[meteorite-list] Comet Pioneer Fred Whipple Dies

[bernd.pauli at paulinet.de]

> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3614064.stm

> Fred Whipple - the astronomer who first correctly described
> comets as "dirty snowballs" - has died aged 97.

WHIPPLE F.L. (1985) The Mystery of Comets (Smithsonian
Library of the Solar System, Epilogue, p. 265):

Our commentary detective story has carried us through many centuries - from the
superstitions of antiquity to the sophisticated observations made by space vehicles.
The pace of learning has quickened during the four centuries since Tycho Brahe first
proved that comets are celestial bodies. Our expectations run high. Perhaps within
the reader's lifetime someone will set foot on a comet and provide answers raised
by the studies of comets. What further surprises are in store for us as we explore
the contents of these mysterious packages preserved in deep freeze since the Solar
System was young? (Fred L. Whipple)