Re: [meteorite-list] Hayabusa Spots Its Asteroid Target

2005-08-18 Thread Ron Baalke
this is pretty exciting, isn't it! Just think we could match a meteorite!! It's not a matter of IF we match a meteorite with the Hayabusa returned samples, but WHICH meteorites match up. Ditto with Stardust when it returns its samples next January. Ron Baalke

Re: [meteorite-list] Hayabusa Spots Its Asteroid Target

2005-08-18 Thread Darren Garrison
On Thu, 18 Aug 2005 08:16:09 -0700 (PDT), Ron Baalke [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: the firing of a tantalum pellet into the asteroid at 300 metres per second. Why such an exotic material? So that you could find and discount it's signature in the returned sample?

Re: [meteorite-list] Hayabusa Spots Its Asteroid Target

2005-08-18 Thread Sterling K. Webb
Darren, Tantalum is the tenth most dense element, with a density of 21.02 times that of water, or three times that of iron. There are others more dense, but they suffer from various disadvantages: low melting point (osmium), danger (plutonium), expense (gold). As you said, one of

Re: [meteorite-list] Hayabusa Spots Its Asteroid Target

2005-08-18 Thread Sterling K. Webb
Sorry, Density is 16.65, not 21.02. That's rhenium. Sterling - Sterling K. Webb wrote: Darren, Tantalum is the tenth most dense element, with a density of 21.02 times that of water, or three times that of iron.