[meteorite-list] Fredericksburg meteorite and politics ofscience

[Pete Pete]

All this nonsense, eh?
I can imagine how stagnant meteorite studies would be if hunting was banned 
to all but the institutions, as some would hope.

Carry on Mike, Dean, Adam, and the rest - bring us the meteorites!

Cheers,
Pete




From: Michael Farmer <meteoriteguy at yahoo.com>
To: Pete Pete <rsvp321 at hotmail.com>, drtanuki at yahoo.com,  
meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Fredericksburg meteorite and politics 
ofscience
Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2007 09:24:12 -0700 (PDT)

Pete, at the time, Dr Wasson was one of the only
people working on iron meteorites. I tried to submit
it via other labs, when they heard that Dr. Wasson was
working on it, they declined.
Michael Farmer
--- Pete Pete <rsvp321 at hotmail.com> wrote:

 > >>he ignored me, and sat on the
 > information for years
 >
 > Hi, List,
 > This may be a silly question, but if one location of
 > analysis is a bit
 > tardy, is it unethical to send another sample to
 > another lab?
 >
 > Cheers,
 > Pete
 >
 >
 > From: Michael Farmer <meteoriteguy at yahoo.com>
 > To: drtanuki <drtanuki at yahoo.com>,
 > meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
 > Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Fredericksburg
 > meteorite and politics
 > ofscience
 > Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2007 22:34:48 -0700 (PDT)
 >
 > Dirk, I have no idea, but it is clearly a personal
 > issue with Dr. Wasson. I gave them more than 500
 > grams
 > of a meteorite, I was never contacted again, or
 > thanked for that gift. I was further ignored for
 > nearly a decade when time and time again, I
 > requested
 > data.
 > That there could be an argument about who was on the
 > meteorite first, well, this is the real world. Dr
 > Wasson had years to buy the meteorite. He did not,
 > he
 > got angry when the owner decided to sell to me. I
 > saw
 > the emails, asking time and time again that Dr.
 > Wasson
 > make a decision on the meteorite, all unanswered.
 > Can ANYONE see a problem then, with me forking over
 > $100 bills, HUNDREDS of them, when the owner offered
 > the meteorite to me? Mr Wasson was then outraged
 > that
 > I snatched the meteorite from UCLA! That is
 > laughable.
 > So after I gave him for free something that I have
 > paid thousands for, he ignored me, and sat on the
 > information for years. This is true professionalism
 > in
 > science right there!
 > Michael Farmer
 > --- drtanuki <drtanuki at yahoo.com> wrote:
 >
 >  > Open letter to the LIST and the NOMCOM and
 >  > Meteoritics
 >  > Researchers,
 >  >
 >  > Mike Farmer and others have brought up the
 > question
 >  > of
 >  > ethics and politics in meteoritics among
 >  > researchers.
 >  > Two examples that come to mind are Fredricksburg
 > and
 >  > NWA 869.
 >  >   Does the NOMCOM have an ethics committte or a
 >  > special committe that is assigned to researching
 >  > scientific misconduct and other problems within
 > the
 >  > research community and the NOMCOM itself?
 >  >   If you know of other research misconduct please
 >  > feel
 >  > free to write about it on this list or privately.
 >  >   Thank you, Sincerely, Dirk Ross...Tokyo
 >  >
 >  > --- Michael Farmer <meteoriteguy at yahoo.com>
 > wrote:
 >  >
 >  > > List members.
 >  > > I must express my disappointment with Jason for
 >  > > quipping that the fact that the Fredericksburg
 >  > > meteorite has not been classified, thus is not
 > a
 >  > > meteorite. Jason, here are you exact words "It
 >  > would
 >  > > be something like calling
 >  > > Fredericksburg (remember that Hexahedrite from
 > a
 >  > few
 >  > > years ago?) an approved meteorite - it's never
 >  > been
 >  > > mentioned in the bulletin or elsewhere, so how
 > can
 >  > > you?"
 >  > >
 >  > > Jason, you know it is a meteorite, and you know
 >  > why
 >  > > it
 >  > > has not been approved. Politics and personal
 >  > grudge
 >  > > has turned science into a farce. John Wasson at
 >  > UCLA
 >  > > (the top iron meteorite scientist in the world"
 >  > > refuses to submit it since I bought it. He
 >  > > classified
 >  > > it, confirmed with the owner that it was a
 >  > > Hexahedrite
 >  > > that was not paired to any other known
 > meteorite,
 >  > > and
 >  > > tried to buy it. He did not try very hard, as
 > he
 >  > had
 >  > > several years head-start on me. The owner sent
 >  > many
 >  > > faxes and emails to Dr. Wasson, who did not
 >  > respond
 >  > > for more than one year. Tired of waiting, the
 >  > owner
 >  > > found me on eBay, called me, and we made a
 > price.
 >  > I
 >  > > was in Alaska only days later, cash in hand and
 >  > saw
 >  > > the copies of emails. He told me he needed
 > money
 >  > and
 >  > > could no longer wait on UCLA, which did not
 > return
 >  > > his
 >  > > emails/faxes and phone calls. The emails I saw
 >  > were
 >  > > very clear, asking Dr. Wasson to get in touch
 > with
 >  > > him
 >  > > and finalize a price and purchase agreement.
 > Those
 >  > > phone calls, faxes, and emails all went
 > unanswered
 >  > > for
 >  > > nearly a year.
 >  > >
 >  > > Only days after announcing that I had bought
 > the
 >  > > meteorite, I received a rather terse and abrupt
 >  > > email
 >  > > from Dr. Wasson, angry that I had bought "his
 >  > > meteorite" and he demanded a large piece for
 > UCLA
 >  > > since they had done the work on the meteorite.
 > I
 >  > > sent
 >  > > them an end cut weighing more than 500 grams
 >  > > (Perhaps
 >  > > as much as 800 grams, I can't remember because
 >  > that
 >  > > was more than seven years ago). I never heard
 > one
 >  > > more
 >  > > word from Dr. Wasson, not a "thank you" or
 >  > anything.
 >  > > I
 >  > > emailed him numerous times requesting the
 >  > > classification data, with no response. I heard
 >  > > through
 >  > > other scientists that he was quite angry with
 > me
 >  > for
 >  > > buying what he felt was his meteorite.
 >  > > It has now been more than seven years since I
 >  > bought
 >  > > Fredericksburg, I don't even remember the exact
 >  > > year,
 >  > > but in that time, it has all been sold off.
 >  > >
 >  > > Did I leave anything out? Do you know more
 > about
 >  > > this?
 >  > > Can I ask what you are calling me on? If UCLA
 >  > could
 >  > > not make a decision or raise the funds years
 > after
 >  > > knowing about this meteorite, then I think the
 >  > loss
 >  > > was due to their own lack of interest and
 >  > > follow-through and ignoring the repeated
 > requests
 >  > of
 >  > > the man trying to sell them the meteorite. The
 >  > owner
 >  > > needed money, and years
 >  > > after asking UCLA for it, decided to sell to
 >  > myself.
 >  > >
 >  > > So actually, more than seven years after I
 > bought
 >  > > the
 >  > > meteorite, and provided  more than 500 grams to
 >  > > UCLA,
 >  > > Dr Wasson refuses to finish the job he started
 >  > years
 >  > > before I ever heard of the meteorite. I guess
 >
=== message truncated ===

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