Wisdom of the Niece:
My five year old niece recently discovered – to her dismay – that Pluto is no longer a planet. So she drew a picture of Pluto and wrote, “I Love Pluto. I think Pluto is a planet.”
© 2009 D. Otteman and M. Lake. All rights reserved.
Posted: 6:07 pm Tue November 10 2009 | Comments(1) |
Today, at the invitation of Dr. Melinda Hutson,
There we got to hold in our hands pieces of outer space, including fragments of the Moon and Mars. That may be one of the coolest things we’ve ever done.
Dr. Hutson showed us the lab facility itself, along with a number of samples, as well some of the research processes in which they engage. In explaining the following, any errors in the science are certainly my own, rather than Dr. Hutson’s.
They’re one of about dozen labs in the United States, perhaps a score worldwide, that engages in meteorite classification and analysis. Classification is important, because it’s how all other study begins. She showed us examples of chondrites (or stony) meteorites, nickel-iron meteorites, mixed meteorites, as well as Lunar and Martian meteorites.
A fragment of the Salem meteorite, the only chondrite ever found in Oregon, sealed in nitrogen (very few meteorites have ever been found in Oregon, as they look pretty much just like the native basalt which is everywhere)
A nickel-iron meteorite, sliced open and polished for study
A mixed meteorite
A Lunar meteorite
A Martian meteorite
The Lunar and Martian falls are a result of large impactors striking the surface of those respective bodies with sufficient force to loft ejecta moving faster than local escape velocity. Dr. Hutson explained that the classification relies on the mineral content and ratios, and there’s no overlap between the source bodies. The Martian sources can be confirmed by spectroscopic analysis of gasses trapped in the meteorite during its exit from Mars, as the heated rock is cooled and quenched by the atmosphere through which it passes. That gas profile in turn can be compared to observations from the Viking landers.
Though we did not get to touch the rocks directly, we were able to handle the sample cases and look at them closely.
Dr. Hutson talked about all sorts of meteorite lore. For example, some nickel-iron meteorites are in effect stainless steel. Due to the conditions of their formation, they have unusual crystalline structures in the metal which are not found in terrestrial iron.
Another nickel-iron meteorite — note the patterns in the metal
Steel blades with evidence of these structures have been found in Scythian tombs, Egyptian tombs and elsewhere in the ancient world. This is clear evidence that some cultures forged the skyfall into weapons that would hold an edge far superior to ordinary metal, and not rust. As Dr. Hutson said, “Where do you think the idea of the sword in the stone came from?”
We also talked about the work this lab does, primarily on shock deformation of mixed meteorites, resulting in metallic inclusions in chondritic materials. This is significant because it affects modeling of how the early Solar System was formed.
A prepared sample, known as a “thin slice”
Setting the thin slice on the optical microscope
The microscope’s output
Going through the research notes on the thin slice, including results from a Scanning Electron Microscope
While their major projects, including the shock deformation research, are funded by NASA, the NSF and other sources, nothing gets done without the initial classification work. The lab has literally hundreds of samples, and about 150 are awaiting classification, with more coming in all the time.
Classification costs about $400 to $500 per sample, for supplies, equipment run time and other direct expenses, and that is completely unfunded. The lab is only able to classify samples through the support of private donations.
A “lava bomb”, molten rock ejected from a volcano which quenched and cooled in flight
Me and Dr. Hutson, in front of the lava bomb
If you’re interested in meteors or meteoritology, consider making a donation to the lab. I know I will be. Dr. Hutson and her fellow researchers have accomplished an enormous amount on a very limited budget, but the backlog only grows, and nothing in the classification processhappens without direct support from individuals and corporate gifts.
Most importantly, I want to thank Dr. Hutson for her time in showing me and
As usual, more at the Flickr set.
© 2009 by B. Lake and Joseph E. Lake, Jr.
This work by B. Lake and Joseph E. Lake, Jr. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Posted: 7:46 pm Tue September 01 2009 | Comments(1) |
Posted: 5:36 pm Mon December 01 2008 | Comments(0) |
Today’s wordage: 3,600
Today’s writing time: 2 hours
Total wordage: 175,000
Total writing time: 97 hours, 30 minutes
WIP: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 6:22 pm Tue October 28 2008 | Comments(0) |
What philosophy do you follow? — Apparently I am 100% Existentialist and 100% Hedonist, with much lower scores on everything else. Is that even possible?
Ex-planet gets namesakes — Plutoids? Really? (Thanks to lt260.)
How the Romans invented grammar — Language Log with a (very) brief history of grammar.
Shorpy with a 1902 photo of the Wright flyer
Stephen Hawking: ministers’ £80m error puts science at risk — Money shot: “The notion that scientists will make a more valuable contribution to the economic and social wellbeing of the world if their research is closely directed by politicians is the most astonishing piece of nonsense I have had the misfortune to come across in a long time,” Cox said. Luckily, here in the United States we don’t let political considerations dictate science policy. Oh, wait, never mind. (Hat tip to Bad Astronomy Blog.)
Iraq, the sovereign colony? — Read this and ask yourself if this is how our country should behave. If you’re a conservative who thinks the Iraq War is a key issue and the president should do anything he can despite the Senate, ask yourself how you’d feel about President Obama doing such an end run. We have checks and balances for a reason, and the GOP lost sight of that reason a long time ago.
6/15/08
Time in saddle: 0 minutes (still recovering from surgery)
Last night’s weigh-out: n/a
This morning’s weigh-in: 260.6
Currently reading: The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia [ Amazon
Posted: 6:47 am Sun June 15 2008 | Comments(0) |
Hundreds honor fallen Battle Ground soldier — The funeral yesterday of
Drugs to grow your brain — A novel approach to psychiatric and physiological care.
More on Atlantropa — Atlantropa was covered a while back on this blog. Talk about thinking big.
Clarke On Iraq War Architects: ‘We Shouldn’t Let These People Back Into Polite Society’ — Truth is that there’s very little discussion of accountability for the Iraq War decision making in Your Liberal Media or the general public discourse.
Democrats in rural strongholds refuse to give backing to Obama — Classy.
Humorless? — The Edge of the American West commenting on the problems of caricaturing Obama in political discourse.
The Real Question is, Would a President McCain be good for Women? — Juan Cole with a thoughtful post on identity politics in the Democratic primaries.
6/8/08
Time in saddle: 0 minutes (still recovering from surgery)
Last night’s weigh-out: n/a
This morning’s weigh-in: 260.8
Currently reading: The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia [ Amazon
Posted: 8:40 am Sun June 08 2008 | Comments(0) |
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