[meteorite-list] Fiery debris seen in Texas skies not from satellite collision, officials say
Fiery debris seen in Texas skies not from satellite collision, officials say 11:20 PM CST on Sunday, February 15, 2009 By RUDOLPH BUSH / The Dallas Morning News rb...@dallasnews.com Fiery debris burned through the Texas sky Sunday morning, alarming some and enchanting others but resulting in no apparent injury or damage. Video From Dallas to Austin and beyond, sightings were reported of a red and orange fireball with a small black center speeding toward Earth before burning out in a trail of lingering white smoke. Roland Herwig, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration’s southwest division, said the fireball was probably superheated debris from a broken satellite falling to Earth. The FAA could not directly link the debris to the reported collision last week of Russian and U.S. communications satellites, however. “It’s yet to be proved it’s those satellites,” Herwig said. However, a spokeswoman for U.S. Strategic Command said the fireball spotted in the Texas skies Sunday was unrelated to the satellite collision. Air Force Major Regina Winchester said that Joint Space Operations Center at California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base has been monitoring the debris from the collision, and that could not have caused the dramatic sight. She also said the fireball was not related to the estimated 18,000 man-made objects that the center also monitors. “There was no predicted re-entry,” Winchester said about the objects in Earth’s orbit. She said it could possibly have been a natural phenomenon such as a meteorite. It’s unclear exactly how many pieces of debris tumbled toward Texas or whether any more are on the way. The potential danger from debris did prompt the FAA to warn pilots nationwide to be aware of the hazard and to immediately report any sightings. State emergency management officials and local law enforcement agencies also were on alert across much of Texas. Based on reports of a fireball near Waco, local law enforcement officers searched for debris but found nothing, a Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman said. Though no one could pinpoint where the debris fell or if it even remained intact through the burnout, the fireball left an impression on those who saw it. They say it burned anywhere from a few seconds to nearly a minute. And in some areas, particularly in East Texas, there were reports of a sonic boom. While it may not be clear for some time what fell from the sky, it seemed to be a singular event. Most sightings in Texas were reported about 11 a.m. Some people thought it was a meteor. Others thought perhaps it was a plane crashing. Doug Schmidt of Richardson was driving south on Central Expressway near the Bush Turnpike when he saw a flash of light in the sky. “It was like a ball of flame with a tail. It looked like a meteor,” he said. “There was flame and then a flash and smoke trailing it. I said ‘Wow, look at that.’ ” Farther south, in Ovilla, Chris Weaver said he stepped outside and just by chance looked south. That’s when he saw a flash of orange moving fast in the sky before burning into a streak of white smoke. “If you were looking up at the southern sky, you couldn’t miss it,” he said. There have been scattered reports across the country of debris falling to Earth since the Russian and U.S. satellites collided Tuesday about 500 miles above Earth. The collision occurred over Siberia and sheared thousands of shards of debris through Earth’s orbit. Pieces of that debris will continue to float through orbit for thousands of years or more, while other pieces will at times fall to Earth, probably likely burning up as they pass through the atmosphere, experts say. Staff writer Jeff Mosier and The Associated Press contributed to this report. SOURCE: http://www.quickdfw.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/021609dnmetdebris.1c083e1f.html If you have any info on this meteor/fireball I would greatly appreciate any info you could provide. Thanks! http://www.meteoritesusa.com/blog/meteorite-information/report-a-fireball/ Regards, Eric Wichman Meteorites USA http://www.quickdfw.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/021609dnmetdebris.1c083e1f.html __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] AD - Incredible New Fresh L3,W0/1 - Presale !!
Dear List, this week we like to introduce our new stunning and very fresh L3 Chondrite from NWA. The classification is in progress, it's likely done, we already received a few data's. Of course the buyers will be informed by us about the result right after we received it. This fresh L3 chondrite shows a nice slightly blueish/grey brecciated matrix with a lot of chondrules, clasts inclusions. With the weathering grade of W0/1 this is one of the most freshest L3 chondrite which ever came out of the deserts of North West Africa! See pictures of this beautiful material here: http://www.gi-po.de/meteorit_verkauf_l3pre.html Many thanks for viewing, best regards Carsten Giessler __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] looks promising...for something
Hi Elton: How many fireballs, etc. have been seen recently? I know there have been a bunch, but would like to know how many there have been if anyone is keeping a tally. We have our regular asteroid lunch here in Tucson today and this would make an interesting topic for our group. Thanks Larry On Sun, February 15, 2009 8:45 pm, Mr EMan wrote: I believe I've run to ground the space debris/ satellite collision/ Fireball confusion but see no way to get it back into Pandora's Box. What happens on the Internet stays in the Internet! A Notice to AIRMEM(NOTAM) was issued for the expected re-entry of an ISS resupply rocket booster over Alberta Canada for approx 3-3:15 PM Friday 13 Feb. NOTAMS are national/international for aircraft flying into the affected region. This booster was on time but skipped back and finally reentered over the South Atlantic off the West coast of Africa 15 min later. The NOTAM did not immediately expire I forget how long NOTAMs remain in effect. A reporter called the FAA who called the National Weather Service or vice versa regarding a fireball over Kentucky and some mal-informed representative sees the Alberta NOTAM all the while reports of a satellite collision are still creeping across the CNN screen and connects the wrong two plus two. It is picked up by the news wire and suddenly the sky is falling everywhere as parts of the Iridium and Kosmos suddenly start dropping straight down from orbit Wiley Coyote/Hollywood style--Oh yeah and starting barn fires in Lily Kentucky which never stop burning and can't be extinguished. DUH! Back to a general note: we are seeing weekly and monthly spaced major fireballs including large meteorite falls. Statistics tell me that we are only sampling a portion of a much larger asteroidal debris field in crossing earth orbit. Is anyone aware of a more formal study accessing a distant collision in the asteroid belt that has sent a fresh supply of material our way? I surmised a few years ago that Feb also seemed to have a cluster of falls toward the end of the month. Has anyone on the list looked at the fall log or fireball log at Amsmeteors.org for any recurring clusters? Be back later, I am finishing my Kevlar titanium umbrella hard hat. Elton --- On Sun, 2/15/09, Dark Matter freequa...@gmail.com wrote: From: Dark Matter freequa...@gmail.com Subject: [meteorite-list] looks promising...for something To: Meteorite List meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com Date: Sunday, February 15, 2009, 9:44 PM Texans report fireball in sky, sonic booms -Video shot in Austin, Texas, shows meteor-like object in sky Sunday morning -Fireball sightings, reports of sonic booms come days after satellite collision in space -FAA told U.S. pilots to watch for falling space debris -No reports of ground strikes or interference with aircraft, FAA spokesman says (CNN) -- Sonic booms and at least one fireball in the sky were reported in Texas on Sunday, less than a week after two satellites collided in space and a day after the Federal Aviation Administration asked U.S. pilots to watch for falling space debris, authorities said. http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/15/texas.sky.debris/index.html __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] looks promising...for something
Another one in southern Sweden yesterday. Complete with light and sound. Short notes in Swedish : http://svt.se/svt/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=58360a=1445278printerfriendly=true http://svt.se/svt/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=58360a=1446198printerfriendly=true http://svt.se/svt/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=58360a=1445221printerfriendly=true For a short while the night was turned into day. according to an amateur astronomer. /Göran lebof...@lpl.arizona.edu wrote: Hi Elton: How many fireballs, etc. have been seen recently? I know there have been a bunch, but would like to know how many there have been if anyone is keeping a tally. We have our regular asteroid lunch here in Tucson today and this would make an interesting topic for our group. Thanks Larry On Sun, February 15, 2009 8:45 pm, Mr EMan wrote: I believe I've run to ground the space debris/ satellite collision/ Fireball confusion but see no way to get it back into Pandora's Box. What happens on the Internet stays in the Internet! A Notice to AIRMEM(NOTAM) was issued for the expected re-entry of an ISS resupply rocket booster over Alberta Canada for approx 3-3:15 PM Friday 13 Feb. NOTAMS are national/international for aircraft flying into the affected region. This booster was on time but skipped back and finally reentered over the South Atlantic off the West coast of Africa 15 min later. The NOTAM did not immediately expire I forget how long NOTAMs remain in effect. A reporter called the FAA who called the National Weather Service or vice versa regarding a fireball over Kentucky and some mal-informed representative sees the Alberta NOTAM all the while reports of a satellite collision are still creeping across the CNN screen and connects the wrong two plus two. It is picked up by the news wire and suddenly the sky is falling everywhere as parts of the Iridium and Kosmos suddenly start dropping straight down from orbit Wiley Coyote/Hollywood style--Oh yeah and starting barn fires in Lily Kentucky which never stop burning and can't be extinguished. DUH! Back to a general note: we are seeing weekly and monthly spaced major fireballs including large meteorite falls. Statistics tell me that we are only sampling a portion of a much larger asteroidal debris field in crossing earth orbit. Is anyone aware of a more formal study accessing a distant collision in the asteroid belt that has sent a fresh supply of material our way? I surmised a few years ago that Feb also seemed to have a cluster of falls toward the end of the month. Has anyone on the list looked at the fall log or fireball log at Amsmeteors.org for any recurring clusters? Be back later, I am finishing my Kevlar titanium umbrella hard hat. Elton --- On Sun, 2/15/09, Dark Matter freequa...@gmail.com wrote: From: Dark Matter freequa...@gmail.com Subject: [meteorite-list] looks promising...for something To: Meteorite List meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com Date: Sunday, February 15, 2009, 9:44 PM Texans report fireball in sky, sonic booms -Video shot in Austin, Texas, shows meteor-like object in sky Sunday morning -Fireball sightings, reports of sonic booms come days after satellite collision in space -FAA told U.S. pilots to watch for falling space debris -No reports of ground strikes or interference with aircraft, FAA spokesman says (CNN) -- Sonic booms and at least one fireball in the sky were reported in Texas on Sunday, less than a week after two satellites collided in space and a day after the Federal Aviation Administration asked U.S. pilots to watch for falling space debris, authorities said. http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/15/texas.sky.debris/index.html __ __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Trying to reach Bob King
Hello List, i tried to reach Bob King, but all emails came back marked as mail delivery failed. I used this email adress of him: rk...@duluthnews.com Maybe someone have a working email adress of Bob? Many thanks. Sorry for this not meteorite related topic. Best greetings, Carsten __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] Might Something Need To Be Done Department
Hi Pat, the Bulletin Database has as tkw for Allende of 2 metric tons = 2000kg. (And some say 3 tons). It felt at a time, where naturally there weren't such myopic laws like today and there were less collectors than today. And it felt in a country with good accessibility. To make it short: Allende was the NWA 869 of the 70ies. It's a little bit similar to Millbillillie, Sometimes collectors ask, why an NWA-EUC can cost more than a Millbillillie. But if you check the stats: Every second eucrite is a Millbillillie :-) Murchison had a relatively high tkw. Also a few collectors and Australia was still a free country, a meteorite-democracy. I often told the anecdote, a German veteran collector told me. He came to know of the Murchison fall by a short note in a newspaper. So he wrote a letter, asking about the circumstances and what had happened, and sent it to Murchison, Australia. Weeks later he received a parcel, with a nice answer, cause they were astonished and amazed that someone from so far away was interested in what had happened in their little town and as a little tank you, a 100g+ sample of Murchison was included. Allende could be one of the reasons for the misconception of some, who are bemoaning that the prices of meteorites pretendendly would have soared and who have the imagination that in earlier years meteorites cost virtually nothing. But Allende was always one of the exceptions, cause of its mass availability. Best! Martin Murchison TKW 100Kg per the Meteoritical Bulletin Allende TKW 100Kg per the Meteoritical Bulletin __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] Might Something Need To Be Done Department
Hiya Every meteorite which is sold at an inexplicably low price is the result of a particular event, and the contamination that results from such events can take years or decades to be corrected. The situation between Millbillillie and Allende is not really similar, and the story with Millbillillie is as follows: My memory is a bit shaky, but it was around 1990 there was a Millbillillie price war at a Denver show. An American dealer and an Australian dealer had a go at it---and there was room to go down because even though Millbillillie first arrived in the U.S at $10/g wholesale---a large shipment subsequently landed stateside for $1/g. I personally witnessed the price of Millbillillie plummet precipitously over a period of hours from $20 to less than $2, and I ended up buying Millbillillie at $2/g that year and the year following. Millbillillie's value is still compromised as a result of selling so inexpensively; inordinately low prices possess their own memory gravity (unless of course there is another event which provides the correction). All best / d, On Feb 16, 2009, at 11:49 AM, Martin Altmann wrote: Hi Pat, the Bulletin Database has as tkw for Allende of 2 metric tons = 2000kg. (And some say 3 tons). It felt at a time, where naturally there weren't such myopic laws like today and there were less collectors than today. And it felt in a country with good accessibility. To make it short: Allende was the NWA 869 of the 70ies. It's a little bit similar to Millbillillie, Sometimes collectors ask, why an NWA-EUC can cost more than a Millbillillie. But if you check the stats: Every second eucrite is a Millbillillie :-) Murchison had a relatively high tkw. Also a few collectors and Australia was still a free country, a meteorite-democracy. I often told the anecdote, a German veteran collector told me. He came to know of the Murchison fall by a short note in a newspaper. So he wrote a letter, asking about the circumstances and what had happened, and sent it to Murchison, Australia. Weeks later he received a parcel, with a nice answer, cause they were astonished and amazed that someone from so far away was interested in what had happened in their little town and as a little tank you, a 100g+ sample of Murchison was included. Allende could be one of the reasons for the misconception of some, who are bemoaning that the prices of meteorites pretendendly would have soared and who have the imagination that in earlier years meteorites cost virtually nothing. But Allende was always one of the exceptions, cause of its mass availability. Best! Martin Murchison TKW 100Kg per the Meteoritical Bulletin Allende TKW 100Kg per the Meteoritical Bulletin __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] correction / Might Something Need To Be Done Department
Sorry I meant to write. Millbillillie's value is still compromised as a result of it once having sold so inexpensively. d, Begin forwarded message: From: Darryl Pitt dar...@dof3.com Date: February 16, 2009 12:34:32 PM EST To: Martin Altmann altm...@meteorite-martin.de Cc: meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Might Something Need To Be Done Department Hiya Every meteorite which is sold at an inexplicably low price is the result of a particular event, and the contamination that results from such events can take years or decades to be corrected. The situation between Millbillillie and Allende is not really similar, and the story with Millbillillie is as follows: My memory is a bit shaky, but it was around 1990 there was a Millbillillie price war at a Denver show. An American dealer and an Australian dealer had a go at it---and there was room to go down because even though Millbillillie first arrived in the U.S at $10/g wholesale---a large shipment subsequently landed stateside for $1/ g. I personally witnessed the price of Millbillillie plummet precipitously over a period of hours from $20 to less than $2, and I ended up buying Millbillillie at $2/g that year and the year following. Millbillillie's value is still compromised as a result of selling so inexpensively; inordinately low prices possess their own memory gravity (unless of course there is another event which provides the correction). All best / d, On Feb 16, 2009, at 11:49 AM, Martin Altmann wrote: Hi Pat, the Bulletin Database has as tkw for Allende of 2 metric tons = 2000kg. (And some say 3 tons). It felt at a time, where naturally there weren't such myopic laws like today and there were less collectors than today. And it felt in a country with good accessibility. To make it short: Allende was the NWA 869 of the 70ies. It's a little bit similar to Millbillillie, Sometimes collectors ask, why an NWA-EUC can cost more than a Millbillillie. But if you check the stats: Every second eucrite is a Millbillillie :-) Murchison had a relatively high tkw. Also a few collectors and Australia was still a free country, a meteorite-democracy. I often told the anecdote, a German veteran collector told me. He came to know of the Murchison fall by a short note in a newspaper. So he wrote a letter, asking about the circumstances and what had happened, and sent it to Murchison, Australia. Weeks later he received a parcel, with a nice answer, cause they were astonished and amazed that someone from so far away was interested in what had happened in their little town and as a little tank you, a 100g+ sample of Murchison was included. Allende could be one of the reasons for the misconception of some, who are bemoaning that the prices of meteorites pretendendly would have soared and who have the imagination that in earlier years meteorites cost virtually nothing. But Allende was always one of the exceptions, cause of its mass availability. Best! Martin Murchison TKW 100Kg per the Meteoritical Bulletin Allende TKW 100Kg per the Meteoritical Bulletin __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] Multiple Repeats of Posts, and No Nmae Signed. Off Topic, Apologies
Greetings: My sincere apologies that this is off topic. Someone in the group emailed me wondering why I didn't sign my post about constant repeats of previous posts. The person asked: Why don't you bother signing your own posts Who are you and what are you afraid of ? Thanks. I belong to several groups, in both Google Groups and Yahoo Groups, and the one I happen to be most active in is a group with very strong emotionally charged arguments back and forth about whether or not Global Warming is man-made, or natural. It gets very nasty at times with personal ad hominems, and worse. In this group, most of our names are in already listed in the From section and many people either use a fake name, or do not sign for other reasons. Many of us are used to simply not signing there, although I sometimes sign my name as Catoni . But in that group my name of Catoni is already in the post beginning. So my apologies for not signing in my post. Just a case of being used to not signing all the time I guess. And my apologies again that this post is off topic. Robert Charles Williamson St. Catharines, Canada __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Hint for meteorite coin fans: wonderfully elegant Moon meteorite coin.
Hello, I noticed at earlier opportunities, that here on the list are also quite a bunch of meteorite-coin-fans, so I thought, maybe that could be of interest for them. Recently there was issued a new Moon coin with a piece of the lunaite NWA 4881. I personally don't like that much meteorite coins, medals, tokens, cause for my personal taste they're looking to me often somewhat plump and comic-like styled. But this one is very tasteful and elegant in my eyes. http://kuerzer.de/4881coin I like that idea, that the body of the coin is the Moon itself. The averse and the reverse show the relief of the front- and backside of the Moon, fine also that the coin has no bulky rim around. On the front, there is mounted into the mare Imbrium a piece of the Moon meteorite NWA 4881. Material is .925er silver with an antique finish, It's a silver Moon. Occasion was 50 years Luna 3 40 years Moon landing. Note also the 50ies-style font. Edition was 1969 pieces. Cook Islands, 5 dollars, 2009. Quality is Proof. Weight is 25grams, diameter 38.6mm Problem is, I learned, that the whole edition was already sold out, but that coin-dealer, where I gave the link to, has still some remainders left. So in case, one shouldn't wait to long. To clarify: I've nothing to do with that sale, we are not selling this coin. (On contrary, I had to order from there my coin too. My first and only meteorite coin). Best! Martin __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Fireball Influx
As to how many fireballs I know of 3 major ones in 36-48 hours over US and Canada this past weekend:Kentucky, Texas, Alberta(not the rocket booster) Now Göran reports another in Sweden Sunday. So that is 4 over civilization with an unknown number over water etc. Starting to look like a Hollywood plot. The Texas daylight Fireball was caught on video tape and in many informed opinions conclude this could not have been space debris-- but that is the FAA's story and they are wearing it out till the holiday is over it seems. I see that the USAF has stepped up to refute the FAA's unfounded proclamation this was from the satellite collision aftermath. No one has asked NASA's opinion. NASA is in shock for the time being shaking its head in disbelief, looking at a possibility that manned orbital stations will be too unsafe to for occupation--possibly killing the next generation of shuttles. Space Command is dodging blame as to who should have seen the Iridium 33 and Kosomos satellites trying to occupy the same very small point in space at the same very same time to quote my old geometry teacher. We've also have 2 possibly 3 major meteorite falls around the world since late November and tens of fireballs reported since then. This is an unusual cluster of larger events which are usually spaced out more( no pun) but nothing yet suggests anything ominous but that might be changing as new data arrives. I suspect the Canadian Meteorite and Impact Advisory Committee and, the less formally organized US equivalent, will be busy this week sorting out the fireball swarm after working on the implications of two major space powers allowing two large satellites to T-bone each other in what statistically should be in the million or billion to one range. This is the scariest part of last week in the OOps I thought YOU were driving chicken contest. Elton __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Sonic boom - Size of object
How large a object would be needed for someone on the ground to hear a sonic boom? In other words, could satellite debris create sonic booms? __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] More Twilight Zone Stuff: Red Rain Rapidly Rears when Roasted
From Last Fall but I missed the part about it multiplying when heated to 300C http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/080908_redrain.htm Report: cells “from space” have unusual makeup Sept. 8, 2008 Special to World Science A lineage of odd microbes that may have crashed into Earth aboard a meteor in 2001 seem to contain molecules not found in Earthly cells, two scientists are reporting. Although many remain skeptical over the remarkable claim of minuscule extraterrestrial visitors, Godfrey Louis, head of the physics department at Cochin University of Science and Technology in India, presented the findings at a scientific conference in San Diego on Aug. 12. The mysterious orbs give off a blue fluorescence under ultraviolet light, according to researchers. (Courtesy G. Louis A. S. Kumar) The meeting was organized by SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering. The acronym reflects its former name as Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. The microbes give off unsual sorts of fluorescence under specific lighting conditions, which follow patterns never seen in normal cells, according to Louis and Santhosh Kumar of Mahatma Gandhi University in India, co-authors of the report. The likely explanation, they added, is that the particles contain molecules not found in Earthly organisms. Louis and Kumar previously reported that the odd particles contain no DNA, although they replicate abundantly in ferocious heat by spawning new “cells” from within themselves. It was these offspring whose fluorescence properties the pair tested. Mysterious, tiny red globules fell to Earth in a red rain that pelted parts of southern India sporadically for about two months in 2001, causing widespread puzzlement. The event, however, was the latest in a series of reports of colored rains from various places stretching back centuries, some better documented than others. Louis and Kumar say the orbs could be cells from space because they have biological characteristics but match no known life form. A space rock could have broken up in the atmosphere and seeded clouds with these organisms, the pair argues, citing witness reports of an airburst just before the showers. Other scientists have conceded the particles are mystifying, but the claim of live cells from space is so bizarre that many are holding back any assent. Some note that the hazards of journey through space, including intense radiation and extraordinary travel times, make the possibility of bacterial transfer among different solar systems unlikely. “Exchanges of bacteria between planets in different solar systems are only possible during the birth cluster stage of the systems,” when they’re situated close together in a star cluster, wrote scientists with NASA and other institutions in a report this month. Our own solar system is far from being in such a stage. That paper has been accepted for publication in the research journal Astrophysical Journal Letters. On the other hand, researchers with Kristianstad University in Sweden and other institutions reported on Sept. 8 that some tiny Earth animals called tardigrades proved surprisingly resilient in outer space. Dried-out tardigrades lived for 10 days unprotected in that environment, and went on to reproduce, these scientists wrote in the Sept. 9 issue of the research journal Current Biology. Louis and Kumar are persisting in their studies; their ideas have gained support from figures such as Chandra Wickramasinghe, director of the Cardiff Centre for Astrobiology at Cardiff University, U.K. In his presentation, Louis said that “red cell” spawns under various lighting conditions exhbited properties violating a scientific principle known as Kasha’s Rule, found to have few exceptions elsewhere. The rule has to do with fluorescence, the phenomenon in which a substance emits light of one color upon stimulation by light from another color. Kasha’s rule holds that in general, the color of the arriving light and the emitted light are unrelated. To the contrary, Louis found that in the red globules’ “offspring,” alone among cells on Earth, these colors are related by a distinct pattern. “Hence the presence of new kind of bio-molecules can be inferred,” Louis wrote in the presented paper. “Organisms replicating at 300 degrees [Celsius] and showing this kind of autofluorescence are currently unknown to exist on earth yet several thousand kilograms of these cells came down through the red rain.” The original parent cells
[meteorite-list] Advertisement 7.8 g Park Forest
Hello List, I would like to offer a 7.8 gram part slice of the 638 gram Park Forest that my brother found on Saturday, March 29, 2003. This stone was pictured in the July 2003 Sky and Telescope magazine. This would be a fine addition to any collection, but even more so if you have the magazine to go with it. Serious offers only please, email me for pictures. The highest acceptable offer received by 10:00 PM eastern time tomorrow, Feb. 16 will get this piece. There is a small amount of crust on the slice. Thanks, Larry Atkins **Need a job? Find an employment agency near you. (http://yellowpages.aol.com/search?query=employment_agenciesncid=emlcntusyelp0003) __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Correction!
Ending is tomorrow, Feb 17 (not 16)10:00 PM eastern time. Thanks **Need a job? Find an employment agency near you. (http://yellowpages.aol.com/search?query=employment_agenciesncid=emlcntusyelp0003) __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] FAA Warns of Possible Falling Satellite Debris
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0902/15debris/ FAA warns of possible falling satellite debris BY WILLIAM HARWOOD STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS SPACE PLACE USED WITH PERMISSION February 15, 2009 The Federal Aviation Administration issued a warning to pilots and aircrews Saturday advising them to be on the lookout for possible re-entry of satellite debris, presumably from an unprecedented satellite collision in space last week. Today, there were reports in Texas of at least one fireball and sounds of an explosion - possibly a sonic boom - but an FAA spokesman said it was not yet known whether the sightings involved satellite debris and if so, whether it came from either destroyed spacecraft. It's also possible the fireball was the result of a large meteor burning up in the atmosphere. Late this morning, people started reporting to law enforcement there was a quote-unquote fireball and some people reported an explosion, which we suspect was probably a sonic boom, said Roland Herwig, a spokesman for the FAA's Southwest Region. We had put out, the FAA had put out a notice to airmen, called a NOTAM, yesterday morning for pilots, for air crews to be on the lookout for space debris re-entering and and if they see anything to let the FAA know the location, the direction of travel, anything else they could about that. The notice to airmen says we suspect, we don't know, that this debris is from the two satellites that collided last week. The actual NOTAM, however, does not mention the space collision Tuesday between a commercial Iridium telephone satellite and a defunct Russian communications station known as Cosmos 2251. In any case, Herwig told reporters today there was no immediate evidence of damage, no evidence of injuries, no evidence of anyone yet finding a chunk of satellite. We told the sheriff's departments, police departments, that people should be cautious around any debris that they do find, he said in a 5:30 p.m. EST teleconference. But we have not gotten feedback on any debris. Nor have any aircrews reported anything. He said until someone recovers actual debris, it may be impossible to tell whether the sightings involved wreckage from the Iridium-Cosmos crash, some other satellite or debris from a meteor. He said the Limestone County sheriff's office reported contact from someone who claimed to have a picture of the fireball and a smoke trail and a Plano, Texas, police cruiser may have capture images from a dashboard camera. The collision between the Iridium-33 satellite and Cosmos 2251 occurred over northern Siberia at an altitude of about 490 miles around noon Tuesday. It was the first such collision in space history. An analysis of the orbits by Analytical Graphics Inc. concluded the spacecraft crashed into each other at some 15,000 mph, creating two large clouds of debris that continued along each spacecraft's orbital track. The Cosmos ground track did not appear to cross the United States earlier today, but the Iridium's orbit did, according to widely available satellite tracking software. Whether any debris from the relatively small, presumably shredded satellite could have re-entered from the initially high altitude and caused the sort of fireball reported in Texas was not known. Here is the NOTAM that was posted Saturday by the FAA: FDC 9/5902 FDC .. SPECIAL NOTICE .. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. AIRCRAFT ARE ADVISED THAT A POTENTIAL HAZARD MAY OCCUR DUE TO REENTRY OF SATELLITE DEBRIS INTO THE EARTHS ATMOSPHERE. FURTHER NOTAMS WILL BE ISSUED IF MORE INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE. IN THE INTEREST OF FLIGHT SAFETY, IT IS CRITICAL THAT ALL PILOTS/FLIGHT CREW MEMBERS REPORT ANY OBSERVED FALLING SPACE DEBRIS TO THE APPROPRIATE ATC FACILITY TO INCLUDE POSITION, ALTITUDE, TIME, AND DIRECTION OF DEBRIS OBSERVED. Herwig said he did not know what prompted the NOTAM or whether it originated with U.S. Strategic Command, which tracks satellites and space debris, or some other organization. It's usually something that's passed on to us by law enforcement or some other agency to create a notice, he said. The notice is open ended, it says 'effective immediately until further notice, a potential hazard may occur due to re-entry of satellite debris.' __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Report increases and debris streams
Hi Elton, all - Elton - Back to a general note: we are seeing weekly and monthly spaced major fireballs including large meteorite falls. Perhaps this is just the effect of the internet, along with the realization that the falls can lead to cash. Statistics tell me that we are only sampling a portion of a much larger asteroidal debris field in crossing earth orbit. I don't know if the intersections of the Earth with either cometary or asteroidal debris streams would necessarily be annual. What you probably would need to do would be to sort known falls by type, subtract days between falls, and then look for multiples. That's about as far as I can take this kind of analysis now, and I know it's less than what would be needed. Imagine the result if you will: Ah, March 12. Well tonight perhaps a nice pallasite is going to fall at 3 in the morning. Time to start up the old fireball survey system. Wonder what it will have for us tomorrow morning? E.P. Grondine Man and Impact in the Americas __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
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[meteorite-list] Both Mars Rovers Keep on Rolling, Despite Spirit's Recent 'Benign Event'
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Feb09/SpiritUpdate.ws.html Chronicle Online e-News Both Mars rovers keep on rolling, despite Spirit's recent 'benign event' Feb. 16, 2009 By Bill Steele w...@cornell.edu The Mars rover Spirit is ambling along just fine, after a recently reported glitch that turned out to be a minor benign event, according to Steven Squyres, the Goldwin Smith Professor of Planetary Science and science team leader for the Mars rover mission. That means that both rovers, designed to explore Mars for a mere 90 days, are still up and running some five years after landing. Exactly what happened to Spirit recently may never be resolved, Squyres said, Right now we're proceeding as if everything's fine. On sol 1800 (the 1,800th Martian day after Spirit landed), the rover's computer booted up in a mode that prevented it from writing to its memory, so there was no record of what it had been doing for a period of time. This makes it hard to troubleshoot, Squyres said. The most likely explanation, he said, was that a cosmic ray passing through the chip briefly disrupted processing. Spirit is currently at the northern edge of a plateau informally called Home Plate, where it spent the recent Martian winter essentially hibernating, because there was not sufficient sunlight to allow the solar-powered rover to drive. With the advent of Martian spring, Spirit is now driving again, heading toward unexplored terrain south of Home Plate. A recent wind gust removed some of the Martian dust that has coated Spirit's solar arrays, increasing the power output by about 15 percent. On the other side of the planet, rover Opportunity is in good health, according to Jim Bell, Cornell professor of astronomy and leader of the Pancam (panoramic camera) team for the rover mission. There has been some fraying of the cables on the robot arm, a result of overuse of a machine originally expected to last only three months. These are just inconveniences, and the team has figured out ways to work around them, Bell said. I don't think there's anything mission-threatening. Opportunity continues to drive southeast toward the huge Endeavour Crater, with another 10 kilometers or so to go. The drive will take at least two years, Squyres said. Even if it doesn't get there, the journey is worth a try, Squyres said. [Endeavour is] the deepest window into the subsurface of Mars that we could possibly ever see, he said. -- __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] Report increases and debris streams
Hi, EP, List, I don't know if the intersections of the Earth with either cometary or asteroidal debris streams would necessarily be annual. For an object to intersect the Earth, it has to intersect the Earth's orbit at a given point. Points along the Earth's orbit are dates of the year in the human calendar, so, yes, these intersections would be annual (or twice annual if the object orbit was similar in size to the Earth's orbit but tilted with respect to it, a rare chance). Not only does the Earth have to be at that point in its own orbit (a date) but there has to be an object in the stream orbit that goes through that intersection at the very same time as the Earth. (This is why there is little need to post traffic cops there...) The orbits of small bodies, however, change rather rapidly under the gravitational influence of the larger bodies. Such a stream would like precess, which would move the intersection along the Earth's orbit, from one date of intersection to the next or previous day, in a time-scale of a few centuries or less. The intersection date might change a day every decade or more... or less. This rapid change is why we've never been able to pin down a suspected stream-crossing from old historical observations. Every meteorite whose orbit was determined turned out to be from the Belt or the Zone... out there, anyway. I found very interesting the recent posting that Buzzard Coulee may not turn out to be from out there but from an inner system orbit. That orbit would be worth checking for evidence of a stream! Sterling K. Webb - Original Message - From: E.P. Grondine epgrond...@yahoo.com To: meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 4:54 PM Subject: [meteorite-list] Report increases and debris streams Hi Elton, all - Elton - Back to a general note: we are seeing weekly and monthly spaced major fireballs including large meteorite falls. Perhaps this is just the effect of the internet, along with the realization that the falls can lead to cash. Statistics tell me that we are only sampling a portion of a much larger asteroidal debris field in crossing earth orbit. I don't know if the intersections of the Earth with either cometary or asteroidal debris streams would necessarily be annual. What you probably would need to do would be to sort known falls by type, subtract days between falls, and then look for multiples. That's about as far as I can take this kind of analysis now, and I know it's less than what would be needed. Imagine the result if you will: Ah, March 12. Well tonight perhaps a nice pallasite is going to fall at 3 in the morning. Time to start up the old fireball survey system. Wonder what it will have for us tomorrow morning? E.P. Grondine Man and Impact in the Americas __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] trade offer
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