[meteorite-list] Radioactive meteorites & Meteor Crater Guide(?)

From: Robert Verish <bolidechaser_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:55:47 2004
Message-ID: <20020118032715.22758.qmail_at_web10408.mail.yahoo.com>

"Is it radioactive?" is one of those "answerless"
questions, right up there with "What time is it on
Earth?"
Know any other good ones?

This line was actually used on a Twilight Zone
episode! After having been abducted by aliens, the
protagonist demands to know from his captors, "What
time is it on Earth?!" Of course, the alien just
stands there, blinking, with his one big eye, thinking
to himself "idiotic Earthling".

But of course, the Earthling was speaking from a
"frame of reference" of where he used to be located
back on Earth. And so, his question would have been
better asked as "What time is it on Earth, back from
where I came?"

In both of these cases, it matters who is asking the
question and what is their "frame of reference". When
the visitor at the Meteor Crater asked, "Is it
radioactive?" he wants to know, "If I put this
meteorite in my pocket, will all my children be born
with 7 fingers?" In his case, the "proper" answer
would be "No!" To rationalize the answer any farther
would only serve to make the "idiotic Earthling" of a
Tour Guide technically correct.

I have been asked this question, "Is it radioactive?"
many times. Most often I get asked this question at
the JPL Open House. For the past several years they
have asked me to volunteer my time and help Ron Baalke
with the Mars Meteorite booth. Our booth is located
next to the bus stop, and all day long busloads of
visitors at a time would descend upon our display
cases of meteorites. If the crowd is large enough,
there will always be somebody that asks, "Are these
meteorites radioactive?" If it is a child that asks,
I will answer "No", and spare the child the longer,
scarier answer about "everything being radioactive".
But then, being a large crowd, someone else is bound
to know the more technically correct answer and feel
compelled to share it. Either way, I'm wrong.

But if it's a small crowd of adults, I might answer
with the longer explanation. Even then, there will
always be that one guy (usually in a Laker t-shirt)
who will turn to his buddy and say, "Don't ask that
guy anything; he thinks everything is radioactive!"

The "correct" answer will always matter more on "who
is asking the question".
;-)
Bob V.


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Received on Thu 17 Jan 2002 10:27:15 PM PST