[meteorite-list] Extinction-level Asteroid Impact Simulation Video

Michael Gilmer michael_w_gilmer at yahoo.com
Fri Sep 19 22:05:48 EDT 2008



Hi List!

My apologies if this has been posted previously.

http://www.todaysbigthing.com/2008/09/09

It's a video showing a simulation of a 500km asteroid striking Earth.

Enjoy!

MikeG

.........................................................
Michael Gilmer (Louisiana, USA)
Member of the Meteoritical Society.
Member of the Bayou Region Stargazers Network.
Websites - http://www.galactic-stone.com and http://www.glassthrower.com
MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/fine_meteorites_4_sale
..........................................................



--- On Fri, 9/19/08, meteorite-list-request at meteoritecentral.com <meteorite-list-request at meteoritecentral.com> wrote:


> From: meteorite-list-request at meteoritecentral.com <meteorite-list-request at meteoritecentral.com>

> Subject: Meteorite-list Digest, Vol 59, Issue 25

> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com

> Date: Friday, September 19, 2008, 8:58 PM

> Send Meteorite-list mailing list submissions to

> meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com

>

> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit

> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list

> or, via email, send a message with subject or body

> 'help' to

> meteorite-list-request at meteoritecentral.com

>

> You can reach the person managing the list at

> meteorite-list-owner at meteoritecentral.com

>

> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more

> specific

> than "Re: Contents of Meteorite-list digest..."

>

>

> Today's Topics:

>

> 1. CHASSIGNITE - No Reserve / IM CHAIT AUCTION

> THIS SUNDAY

> (Darryl Pitt)

> 2. BAD LINK? / CHASSIGNITE - No Reserve / IM

> CHAIT AUCTION THIS

> SUNDAY (Darryl Pitt)

> 3. IM CHAIT AUCTION THIS SUNDAY

> (bernd.pauli at paulinet.de)

> 4. Ziz Meteorite Photographs - Link (Jason Utas)

> 5. Re: Ziz Meteorite Photographs - Link

> (bernd.pauli at paulinet.de)

> 6. Mars Exploration Rovers Update - September 4-11, 2008

> (Ron Baalke)

> 7. Mars Odyssey THEMIS Images: September 15-19, 2008

> (Ron Baalke)

> 8. AD - Looking to TRADE ZAG (David & Kitt Deyarmin)

> 9. Scientists Debate Planet Definition and Agree

> to Disagree

> (Ron Baalke)

> 10. Scientists hope to land spacecraft on asteroid

> (Darren Garrison)

> 11. AD : FOR SALE - MAPS Journal April 2008 (Michael

> Gilmer)

> 12. Re: the denver show (PHOTOS!) (Bob Loeffler)

>

>

> ----------------------------------------------------------------------

>

> Message: 1

> Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:45:01 -0400

> From: Darryl Pitt <darryl at dof3.com>

> Subject: [meteorite-list] CHASSIGNITE - No Reserve / IM

> CHAIT AUCTION

> THIS SUNDAY

> To: meteorite-list List

> <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>

> Message-ID:

> <DF39E0C1-4ACD-4DD0-83E3-A41A696B6A43 at dof3.com>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes;

> format=flowed

>

>

>

> With gratitude to Adam Hupe's for his plug of the IM

> CHAIT auction

> taking place this Sunday.

>

> Meteorites commence with lot 216

>

>

> LOT 229 / CHASSIGNITE - NWA 2737 / small complete

> slice...and cheap!!

> LOT 226 / CK-ANOM - Ningqiang / fragment with crust of the

> most

> exotic Chinese meteorite

> LOT 217 / LUNAR - NWA 482 / with crust and a low reserve.

> LOT 218 / LUNAR - SHIS,R 160 / the recently named lunar

> found by Mike

> Farmer and Robert Ward earlier this year. Complete

> Slice--and nearly

> all the material is gone.

>

>

> http://www.chait.com/asp/searchresults.asp?pg=6&ps=50

>

> Also featuring Fukang, Campo, Gibeon, Imilac, Glorieta

> (pallasite)

> and more.

>

>

> Enjoy!!

>

>

>

>

>

> ------------------------------

>

> Message: 2

> Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:51:53 -0400

> From: Darryl Pitt <darryl at dof3.com>

> Subject: [meteorite-list] BAD LINK? / CHASSIGNITE - No

> Reserve / IM

> CHAIT AUCTION THIS SUNDAY

> To: meteorite-list List

> <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>

> Message-ID:

> <1C07DCFE-4D9B-4946-9593-BEBA5BFA388D at dof3.com>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes;

> format=flowed

>

>

>

> Hi there!

>

> I've received a couple of emails which have indicated

> that the link

> provided below is not working. I regret the inconvenience.

>

> Should you be experiencing difficulty, please go to:

>

> http://www.chait.com

>

> ---Then click on the Natural History catalog

>

> ---Then click the link for LOTS 200-250 at the top of the

> page

>

>

> All best,

>

> Darryl

>

>

> ===========================

>

>

> Begin forwarded message:

>

> > From: Darryl Pitt <darryl at dof3.com>

> > Date: September 19, 2008 1:45:01 PM EDT

> > To: meteorite-list List

> <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>

> > Subject: CHASSIGNITE - No Reserve / IM CHAIT AUCTION

> THIS SUNDAY

> >

> >

> >

> > With gratitude to Adam Hupe's for his plug of the

> IM CHAIT auction

> > taking place this Sunday.

> >

> > Meteorites commence with lot 216

> >

> >

> > LOT 229 / CHASSIGNITE - NWA 2737 / small complete

> slice...and cheap!!

> > LOT 226 / CK-ANOM - Ningqiang / fragment with crust of

> the most

> > exotic Chinese meteorite

> > LOT 217 / LUNAR - NWA 482 / with crust and a low

> reserve.

> > LOT 218 / LUNAR - SHIS,R 160 / the recently named

> lunar found by

> > Mike Farmer and Robert Ward earlier this year.

> Complete Slice--and

> > nearly all the material is gone.

> >

> >

> >

> http://www.chait.com/asp/searchresults.asp?pg=6&ps=50

> >

> > Also featuring Fukang, Campo, Gibeon, Imilac, Glorieta

> (pallasite)

> > and more.

> >

> >

> > Enjoy!!

> >

> >

> >

>

>

>

> ------------------------------

>

> Message: 3

> Date: 19 Sep 2008 21:02:24 UT

> From: bernd.pauli at paulinet.de

> Subject: [meteorite-list] IM CHAIT AUCTION THIS SUNDAY

> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com

> Message-ID: <DIIE.0000009C000033DD at paulinet.de>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

>

> > Then click the link for LOTS 200-250 at the top of

> the page

>

> .. then click the link for lots 201-250

>

> Sorry! I couldn't resist. A teacher's blood still

> running in my veins :-))

>

> But: I know that there are several list members who also

> love and collect

> crystals and minerals. Have a look at auction item # 16.

> Wow! Beautiful

> quartz crystals and embedded within a single cubic pyrite.

> Breathtakingly

> aesthetic!!!

>

> Bernd

>

> To: darryl at dof3.com

> meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com

>

>

>

> ------------------------------

>

> Message: 4

> Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:13:51 -0700

> From: "Jason Utas" <meteoritekid at gmail.com>

> Subject: [meteorite-list] Ziz Meteorite Photographs - Link

> To: Meteorite-list

> <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>

> Message-ID:

> <93aaac890809191413v7016a449wd18b9460065c3b83 at mail.gmail.com>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

>

> Hello All,

>

> In light of the new iron being found, and it's supposed

> similarity to

> Ziz, I've taken the liberty of shooting some of the Ziz

> irons.

> All of the photos are available in large sizes, with the

> best

> resolution I could give.

>

> They're available at the following link:

>

> http://www.flickr.com/photos/30622578@N08/sets/72157607335937821/

>

> I'm not sure if one has to become a member of the

> website to view the

> photos in full-resolution or not, but if it's offered,

> clicking on the

> "all sizes" tab located at the upper left of the

> picture should allow

> you a full-screen view of any photo I've posted.

>

> In any case, I'm of the opinion that Ziz is distinct

> from the new

> finds. I don't have a slice on-hand to compare, but

> from what I can

> remember, there wasn't a single silicate inclusion

> present in any of

> the slices from the 20+kg mass that was sectioned.

> Although one could say that, as with Campo, there are

> silicate-rich

> and silicate-poor areas within the iron, I would simply

> point out the

> fact that even the slices of Campo rare in silicates

> typically show an

> inclusion or two - and none of the individuals pictured has

> a single

> silicate inclusion visible on its surface. So...well, have

> a look.

>

> Regards,

> Jason

>

>

> ------------------------------

>

> Message: 5

> Date: 19 Sep 2008 21:23:13 UT

> From: bernd.pauli at paulinet.de

> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Ziz Meteorite Photographs -

> Link

> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com

> Message-ID: <DIIE.0000009A000033E1 at paulinet.de>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

>

> Hello "Operation Clean Sweep" and List,

>

> "In any case - enjoy"

>

> Thank you for sharing them, ...that's what I did!

>

> "I know they're not professional"

>

> That's definitely an understatement! Geoff, your

> comment(s), please!

> Some of these pictures are extraordinary! I especially like

> this overview:

>

> 14 + 23 + 21 + 4 +2 kg + 37 + 47 + 173g Ziz

>

> Best,

>

> Bernd

>

>

>

> To: meteoritekid at gmail.com

> meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com

>

>

>

> ------------------------------

>

> Message: 6

> Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:03:22 -0700 (PDT)

> From: Ron Baalke <baalke at zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

> Subject: [meteorite-list] Mars Exploration Rovers Update -

> September

> 4-11, 2008

> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com (Meteorite Mailing

> List)

> Message-ID:

> <200809192203.PAA12051 at zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

>

>

> http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status.html

>

> SPIRIT UPDATE: Light Duty for Now - sol 1663-1668,

> September 05-11, 2008:

>

> Spirit continues to conserve solar power while performing

> light science

> activities during the Martian winter. During the past week,

> Spirit

> studied the atmosphere and acquired two frames of the

> full-color image

> mosaic known as the "Bonestell panorama."

>

> Spirit is healthy and all subsystems are performing as

> expected as of

> the relay of information from NASA's Odyssey orbiter on

> sol 1666 (Sept.

> 9, 2008). Solar-array energy and tau -- a measure of

> atmospheric opacity

> caused by suspended dust -- are holding steady at 245

> watt-hours (100

> watt-hours is the amount of energy needed to light a

> 100-watt bulb for

> one hour) and 0.20, respectively.

>

> Sol-by-sol summary

>

> In addition to taking daily measurements of dust-related

> changes in

> atmospheric opacity (tau), Spirit completed the following

> activities:

>

> Sol 1663 (Sept. 6, 2008): Spirit recharged the batteries.

>

> Sol 1664: Spirit acquired column 18 of the Bonestell

> panorama, using all

> 13 color filters of the panoramic camera.

>

> Sol 1665: Spirit recharged the batteries.

>

> Sol 1666: Spirit recharged the batteries.

>

> Sol 1667: Spirit received new instructions from Earth via

> the rover's

> high-gain antenna and relayed data to the UHF antenna on

> NASA's Odyssey

> orbiter to be transmitted to Earth.

>

> Sol 1668 (Sept. 11, 2008): Spirit monitored dust

> accumulation on the

> panoramic-camera mast assembly and acquired column 19 of

> the Bonestell

> panorama.

>

> Odometry:

>

> As of sol 1666 (Sept. 9, 2008), Spirit's total odometry

> was 7,528.0

> meters (4.7 miles).

>

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

>

> OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Playing in the Sand - sol 1641-1647,

> September 04-11, 2008:

>

> During the past week, Opportunity performed several tests

> of the robotic

> arm to learn how to use it with a disabled shoulder joint.

> Having

> successfully completed those tests, Opportunity is moving

> on to

> investigate some bright patches of dust. Scientists hope to

> ascertain if

> the patches contain material not thoroughly analyzed in the

> past.

>

> On sol (Martian day) 1641 (Sept. 4, 2008), Opportunity

> homed in on an

> area of sand that appeared to contain a high concentration

> of dust. For

> the next several days, sols 1642-1647 (Sept. 5-11, 2008),

> the rover

> tested the robotic arm's ability to place scientific

> instruments on

> specific targets in the sand. These instruments included

> the Moessbauer

> spectrometer, microscopic imager, and alpha-particle X-ray

> spectrometer.

> Tests revealed that the robotic arm placed the instruments

> in position

> with very little error in spite of the disabled shoulder

> joint. Because

> the dust was not pure enough to yield the desired

> scientific results,

> engineers decided on sol 1648 (Sept. 12, 2008) to drive the

> rover north

> to a more promising area of apparent dust patches.

>

> On sol 1644 (Sept. 7, 2009), Opportunity relayed data at

> UHF frequencies

> to NASA's Mars Reconnaisance Orbiter (MRO). Typically,

> the rover sends

> data to NASA's Odyssey orbiter for transmission to

> Earth. Once a month,

> Opportunity is relaying data to the Mars Reconnaissance

> Orbiter in

> preparation for using it more in the future.

>

> Opportunity is healthy, with all subsystems performing as

> expected as of

> the most recent transfer of information from NASA's

> Odyssey orbiter on

> sol 1647 (Sept. 11, 2008). Power rose to 652 watt-hours

> (enough energy

> to light a 100-watt bulb for a tad longer than 6.5 hours).

>

> Sol-by-sol summary:

>

> Each Martian day, or sol, Opportunity measured dust-related

> changes in

> atmospheric clarity with the panoramic camera. In addition,

> Opportunity

> completed the following activities:

>

> Sol 1641 (Sept. 4, 2008): Before driving, Opportunity

> acquired a 3-by-1

> panel of panoramic-camera images looking north. The rover

> then nudged

> toward a bright patch and, after stopping, acquired images

> of the ground

> near its wheels and the area directly ahead with the

> hazard-avoidance

> and navigation cameras, respectively. The rover relayed

> data to Odyssey.

>

> Sol 1642: In the morning, Opportunity took thumbnail images

> and spot

> images of the sky for calibration purposes with the

> panoramic camera.

> Next, the rover tested movement and placement of the

> Moessbauer

> spectrometer, taking images near the ground with the

> hazard-avoidance

> cameras and images from above with the panoramic camera.

> Opportunity

> then used the Moessbauer spectrometer to acquire

> compositional data from

> a sand dune on the rim of "Victoria Crater."

> After relaying data to

> Odyssey, Opportunity went into a mini-deep sleep.

>

> Sol 1643: Opportunity acquired six, time-lapse movie frames

> in search of

> morning clouds with the navigation camera. Opportunity

> continued to

> acquire data from the sand dune at the rim of Victoria

> Crater with the

> Moessbauer spectrometer. Opportunity took full-color

> images, using all 13

> color filters of the panoramic camera, of the rover's

> tracks. After

> sending data to Odyssey, Opportunity went into a mini-deep

> sleep.

>

> Sol 1644: Opportunity acquired six, time-lapse movie frames

> in search of

> clouds. The rover continued to collect data from the dune

> on the rim of

> Victoria Crater using the Moessbauer spectrometer. Before

> communicating

> with Odyssey, Opportunity relayed data to the Mars

> Reconnaissance

> Orbiter for transmission to Earth. After sending data to

> Odyssey, the

> rover went into a mini-deep sleep.

>

> Sol 1645: In the morning, Opportunity acquired six,

> time-lapse movie

> frames in search of clouds with the navigation camera.

> Opportunity

> acquired a 1-by-3-by-15 stack of microscopic images of

> ripple soil. The

> rover restarted the Moessbauer spectrometer and began

> collecting data

> from the soil in the ripples. After transmitting data to

> Odysssey,

> Opportunity acquired a 3-by-1 panel of images of a target

> dubbed

> "Schuchert."

>

> Sol 1646: Opportunity monitored dust accumulation on the

> panoramic-camera mast assembly and restarted the Moessbauer

> spectrometer

> for collecting data on the ripple soil. The rover used the

> miniature

> thermal emission spectrometer to complete a mini-survey of

> the sky and

> ground. Before sending data to Odyssey, Opportunity used

> the

> spectrometer to characterize the external calibration

> target.

>

> Sol 1647 (Sept. 11, 2008): Opportunity acquired more

> time-lapse, movie

> frames to document potential clouds passing overhead. The

> rover took a

> 3-by-1 panel of images of Schuchert with the panoramic

> camera and a

> time-lapse movie in search of clouds. Opportunity placed

> the

> alpha-particle X-ray spectrometer on the ripple soil and,

> after sending

> data to Odyssey, acquired compositional data. Plans for the

> following

> morning called for the rover to study a cobble field,

> acquiring a 4-by-1

> panel of images with the panoramic camera.

>

> Odometry:

>

> As of sol 1647 (Sept. 11, 2008), Opportunity's total

> odometry was

> 11,782.10 meters (7.32 miles).

>

>

>

> ------------------------------

>

> Message: 7

> Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:05:53 -0700 (PDT)

> From: Ron Baalke <baalke at zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

> Subject: [meteorite-list] Mars Odyssey THEMIS Images:

> September 15-19,

> 2008

> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com (Meteorite Mailing

> List)

> Message-ID:

> <200809192205.PAA13017 at zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

>

>

> MARS ODYSSEY THEMIS IMAGES

> September 15-19, 2008

>

> o Lava Channel (Released 15 September 2008)

> http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20080915a

>

> o Buvinda Vallis (Released 16 September 2008)

> http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20080916a

>

> o Tempe Terra (Released 17 September 2008)

> http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20080917a

>

> o Iani Chaos (Released 18 September 2008)

> http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20080918a

>

> o Ascraeus Mons (Released 19 September 2008)

> http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20080919a

>

>

> All of the THEMIS images are archived here:

>

> http://themis.asu.edu/latest.html

>

> NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars

> Odyssey mission

> for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C.

> The Thermal Emission

> Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State

> University,

> Tempe, in co.oration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote

> Sensing.

> The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen

> at Arizona State

> University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the

> prime contractor

> for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the

> orbiter. Mission

> operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and

> from JPL, a

> division of the California Institute of Technology in

> Pasadena.

>

>

>

>

>

> ------------------------------

>

> Message: 8

> Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 18:13:39 -0400

> From: "David & Kitt Deyarmin"

> <bobadebt at ec.rr.com>

> Subject: [meteorite-list] AD - Looking to TRADE ZAG

> To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>

> Message-ID: <0AE89A852ABA466F9EF675093A449669 at David>

> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed;

> charset="iso-8859-1";

> reply-type=original

>

> I have about 700 grams of Zag slices available for sale at

> $3 per gram.

> These are some super nice slices and you can see them by

> clicking this:

>

> http://home.ec.rr.com/bobadebt/Rocks/FS%20Zag.htm

>

>

>

>

>

> I am also open to trades / partial trades with cash / etc

> for the following

> material -

>

> GHUBARA (L5)

>

> SIKHOTE - ALIN

>

> A SUITABLE H4 OF H4

>

> A MESOSIDERITE

>

>

>

> My only stipulation is that the material be large enough to

> produce a 50mm

> sphere. To meet that requirement it has to measure at

> least 52mm in what

> would be the center of all 3 axis that the sphere rough

> would be cut from.

>

> My only motivation for selling material is to acquire new

> material for

> additional spheres to add to my collection. The material I

> sell is created

> from specimens I buy to process into a sphere.

>

> I'm sure I can sell this material over a protracted

> time period but it's

> possible that one of you may have something I'm looking

> for just collecting

> dust on a shelf somewhere so this could be beneficial to

> everyone involved.

>

>

>

> If you have something that you think I might be interested

> in contact me off

> list at bobadebt at ec.rr.com

>

> Thanks

>

>

>

> ------------------------------

>

> Message: 9

> Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:28:51 -0700 (PDT)

> From: Ron Baalke <baalke at zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

> Subject: [meteorite-list] Scientists Debate Planet

> Definition and

> Agree to Disagree

> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com (Meteorite Mailing

> List)

> Message-ID:

> <200809192228.PAA16541 at zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

>

>

>

> http://www.psi.edu/press/archive/20080919planetdebate/

>

> Scientists Debate Planet Definition and Agree to Disagree

> Planetary Science Institute Press Release

>

> September 19, 2008 - Two years ago the International

> Astronomical Union

> (IAU) elected to define the term planet, restricting it to

> the eight

> largest bodies orbiting the Sun, and deleting Pluto from

> the list. The

> demotion of Pluto sparked considerable public controversy.

> Numerous

> planetary scientists and astronomers protested the

> IAU's definition as

> not useful, while numerous other planetary scientists and

> astronomers

> supported the outcome.

>

> Recognizing the need for further scientific debate on

> planet definition,

> more than 100 scientists and educators representing a wide

> range of

> viewpoints on the issue converged for three days on the

> Applied Physics

> Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University (APL) for "The

> Great Planet

> Debate: Science as Process" conference

> <http://gpd.jhuapl.edu/> last

> month. The conference was sponsored by NASA, APL, the

> Planetary Science

> Institute, The Planetary Society, and the American

> Astronautical Society.

>

> Different positions were advocated, ranging from reworking

> the IAU

> definition (but yielding the same outcome of eight

> planets), replacing

> it with a geophysical-based definition (that would increase

> the number

> of planets well beyond eight), and rescinding the

> definition for planet

> altogether and focusing on defining subcategories for

> serving different

> purposes. No consensus was reached.

>

> A sample of the opinions expressed by conference

> participants follows:

>

> "I was impressed with two things that came out of The

> Great Planet

> Debate meeting: first, that no one liked the IAU's

> definition of

> planethood, and second, that there are strongly divergent

> scientific

> opinions about what a planet is, with those who study

> orbits and those

> who study planets themselves seeing the matter very

> differently." said

> planetary scientist Alan Stern, currently a visiting

> scholar at the

> Lunar and Planetary Institute of Houston, Texas. "My

> view is that the

> dynamically based definitions are deeply flawed because

> they do not take

> into account any physical properties of the body in

> question, and give

> ridiculous results, for example classifying identical large

> objects in

> different orbits differently - so that even Earths are not

> always

> planets, which is crazy," Stern concluded.

>

> "Gravity forces large bodies to be round, whereas

> small bodies can be

> quite oddly shaped. But the proposed 'geophysical'

> definition of

> planethood based upon roundness uses a poor criterion

> because there is

> no good dividing line. Indeed, there are likely to be more

> intermediate

> solar system objects that are in the fuzzy

> 'roundish' area than there

> are objects that are clearly round. In contrast, the eight

> planets

> recognized by the IAU are significantly different from the

> numerous

> small objects that are classified as 'minor

> planets' (asteroids) in

> terms of both physical properties and their effects on

> bodies orbiting

> nearby," said Jack Lissauer, planetary scientist at

> NASA's Ames Research

> Center in Mountain View, California.

>

> "We all have a conceptual image of a planet.

> Therefore, we need a term

> that encompasses all objects that orbit the Sun or other

> stars," said

> Larry Lebofsky, Senior Education Specialist at the

> Planetary Science

> Institute in Tucson, Arizona. "The debate is a great

> teaching moment.

> Whether dwarf planets are grouped together with the

> classical planets is

> not as important as the process by which scientists arrived

> at their

> conclusions. Scientists look at the same information in

> different ways;

> there may be more than one 'answer'. Facts change.

> What we know now may

> not be what we know in two or three years. Learning to

> think critically

> and understanding how scientists organize facts to develop

> theories are

> lessons that will serve students for a lifetime."

>

> "The word 'planet' has a deep cultural context

> that cannot be decided by

> vote of a subset of astronomers meeting in a room

> somewhere, especially

> when that debate is rushed and the vote close", said

> William McKinnon, a

> Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington

> University in

> St. Louis, and an IAU member. "The IAU should reopen

> the issue to

> electronic debate by the entire astronomical community. I

> am sure the

> outcome in that case, whatever it turns out to be, or even

> if it is

> concluded that no universal definition is necessary, would

> be more

> satisfactory to all parties," he said.

>

> "I believe the IAU definition correctly recognized the

> utility of a

> dynamical criterion, but that it needs clarification, not

> abandonment.

> In particular, 'clearing' the neighborhood should

> be replaced by the

> concept of 'dynamical dominance'," said Steven

> Soter of the American

> Museum of Natural History in New York.

>

> Jay Pasachoff, from Williams College, who is spending this

> year at

> Caltech studying Pluto's atmosphere, says, "I have

> long tried, in my

> textbooks, to reflect consensus rather than trying to

> legislate new

> terminology. I think that the IAU should have limited their

> decision to

> the administrative assignment of naming responsibility and

> not tried to

> make decisions for the general public. If third-grade

> students

> eventually decide that Eris, Makemake, Haumea, and their

> successors are

> too many to learn about, then a new consensus may emerge.

> In the

> meantime, let's let scientific discovery continue to

> take its course and

> let us hope to excite new generations of students with the

> new

> information that emerges."

>

> "I think the IAU made a mistake getting into the

> business of defining a

> widely used word, 'planet', and sowing confusion

> thereby.

> Scientifically, the useful discussion would be about

> categories of

> planets (e.g., gaseous planets, rocky planets, dwarf

> planets, icy

> planets, free-floating planets, etc., and an individual

> celestial body

> may fall into more than one category). This approach would

> address the

> main practical problem of nomenclature without confusing

> the public

> about 'planet' itself," said Renu Malhotra, a

> Professor in the

> Department of Planetary Sciences of the University of

> Arizona.

>

> Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist with the American

> Museum of Natural

> History and panelist for the Great Planet Debate commented,

> "The word

> 'planet' has surely outlived its usefulness. The

> time has come for us to

> create a fresh and sensible classification scheme from the

> ground up --

> one that applies to all objects of our own solar system,

> yet is flexible

> enough to embrace newly discovered objects elsewhere in the

> galaxy.

> Other fields, such as biology, and even subfields of

> astrophysics that

> study stars and galaxies, have strong needs to classify

> objects and have

> solved this problem long ago. It's time for the

> community of planetary

> scientists to do the same. We should not 'agree to

> disagree, we should

> 'agree to converge'."

>

> "It was a mistake for the IAU to dictate a definition

> when there is no

> consensus among planetary scientists. It is also

> counter-productive to

> focus only on the planets in our solar system, ignoring

> some 300

> exoplanets," said David Morrison of NASA Ames Research

> Center. "The IAU

> definition of planet should be withdrawn or ignored."

>

> "Historically, 'planets' are just objects that

> orbit the Sun. Even

> asteroids are called 'minor planets' By the IAU.

> The controversy caused

> by the IAU officially declaring the term to be restricted

> to eight

> objects in our solar system was unnecessary, but a natural

> consequence

> of one group of people trying to impose their views on

> everyone else,"

> said Mark Sykes, Director of the Planetary Science

> Institute, in Tucson,

> Arizona. "Ultimately, over the years, the process of

> science is not

> guided by imprimatur and ensures that the most generally

> useful

> perspective will prevail."

>

> The debate continues.

>

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

>

> The Planetary Science Institute is a private, nonprofit

> corporation

> founded in 1972 and dedicated to solar system exploration.

> It is

> headquartered in Tucson, Arizona.

>

> PSI scientists are involved in numerous NASA and

> international missions,

> the study of Mars and other planets, the Moon, asteroids,

> comets,

> interplanetary dust, impact physics, the origin of the

> solar system,

> extra-solar planet formation, dynamics, the rise of life,

> and other

> areas of research. They conduct fieldwork in North America,

> Australia

> and Africa. They also are actively involved in science

> education and

> public outreach through school programs, children's

> books, popular

> science books and art.

>

> The Institute's researchers are based in 15 states, the

> United Kingdom,

> Russia, Switzerland and Australia.

>

>

>

> ------------------------------

>

> Message: 10

> Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 19:40:37 -0400

> From: Darren Garrison <cynapse at charter.net>

> Subject: [meteorite-list] Scientists hope to land

> spacecraft on

> asteroid

> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com (Meteorite Mailing

> List)

> Message-ID:

> <tjd8d4hbcecq84aj75fjppd7dqms853sje at 4ax.com>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

>

> http://news.scotsman.com/uk/Scientists-hope-to-land-spacecraft.4511699.jp

>

> Scientists hope to land spacecraft on asteroid

> Published Date: 20 September 2008

> By Jenny Haworth

> EUROPEAN scientists are hoping to land a spacecraft on an

> asteroid to help

> research into the origins of Earth. Known as Marco Polo,

> the mission, run by

> scientists and engineers could take place in the next ten

> years.

> The aim would be to bring back material from an asteroid to

> learn more about how

> our solar system developed.

>

> A small asteroid ? less than a mile across ? would be

> selected near Earth. A

> spacecraft would land and drill for dust and rubble.

>

> Sattelite manufacturers Astrium in the UK and OHB in

> Germany are undertaking a

> study to assess the type of spacecraft that would be needed

> to carry out the

> project.

>

> Dr Ralph Cordey from Astrium said: "We've got to

> look at all elements of the

> mission ? how we would design the mission, how to design

> the trajectory to one

> of a number of possible asteroids, how to optimise that so

> we use the smallest

> spacecraft, the least fuel and the smallest rocket."

>

> Professor Andrew Collier Cameron, an astronomer from the

> University of St

> Andrews, said the venture could help solve the mystery of

> the origins of planets

> like Earth.

>

> "Getting samples is very, very important," said

> Prof Collier Cameron. "It gives

> us a sample of primordial material left over from the time

> when the solar system

> was formed."

>

> Asteroids are lumps of debris left over from the formation

> of the solar system

> about 4.6 billion years ago.

>

> They can provide pristine material to help scientists find

> out how planets could

> evolve from dust particles that built up to form

> gravel-like rocks.

>

> A final decision on whether to approve the mission will be

> made by the European

> Space Agency (ESA) in a few years.

>

> If approved, the mission would launch in about 2017.

>

> The mission could provide considerable challenges. If the

> spacecraft does not

> approach the asteroid correctly, it could be damaged or

> could bounce back off

> into space.

>

> It is expected that up 300g of dust and pebbles could be

> stored in a sealed

> capsule in the probe. It would release the capsule close to

> Earth for a

> re-entry.

>

> After it landed, the capsule would be opened in a clean

> facility to make sure

> there was no contamination of the samples.

>

> ESA has an exploration roadmap for the missions it wishes

> to conduct in the

> coming years. Marco Polo is being considered under its

> Cosmic Visions programme,

> and is one of a number of competing ideas in a class of

> missions that could cost

> in the region of 300 million (?238 million).

>

> Such a mission could help develop the technology needed for

> the more challenging

> task of landing on and leaving a planet that has a much

> bigger gravitational

> pull, such as Mars.

>

> BACKGROUND

>

> THE Japanese recently attempted to grab samples off the

> surface of Asteroid

> Itokawa.

>

> However, it is still not clear whether the spacecraft

> managed to capture any

> material. The probe is due to return to Earth in 2010.

>

> The Americans gathered information about Asteroid Eros with

> their NEAR Shoemaker

> probe, which orbited close to the asteroid to collect data

> in 2000.

>

> They have also sent the Dawn spacecraft to rendezvous with

> Asteroid Vesta in

> 2011 before going on to visit Asteroid Ceres in 2015.

>

> Europe's Rosetta probe, which is en route to a comet,

> took close-up pictures of

> Asteroid Steins during a flyby earlier this month.

>

> Ultimately, it is possible that astronauts could visit an

> asteroid. The US space

> agency is currently studying how this might be done.

>

>

> Also:

>

> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/09/19/europeans-lay-out-plans-to-bring-asteroid-chunks-back-to-earth/

>

> (in honor of the date, passed through here

> http://www.syddware.com/cgi-bin/pirate.pl)

>

> Europeans Lay Ou' Plans t' Brin' Asteroid

> Chunks Aft t' Earth

>

> Th' European Space Agency (ESA) be considerin' a

> space voyage called Marco Polo,

> in which a spacecraft would land on a wee asteroid, drill

> into its surface t'

> collect samples o' rock an' dust, an' then fly

> aft t' Earth 'ere 't would drop

> its sample capsule down t' th' surface. Two

> satellite manufacturin' companies be

> currently conductin' a feasibility study; if ESA signs

> off on th' proposal,

> Marco Polo could sail off into space in 2017.

>

> Asteroids be chunks o' debris port o'er from

> th' chaotic mass that spun around

> th' young Sun durin' th' formation o'

> th' Solar System about 4.6 billion voyages

> ago. Th' rest o' th' material coalesced into

> planets [Th' Daily Mail].

> Researchers say that studyin' th' composition

> o' an asteroid could give them

> insight into how th' solar system formed. Th'

> roughly $430 cargo holds o' voyage

> would also serve as a warm-up fer a hypothetical round-trip

> journey t' Mars, as

> 't would enable th' development o' technology

> needed fer gettin' up an' down

> from a large planetary body wi' a much bigger

> gravitational pull [Telegraph].

>

> Marco Polo wouldna be th' first spacecraft t'

> alight on an asteroid, or t' try

> t' brin' aft a souvenir from one. In 2001, NASA

> brought th' NEAR Shoemaker

> spacecraft down fer a landin' on th' nearby

> asteroid Eros, from 'ere 't

> continued t' send data fer about two tides. Landin'

> can be tricky, tho: In 2005,

> Japan?s Hayabusa spacecraft attempted t' land briefly

> on th' Itokawa asteroid

> an' collect a rock sample, but malfunctions an'

> communication blackouts

> bedeviled th' voyage. Still, Japanese engineers

> b'lieve Hayabusa collected some

> dust that swirled up from th' asteroid?s surface,

> an' be eagerly awaitin' th'

> craft?s return t' Earth in 2010.

>

> While robotic rovers an' probes be havin' conducted

> many noteworthy experiments

> on extraterrestrial bodies, so-called sample return

> missions be o' increasin'

> interest t' scientists. Although in-situ measurements

> provide remarkable

> insights, so much more would be learnt if materials be

> brought aft t' Earth

> laboratories, 'ere th' full panoply o' modern

> analytical technologies can be

> deployed [BBC News]. ESA an' NASA be havin' also

> discussed cooperatin' on a

> sample return voyage t' Mars, although th' $4.5

> t' $8 billion price tag fer such

> a voyage be dauntin'.

>

>

> ------------------------------

>

> Message: 11

> Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:38:06 -0700 (PDT)

> From: Michael Gilmer <michael_w_gilmer at yahoo.com>

> Subject: [meteorite-list] AD : FOR SALE - MAPS Journal

> April 2008

> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com

> Message-ID:

> <903418.62803.qm at web58404.mail.re3.yahoo.com>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

>

> Hi folks!

>

> I am offering for sale the following item (trying to

> recover financially from the evacuation expenses of

> hurricane Gustav) :

>

> 1) MAPS Journal - Meteoritics and Planetary Science, the

> official publication of the Meteoritical Society.

> Volume 43, Number 4, April 2008. - Mint condition, $25.00

> shipped to anywhere in the CONUS.

>

> Contents :

>

> a) Radial Transport in the Solar Nebula : Implications for

> moderately volatile element depletions in

> chondritic meteorites.

> b) Evolution of the Winonaite Parent Body : Clues from

> silicate material trace elements distributions

> c) 182Hf - 182W Chronometry and the Early Evolution History

> in the acapulcoite parent body.

> d) Noble Gases in Grant and Carbo and the influence of S-

> and P-rich mineral inclusions in the

> 41K-40K dating system.

> e) Structural Evolution of the 40km wide Araguainha impact

> structure, Central Brazil.

> f) Kinetic Stability of a melted iron globule during

> chondrule formation. Non-rotating model.

> g) Frontier Mountain Meteorite Specimens of the

> acapulcoite-lodranite clan : Petrography, pairing,

> and parent rock lithology of an unusual intrusive rock.

> h) PDF Orientations in shocked quartz grains around the

> Chicxulub crater.

> i) Araki (L5) chondrite : the first meteorite find in Thar

> Desert of India.

> j) Experimental Impacts into chondritic targets, Part I :

> Disruption of an L6 chondrite by multiple impacts.

> k) The 410,000 year terrestrial age of eucrite Rio Cuarto

> 001.

> l) Constraints on the depth and variability of the lunar

> regolith.

>

> ---> I also have 100-gram lots of small UNWA stones

> available for $25 shipped. (CONUS only)

>

> ---> Zagami "Bessey Specks" - $15 (includes

> gem jar and label)

>

> (*** PAYPAL ONLY ***)

>

> Canadian and Overseas sales will incur extra shipping

> charges - email me for a quote.

>

> Thanks for looking and clear skies!

>

> MikeG

>

> .........................................................

> Michael Gilmer (Louisiana, USA)

> Member of the Meteoritical Society.

> Member of the Bayou Region Stargazers Network.

> Websites - http://www.galactic-stone.com and

> http://www.glassthrower.com

> MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/fine_meteorites_4_sale

> ..........................................................

>

>

>

>

>

>

> ------------------------------

>

> Message: 12

> Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 19:58:18 -0600

> From: "Bob Loeffler" <bobl at peaktopeak.com>

> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] the denver show (PHOTOS!)

> To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>

> Message-ID:

> <20080920015838.CE34C10543 at mailwash5.pair.com>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>

> Hi Doug,

>

> Yes, I think that was Matt Morgan's big Johnstown in

> one of the showcases.

>

> Speaking of which... We now have photos posted on the

> COMETS website!

> Photos were taken by Ron Pearson and are of the Friday

> night auction,

> Saturday night dinner and the COMETS two showcases at the

> main Denver Show.

> You can see the photos at:

>

> http://www.peaktopeak.com/comets/gallery/2008show/2008show.htm

>

> Click on the thumbnail images to see larger photos.

>

> Regards,

>

> Bob Loeffler

> COMETS

> Colorado Meteorite Society

>

>

> -----Original Message-----

> From: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com

> [mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] On

> Behalf Of

> mexicodoug at aim.com

> Sent: Sunday, September 14, 2008 10:36 PM

> To: Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com

> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] the denver show

>

> Hi Steve and friends from Denver.

>

> Steve, your really got to come next year. The local Denver

> meteorite

> listmembers and Crado meteorite club hosts organized a

> super Mexican

> buffet dinner last night, and it was laid back and

> enjoyable (hopefully

> I can go go to a meteorite even one of these days that is

> not Mexican

> food since . A nice complement to Tucson. In the main

> fossil center

> there was a superb exhibit of, I'm betting of around

> 50% of all

> Colorado meteorites. Museum specimens just about every one

> of them. I

> think it fit in very well with the theme of the show casing

> of Colorado

> minerals and even a hands on gold panning display that was

> a real

> family event. Several dealers were here, and I enjoyed

> chatting with a

> very educational and professional set up that Fred Hall and

> his

> children had..

>

> Otherwise, the deals weren't anything to write home

> about as Mike

> alrady mentioned. On second thought, there were deals if

> you looked

> hard enough. Hans was dealing with a couple of new items

> and Blaine

> had a bunch of new items, for example. The auction was

> nice, I wanted

> to bid on Claxton, but I couldn't find my card on time,

> so someone got

> a deal.

>

> I had the pleasure of meeting Art Ehlmann who kindly placed

> a few TCU

> specimens in the auction, and had some very interesting

> stories to

> relate regarding Nininger - Monnig correspondence and the

> like from

> years backs. Larr Sloan and Larry Johnson, too. Anne

> Black and the

> Jensens were both very enthusiastic as always and pleasant.

> Sorry I

> missede Matt Morgan. (I wonder if it was his piece of

> Johnstown in the

> Colorado meteorite exhibit Must have been a 100 gram half

> stone or so

> with the most beautiful, fresh matrix of the show for me.

>

> There are many people in Denver that are not hard core

> meteorite folk

> that sort of get pulled into it. There just isn't that

> tense

> deal-or-die attitude I sometimes see in Tucson. Overall a

> great small,

> short, and sweet show set in the foot of snow capped

> mountains. Thanks

> to all who made this possible. I just hope the dealers

> broke even as

> the traffic seemed light to me, but hey, it was my first

> tiime visiting

> this enjoyable show.

>

> Comet Shop had some great deals, otherwise Sikhote-Alins

> just keep

> drifting upwards in prices for all types and flight marked

> pieces were

> rare which uite frankly is scary. Or maybe the early birds

> got the

> worms; I came just for the weekend...

>

> Hope that helps...

>

> Best wuishes,

> Doug

>

>

>

>

> ------------------------------

>

> _______________________________________________

> Meteorite-list mailing list

> Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com

> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list

>

>

> End of Meteorite-list Digest, Vol 59, Issue 25

> **********************************************







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