[meteorite-list] Moon Dust

[Jeff Grossman]

What law are you talking about?

On 6/25/2011 7:55 PM, Michael Gilmer wrote:
> Hi Jeff and List,
>
> What strikes me here is that NASA has 842 pounds of lunar material and
> they are apparently bent out shape over a few milligrams of dust
> clinging to a piece of scotch tape.  It's absolutely silly and it
> speaks of skewed priorities.
>
> It was mentioned to me in private email by a respected list member
> that the NASA samples in question were not addressed by the law until
> 1972.  If that is true, then it seems to me that any sample removed
> legally prior to that date would be "grand-fathered in" as legal.
>
> A relevant example would be trinitite.  Trinitite removed before the
> law specifically addressed it is legal.  However, going to the site
> now and removing trinitite is illegal.  Another example would be
> Canyon Diablo iron meteorites - those CD meteorites removed before the
> "prohibition" are legal.  Those removed today are illegal because one
> must trespass to get them.  The devil is in the details - how does one
> distinguish a legal Diablo meteorite from an illegal one?  And how
> would one determine a legal piece of dusty tape from an illegal one?
>
> ATTENTION GOVERNMENT - STOP PISSING AWAY OUR TAX MONEY CHASING AFTER
> DUSTY TAPE!  Instead, here are some suggestions for using our tax
> money - build homes for the homeless, feed the hungry, offer medical
> care to the sick, create jobs for the unemployed, fund the sciences,
> or any number of things that are more important than dusty tape.
>
> Best regards,
>
> MikeG
>