[meteorite-list] NASA Selects Investigations for Future Key Planetary Mission (Discovery Program)

[Ron Baalke via Meteorite-list]

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4727

NASA Selects Investigations for Future Key Planetary Mission
Jet Propulsioni Laboratory
September 30, 2015

NASA has selected five science investigations for refinement during the 
next year as a first step in choosing one or two missions for flight 
opportunities 
as early as 2020. Three of those chosen have ties to NASA's Jet Propulsion 
Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The submitted proposals would study 
Venus, near-Earth objects and a variety of asteroids.

Each investigation team will receive $3 million to conduct concept design 
studies and analyses. After a detailed review and evaluation of the concept 
studies, NASA will make the final selections by September 2016 for continued 
development leading up to launch. Any selected mission will cost approximately 
$500 million, not including launch vehicle funding or the cost of post-launch 
operations.

"The selected investigations have the potential to reveal much about the 
formation of our solar system and its dynamic processes," said John Grunsfeld, 
astronaut and associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate 
in Washington. "Dynamic and exciting missions like these hold promise 
to unravel the mysteries of our solar system and inspire future generations 
of explorers. It's an incredible time for science, and NASA is leading 
the way."

NASA's Discovery Program requested proposals for spaceflight investigations 
in November 2014. A panel of NASA and other scientists and engineers reviewed 
27 submissions.

The planetary missions associated with JPL that were selected to pursue 
concept design studies are:

The Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy 
mission (VERITAS)

VERITAS would produce global, high-resolution topography and imaging of 
Venus' surface and produce the first maps of deformation and global surface 
composition. Suzanne Smrekar of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, 
California, is the principal investigator. JPL would manage the project.

Psyche

Psyche would explore the origin of planetary cores by studying the metallic 
asteroid Psyche. This asteroid is likely the survivor of a violent hit-and-run 
with another object that stripped off the outer, rocky layers of a protoplanet. 
Linda Elkins-Tanton of Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, is 
the principal investigator. JPL would manage the project.

Near Earth Object Camera (NEOCam)

NEOCAM would discover 10 times more near-Earth objects than all NEOs discovered 
to date. It would also begin to characterize them. Amy Mainzer of JPL 
is the principal investigator, and JPL would manage the project.

The two other selections are:

Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging 
(DAVINCI)

DAVINCI would study the chemical composition of Venus' atmosphere during 
a 63-minute descent. It would answer scientific questions that have been 
considered high priorities for many years, such as whether there are volcanoes 
active today on the surface of Venus and how the surface interacts with 
the atmosphere of the planet. Lori Glaze of NASA's Goddard Space Flight 
Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is the principal investigator. Goddard 
would manage the project.

Lucy

Lucy would perform the first reconnaissance of the Jupiter Trojan asteroids, 
objects thought to hold vital clues to deciphering the history of the 
solar system. Harold Levison of the Southwest Research  Institute in Boulder, 
Colorado is the principal investigator. Goddard would manage the project.

Created in 1992, the Discovery Program sponsors frequent, cost-capped 
solar system exploration missions with highly focused scientific goals. 
The program has funded and developed 12 missions to date, including MESSENGER, 
Dawn, Stardust, Deep Impact, Genesis and GRAIL, and is currently completing 
development of InSight. The Planetary Missions Program Office at NASA's 
Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama manages the program 
for the agency's Science Mission Directorate.

For more information about NASA's Discovery Program, visit:

http://discovery.nasa.gov


Media Contact

DC Agle 818-393-9011
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
a...@jpl.nasa.gov 

2015-306

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Re: [meteorite-list] Allende slices selling for $35 to $50. Why?

[Michael Mulgrew via Meteorite-list]

Neither, it's because it's a Heritage Auctions auction.

Michael in so. Cal.
IMCA #3963

On Thu, Oct 1, 2015 at 4:17 PM, Shawn Alan via Meteorite-list
 wrote:
> Hello Listers
>
> The Heritage Auctions is having an auction in a few days where they will
> be selling some meteorites and I see that some Allende meteorite slices
> are excepted to sell around $35 to $50 per gram. Has the value gone up
> for this meteorite, or is it because of the size and that its a slice.
>
> Link:
> http://fineart.ha.com/itm/nature-and-science/allende-slice-stony-carbonaceous-chondrite-type-iii-pueblito-de-allende-chihuahua-mexico-26-58-n-105-19-w-/a/5234-73152.s?ic4=ListView-ShortDescription-071515
>
>
> Shawn Alan
> IMCA 1633
> ebay store http://www.ebay.com/sch/imca1633ny/m.html
> Website http://meteoritefalls.com
>
> __
>
> Visit our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/meteoritecentral and the 
> Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com
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> Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com
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[meteorite-list] Sun CME, Daytime Meteor Shower

[Ron Baalke via Meteorite-list]

Space Weather News for Oct. 1, 2015

Dark Plasma Eruption: On Sept.30th, a massive plume of dark plasma erupted 
from sun's western limb.  A bright CME flew away from the blast site and 
might sideswipe Earth's magnetic field on Oct. 3rd.  

Daytime Meteor Shower: As October begins, a radar in Canada is detecting 
echoes from a fairly strong meteor shower.  The source appears to be debris 
from asteroid 2005 UD.  Don't bother looking for these meteors because 
they are streaking across the daytime sky, overwhelmed by the glare of 
the sun.  You can, however, hear their radar echoes.  

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[meteorite-list] Allende slices selling for $35 to $50. Why?

[Shawn Alan via Meteorite-list]

Hello Listers

The Heritage Auctions is having an auction in a few days where they will
be selling some meteorites and I see that some Allende meteorite slices
are excepted to sell around $35 to $50 per gram. Has the value gone up
for this meteorite, or is it because of the size and that its a slice. 

Link:
http://fineart.ha.com/itm/nature-and-science/allende-slice-stony-carbonaceous-chondrite-type-iii-pueblito-de-allende-chihuahua-mexico-26-58-n-105-19-w-/a/5234-73152.s?ic4=ListView-ShortDescription-071515


Shawn Alan
IMCA 1633 
ebay store http://www.ebay.com/sch/imca1633ny/m.html
Website http://meteoritefalls.com 

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[meteorite-list] Meteorite Picture of the Day

[Paul Swartz via Meteorite-list]

Today's Meteorite Picture of the Day: NWA 4290

Contributed by: Robert Crewdson

http://www.tucsonmeteorites.com/mpodmain.asp?DD=10/01/2015
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[meteorite-list] Brilliant Utah fireball – October 2, 2014, revisited

[Linton Rohr via Meteorite-list]

A year ago tonight, my wife and I witnessed a dazzling fireball here in
Torrey. I posted a report here, and noted that a few in the SLC area had
seen it heading this way. I've expanded on it a bit for a stargazing column
I've been writing for our little local paper. I'll post it below, just for
fun. I'd love to hear more from others who saw it.

Insider Stargazing Tips

Brilliant Utah fireball – October 2, 2014, revisited

I’ve spent a lot of hours outside, on a lot of nights, over many years,
looking at the sky at all hours of the night. Over those years I’ve seen
hundreds, if not thousands of meteors. Some were bright and some were dim,
but they’re always a joy to see. After I began collecting meteorites and
learning more about them, the meteor sightings became even more enjoyable.
There’s something fascinating about holding a piece of space in your hand.
But as I read stories about fireball sightings, or sometimes watched online
videos, I always felt a little envious. I needed to see one myself.
Finally, on October 2 of last year, my time came. It was truly amazing!
I shared it with friends at the time, but I wasn’t yet writing this column.
So though my words cannot do it justice, I’ll attempt to recount the
experience now - on its anniversary - so that you might envision the
spectacular event.
I had gotten up at 4:00 and was lying there, about to fall back to
sleep, when my wife Karen started shouting “LOOK!” When I opened my eyes,
the entire sky out our ample, northeast-facing windows was dazzling white!
The pinon and juniper trees were lit up like it was noon. A moment later, a
large, white, slow-moving fireball came into view at the top of our windows.
I estimated it to be at least half the diameter of the moon and it had a
long trail behind it. Karen described the tail as having an “electric
blue-green tint”. It may have just looked white to me because my pupils hadn’t
adjusted yet. Then it morphed into an orange fireball, with undulating
flames trailing out perhaps 3 degrees (six full moon widths) behind it! A
few small chunks fell from it, but for the most part, it remained intact
until it cooled into dark flight, which means the atmospheric friction had
slowed it down enough that it no longer glowed. The whole show lasted about
5 or 10 magical seconds, which will remain burned into my memory forever.
I usually compare bright meteors to Venus, but this one was more like
the sun! It was traveling from N/NW to E/SE and descending at about a 5 to
10 degree angle. It appeared to be right over the northern end of Capitol
Reef N.P., but was probably much further away... possibly over toward Moab
or even western Colorado. In fact, when I filed my report, I saw that a few
people way over in central Colorado had seen it, too. A couple early morning
astronomers in Salt Lake City reported seeing it heading our way. And I did
hear from a couple other local residents who also witnessed the spectacle,
but would love to know if anyone in Hanksville did. Or Bluff, Blanding, and
so on.
One thing that really amazes me is this: the farther away it actually
was, the more massive it must have been to appear so large from here! Most
‘shooting stars’ we see are only the size of a grain of sand, or perhaps a
pea, and they burn up long before they could ever reach the ground. Not this
one!
It took quite a while for us to calm down enough to get back to sleep.
Early in the morning, I wrote up the story and posted it to meteorite and
astronomy forums. I hoped that some of my meteorite hunting friends would
spring into action and start tracking it down. But another fireball in
northern Arizona – visible in mid-day – was reported that afternoon, and all
the attention turned to it. So somewhere out there, in the southeast corner
of Utah by my reckoning, lies one or more rocks from space, still waiting to
be found.

__

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Re: [meteorite-list] Brilliant Utah fireball – October 2, 2014, revisited

[John Lutzon via Meteorite-list]

Hello Linton,

Great visual for sure!!!

I do have a spare shovel that i'll mail to you.
Thanks for the moment by moment...

John

- Original Message - 
From: "Linton Rohr via Meteorite-list" 
To: "Meteorite Mailing List" 
Sent: Thursday, October 01, 2015 9:30 PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Brilliant Utah fireball – October 2, 2014, revisited


A year ago tonight, my wife and I witnessed a dazzling fireball here in
Torrey. I posted a report here, and noted that a few in the SLC area had
seen it heading this way. I've expanded on it a bit for a stargazing column
I've been writing for our little local paper. I'll post it below, just for
fun. I'd love to hear more from others who saw it.

Insider Stargazing Tips

Brilliant Utah fireball – October 2, 2014, revisited

 I’ve spent a lot of hours outside, on a lot of nights, over many years,
looking at the sky at all hours of the night. Over those years I’ve seen
hundreds, if not thousands of meteors. Some were bright and some were dim,
but they’re always a joy to see. After I began collecting meteorites and
learning more about them, the meteor sightings became even more enjoyable.
There’s something fascinating about holding a piece of space in your hand.
But as I read stories about fireball sightings, or sometimes watched online
videos, I always felt a little envious. I needed to see one myself.
 Finally, on October 2 of last year, my time came. It was truly amazing!
I shared it with friends at the time, but I wasn’t yet writing this column.
So though my words cannot do it justice, I’ll attempt to recount the
experience now - on its anniversary - so that you might envision the
spectacular event.
 I had gotten up at 4:00 and was lying there, about to fall back to
sleep, when my wife Karen started shouting “LOOK!” When I opened my eyes,
the entire sky out our ample, northeast-facing windows was dazzling white!
The pinon and juniper trees were lit up like it was noon. A moment later, a
large, white, slow-moving fireball came into view at the top of our windows.
I estimated it to be at least half the diameter of the moon and it had a
long trail behind it. Karen described the tail as having an “electric
blue-green tint”. It may have just looked white to me because my pupils hadn’t
adjusted yet. Then it morphed into an orange fireball, with undulating
flames trailing out perhaps 3 degrees (six full moon widths) behind it! A
few small chunks fell from it, but for the most part, it remained intact
until it cooled into dark flight, which means the atmospheric friction had
slowed it down enough that it no longer glowed. The whole show lasted about
5 or 10 magical seconds, which will remain burned into my memory forever.
 I usually compare bright meteors to Venus, but this one was more like
the sun! It was traveling from N/NW to E/SE and descending at about a 5 to
10 degree angle. It appeared to be right over the northern end of Capitol
Reef N.P., but was probably much further away... possibly over toward Moab
or even western Colorado. In fact, when I filed my report, I saw that a few
people way over in central Colorado had seen it, too. A couple early morning
astronomers in Salt Lake City reported seeing it heading our way. And I did
hear from a couple other local residents who also witnessed the spectacle,
but would love to know if anyone in Hanksville did. Or Bluff, Blanding, and
so on.
 One thing that really amazes me is this: the farther away it actually
was, the more massive it must have been to appear so large from here! Most
‘shooting stars’ we see are only the size of a grain of sand, or perhaps a
pea, and they burn up long before they could ever reach the ground. Not this
one!
 It took quite a while for us to calm down enough to get back to sleep.
Early in the morning, I wrote up the story and posted it to meteorite and
astronomy forums. I hoped that some of my meteorite hunting friends would
spring into action and start tracking it down. But another fireball in
northern Arizona – visible in mid-day – was reported that afternoon, and all
the attention turned to it. So somewhere out there, in the southeast corner
of Utah by my reckoning, lies one or more rocks from space, still waiting to
be found.

__

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Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com
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Re: [meteorite-list] Brilliant Utah fireball – October 2, 2014, revisited

[Bob Falls via Meteorite-list]

Hi Linton,

Great description of what must have been spectacular to witness in person!!  We 
should all be so lucky to witness such a fireball; until then we have your 
wonderful account of your experience.

Best Regards,

Bob Falls

-Original Message-
From: Meteorite-list [mailto:meteorite-list-boun...@meteoritecentral.com] On 
Behalf Of John Lutzon via Meteorite-list
Sent: Thursday, October 01, 2015 7:41 PM
To: Linton Rohr
Cc: meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Brilliant Utah fireball – October 2, 2014, 
revisited


Hello Linton,

Great visual for sure!!!

I do have a spare shovel that i'll mail to you.
Thanks for the moment by moment...

John

- Original Message - 
From: "Linton Rohr via Meteorite-list" 
To: "Meteorite Mailing List" 
Sent: Thursday, October 01, 2015 9:30 PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Brilliant Utah fireball – October 2, 2014, revisited


A year ago tonight, my wife and I witnessed a dazzling fireball here in
Torrey. I posted a report here, and noted that a few in the SLC area had
seen it heading this way. I've expanded on it a bit for a stargazing column
I've been writing for our little local paper. I'll post it below, just for
fun. I'd love to hear more from others who saw it.

Insider Stargazing Tips

Brilliant Utah fireball – October 2, 2014, revisited

 I’ve spent a lot of hours outside, on a lot of nights, over many years,
looking at the sky at all hours of the night. Over those years I’ve seen
hundreds, if not thousands of meteors. Some were bright and some were dim,
but they’re always a joy to see. After I began collecting meteorites and
learning more about them, the meteor sightings became even more enjoyable.
There’s something fascinating about holding a piece of space in your hand.
But as I read stories about fireball sightings, or sometimes watched online
videos, I always felt a little envious. I needed to see one myself.
 Finally, on October 2 of last year, my time came. It was truly amazing!
I shared it with friends at the time, but I wasn’t yet writing this column.
So though my words cannot do it justice, I’ll attempt to recount the
experience now - on its anniversary - so that you might envision the
spectacular event.
 I had gotten up at 4:00 and was lying there, about to fall back to
sleep, when my wife Karen started shouting “LOOK!” When I opened my eyes,
the entire sky out our ample, northeast-facing windows was dazzling white!
The pinon and juniper trees were lit up like it was noon. A moment later, a
large, white, slow-moving fireball came into view at the top of our windows.
I estimated it to be at least half the diameter of the moon and it had a
long trail behind it. Karen described the tail as having an “electric
blue-green tint”. It may have just looked white to me because my pupils hadn’t
adjusted yet. Then it morphed into an orange fireball, with undulating
flames trailing out perhaps 3 degrees (six full moon widths) behind it! A
few small chunks fell from it, but for the most part, it remained intact
until it cooled into dark flight, which means the atmospheric friction had
slowed it down enough that it no longer glowed. The whole show lasted about
5 or 10 magical seconds, which will remain burned into my memory forever.
 I usually compare bright meteors to Venus, but this one was more like
the sun! It was traveling from N/NW to E/SE and descending at about a 5 to
10 degree angle. It appeared to be right over the northern end of Capitol
Reef N.P., but was probably much further away... possibly over toward Moab
or even western Colorado. In fact, when I filed my report, I saw that a few
people way over in central Colorado had seen it, too. A couple early morning
astronomers in Salt Lake City reported seeing it heading our way. And I did
hear from a couple other local residents who also witnessed the spectacle,
but would love to know if anyone in Hanksville did. Or Bluff, Blanding, and
so on.
 One thing that really amazes me is this: the farther away it actually
was, the more massive it must have been to appear so large from here! Most
‘shooting stars’ we see are only the size of a grain of sand, or perhaps a
pea, and they burn up long before they could ever reach the ground. Not this
one!
 It took quite a while for us to calm down enough to get back to sleep.
Early in the morning, I wrote up the story and posted it to meteorite and
astronomy forums. I hoped that some of my meteorite hunting friends would
spring into action and start tracking it down. But another fireball in
northern Arizona – visible in mid-day – was reported that afternoon, and all
the attention turned to it. So somewhere out there, in the southeast corner
of Utah by my reckoning, lies one or more rocks from space, still waiting to
be found.

__

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