[meteorite-list] trips to the Moon (Moon bases and meteoriterecovery)

[MexicoDoug]

ET wrote

"Really, don't you collectors find that you want something a great deal 
more when you feel that it can't be had?"

What, like smallpox? :)

You're right of course!

"Why not simply bring back or send back from a remote catapult system 
canisters to Space shuttles poised for recovery lots and lots of Lunar 
rocks? Isn't that where this thread started, with Lunar rocks?"

Right again - all this is way too one-tracked in thought.

BUT,

Why get random Lunar dirt (Which granted is a fantastic thing); but why 
go to the surface of the Moon at all for meteorites when such cheaper 
options exist. No cannisters or space shuttles (what space shuttles?), 
why fight such exscape velocities, why go so far. You want to go the 
the nearer Lagrangian Points in plain space between the Earth and Moon. 
That is where the most fascinating stuff is to be found, written in 
unaltered stone the genesis of the Moon and plenty more debris to keep 
scientists and collectors busy and overworked for the nex 10,000 years! 
Plus - we (how modest - huh) - haven't been there and done that. 
Perfect NASA low budget mission. Everyone is free to submit there 
proposals, we going to Vesta, Ceres and Pluto but we just don't seem to 
appreciate a visit to the most interesting rocks in our own front yard!


Best wishes
Doug



-----Original Message-----
From: Edwin Thompson <etmeteorites at hotmail.com>
To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
Sent: Tue, Jun 28, 2011 5:14 pm
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] trips to the Moon (Moon bases and 
meteoriterecovery)


First; Is it a meteorite if it lands on the Moon? Isn't it just a chunk 
of
asteroid or planetary debris added to our Moon. No atmo/no fusion 
crust. No
atmo/no resistance to slow approach but then again no entry velocity 
generated
but a great amount of gravity but rather only cosmic velocity. Anything 
found
would most likely be a fragment of shrapnel.

Second; Why recover Lunar meteorites? Why not simply bring back or send 
back
 from a remote catapult system canisters to Space shuttles poised for 
recovery
lots and lots of Lunar rocks? Isn't that where this thread started, 
with Lunar
rocks? An un-manned rover could be fairly affordable and half of those 
lunar
rocks could be used for research while the other half pays for the 
private
venture to recovery them. But then wouldn't that lower the value of the 
Lunar
rocks? I mean, if everyone could buy a piece of Chassigny for their 
collection
wouldn't that lower the price of Chassigny? I remember when Blaine Reed 
was
selling Ureilites for $200.00 per gram and Brachinites and CR2 for 
$200.00 to
$400.00 per gram. I remember Eagles Nest selling for $400.00 per gram 
and Hughes
004 selling for $200.00 per gram. In the late eighties and early 
nineties before
the flood of material from NW Africa that began with El Hammami Mtns 
which I
give Ali and Simon Hmani full credit for helping me re
cover in November of 1997, values of Space Rocks were much different. I 
would
imagine that the same might happen with regard to supply and demand for 
Lunar
rocks. Besides, its kind of fun that there are these special specimens 
that
cannot be had. It gives us all something to dream about. Really, don't 
you
collectors find that you want something a great deal more when you feel 
that it
can't be had?

Simply thinking aloud.

Cheers, Edwin


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