[meteorite-list] Re: 13.5 kg lunar (Significance)

[MexicoDoug at aol.com]

En un mensaje con fecha 05/16/2005 10:50:39 AM Mexico Daylight Time,  
jpringle at mail.stuartdean.com escribe:

>Doug escribe:
>>...how nice  that this finder seems  to be happy to share the 
>>meteorite with scientists!  

>Dude, it seems to me the finder does not give a rat's anorthite for  the 
science of meteoritics, or >sharing for that matter, if all they could  kick down 
for a type specimen is 20 of their 13,500 >grams.
>I hope  it's a typo, or not the full story, 'cause a better example of 
stingy you'd be  hard pressed >to find!

>Jeff
Aloha Jeff, 

Please elevate  your mind above the rats' breccia! 

Would you be quick to break the "W1"  (W1 = not too weathered however that 
works for Lunars...can someone say...) rock  apart?  It is basically the MAIN 
MASS OF THE MOON here on Earth.  No  other rock from the Moon beats its size, at 
13.5 Kg.  The "Big Muley" rock  is NASA's record at 11.7 Kg, and the Soviets 
total haul was 0.301 Kg from all  three successful Luna sample return missions.

As for your charge of "no  better example of stinginess", hold your tongue, 
for Kalahari 009.  The  lesser of 20 grams or 20% is the requirement of the 
Meteoritical Society for  classifying, and then the range of tests done with the 
results published in the  abstract in the provisional Bulletin I would think 
consumed some additional  sample and of course to make the thin section as well.

It looks like the  same person is behind Kalahari 008, so add another 20 
grams, classification  analyses he coordinated with the Germans. Then the two thin 
sections which  probably used at least a gram each.  Plus, whatever Kalahari 
001 is (Hello  - a mistaken reference in the provisional bulletin 89 for 
Kalahari 008, or are  there some more Kalahari's out there Sara?) there may be more.

Also I  think if you have a special sample - which this Lunar certainly is - 
you can  negotiate smaller amounts, which this finder didn't in either case.  
While  your suspicion may prove true, there is no basis that I am aware of 
that  supports it.  

If grandma finds a beautiful whole stone and is  impressed by it, perhaps a 
beautiful; fusion crust still intact, etc., and it is  twice the size of all 
other Lunar meteorites combined to date, is she stingy  because she doesn't send 
it to the "Chop Shop" for slicing and dicing to be  distributed to careful 
collectors as well as those who habitually break them  into pieces and allow to 
weather away in some corner, before it had been even  classified?  If she 
wishes to have a bit of privacy, good for her.   Maybe she is saving it for her 
grandson.  That would be a really nice  grandma to have, bless her soul.  None 
of this means she is a scroogy  grandma!!  Maybe a little slow:-), I agree!, 
but not stingy.  Time  will tell but your post is unsubstantiated as far as I 
can see.  All I  commented was that it is a good start, and I hold and raise you 
one.  And  most versions of the Lunar "mass driver" can't transport such a 
heavy complete  stone, so until someone finds another one, it is one for us to 
contemplate  having such a lucky grandma, over a Guiness, where such thoughts  
belong...

I only hope that that the finder releases images at their  convenience for us 
other mere earthlings to appreciate...

Saludos,  Doug