[meteorite-list] Re: Nakhla -the dog lived to tell about it!!!

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:55:50 2004
Message-ID: <200201231620.IAA10951_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

"jj swaim" <MissionControl_at_msn.com> wrote:
> Pardonez-moi Mesdames et Monsieurs,
>
> I left my computer for two Earth minutes and come back to find this
> issue as yet unresolved!!!! Alas! It has been Cereus-ly
> over-complicated.
>
> According to Sherlock, or Achem, depending upon one's inclination, the
> crux of the confusion is in but two letters...........IT.
>
> "These curious fragments, falling to earth buried themselves
> into the sand to a depth of about one metre. One of them fell
> on a dog at Denshal, leaving 'it' like ashes in the moment."
>
>
> Why must we assume the 'it' refers to the dog and not the fragment which
> is more likely to appear ashen in the moment (or otherwise), than a dog
> by it's mere nature.
>
> The true quag here is the combination of words 'leaving it', suggesting
> that the 'it' had been changed in some way. We know that the
> fragment was already ashen in color but the farmer may have assumed the
> green stone changed to black on hitting the dog. What does he know?
> It is, afterall, not likely the farmer got a good still shot of the
> fragment 'in dilecto flagrante' - in flight.
>
> (It is possible that, if the 'it' refers to the dog and not the
> fragment, that the farmer meant the dog yelled, "What the &*#_at_?" and
> fell to pieces (one of our colloquialisms) Way way too much room for
> cultural, educational, worldly experience level differences between town
> folk, farmers and reporters, not to mention the
> biggie........translators.)

You bring up a good point. This particular point was discussed
about a year and a half ago. Another reason to obtain the original
article, to resolve any ambiguities.
 
> I maintain the dog may have been hit, but in no way did the farmer
> intend to convey that the dog was indeed killed. Most meteorites have
> not attended S.W.A.T. training. A surgical strike by the Martians?
> I don't think so. (Hmmmm. Let me think about that one:-)
>
> Folk lore, on the other hand, lends itself greatly to exaggeration. If
> the fragment hit the dog, the story having been told twice would leave
> the dog dead and disintegrated for sheer sensationalism. We are not
> the only culture who tends to do this. Our reporters are not the only
> ones who like to sell papers either:-)
>
> I stand with Ron on this one.
> Best Regards to all,
> Julia


Thanks. I've been getting a lot of email like yours. The real issue is
not picking sides. I'm neutral on the dog story, but I would like to
see it resolved.

Ron Baalke
Received on Wed 23 Jan 2002 11:20:22 AM PST