make an excellent environment for making mayo! But think of the interesting materials one could make - metal/ceramic combos .. and so on! Ciao! dave IMCA #0092 Sec.BIMS www.bimsociety.org __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
