[meteorite-list] NPA 09-28-1967 UCLA gets Needles Meteorite, John Wasson

[MARK BOSTICK]

Paper: The News
City: Van Nuys, California
Date: Thursday. September 28, 1967
Page: 15-A

Rare Meteorite Added to UCLA Collection

     A large and extremely rare meteorite arrived this week at UCLA for 
thorough scientific analysis and display in the University collection.
     The "Needles Meteorite," named for the California town near where it 
was first found, weighs exactly 100 pounds.
     It is a beautiful example of a class of meteorites called fine 
octahedrites, and a member of a rare subclass of which there are only two 
other known examples in the world, according to Professor John T. Wasson of 
the UCLA chemistry department.
     The triangular-shaped meteorite was discovered by a visiting Oklahoma 
couple, Mr. and Mrs. Carroll Cantrell, in the Turtle Mountains near Needles 
in 1962 and taken back to their home state. Following the couple's death, 
the meteorite was sold by the survivors to Dr. Wasson.
     Scientists are particularly fascinated by meteorites as "messengers 
from the solar system that survive the flight through the atmosphere to land 
on earth. Most meteorites are probably broken-off fragments of asteroids, 
the tiny planets that lie between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
     Under painstaking chemical analysis, said Dr. Wasson, meteorites can 
reveal much about the origin and early composition of the solar system and 
the evolution of planets.
     The young chemistry professor will analyze fine slabs sawed off the 
Needles Meteorite in his laboratory, and send other samples to museums 
throughout the world.
    The remaining 90-pound chunk will become the major showpiece of the F.C. 
Leonard Collection of Meteorites at UCLA's Institute of Geophysics and 
Planetary Physics.
     The collection, put together by the late chairman of the UCLA astronomy 
department, is the largest in California with 200 meteorites. The Needles 
Meteorite will be the second largest and scientifically the most valuable 
item in the collection.
     Dr. Wasson hopes to expand the collection in the future through further 
purchases or exchanges.

(end)

Clear Skies,
Mark Bostick
Wichita, Kansas
http://www.meteoritearticles.com
http://www.kansasmeteoritesociety.com
http://www.imca.cc

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PDF copy of this article, and most I post (and about 1/2 of those on my 
website), is available upon e-mail request.

The NPA in the subject line, stands for Newspaper Article. The old list 
server allowed us a search feature the current does not, so I guess this is 
more for quick reference and shortening the subject line now.