[meteorite-list] India report #2.

From: STUARTATK_at_aol.com <STUARTATK_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:28:24 2004
Message-ID: <27.491e3f93.2cb84a57_at_aol.com>

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Mike,

Just wanted to thank you for taking me - and everyone else on the List -
along with you on your latest hunting adventure. I'm one of the, shall we say,
"less well off" members of the List, and I can't afford to jump on a plane and do
an Indiana Jones like you do, so it is always a treat to be able to travel
virtually with you, and others, to far flung corners of the globe in search of
new specimens. I wish you nothing but good fortune on this trip, seriously.
What I think some others in this community forget is that you're representing ALL
of us out there, and I think you're doing a bloody good job, if you'll excuse
my language. So, good luck out there - go get 'em! :-)

My own travelling is rather more modest. Two weeks ago I was up in the
Shetland Islands - a scattering of tree-less, wind-swept, sea-battered, aurora-lit
rocky outcrops so far north of Scotland they're almost as close to Norway as
they are to the British mainland - doing some "Outreach" work in schools up
there. It rained almost the whole week, so much I was either going to start
growing gills or building a big boat and rounding up pairs of animals, but I had an
amazing time. I visited 5 different schools in 5 days, some small, some big,
but all the kids I talked to - and the total must have been around 400 over
the week - were fascinated by astronomy, and absolutely hypnotised by the
selection of meteorites I took along with me to show them and let them hold. Up
there, almost totally free from light pollution, and blessed with skies that
overflow with stars when the icy North Atlantic winds blow the clouds away, they've
had a spectacular view of Mars over the summer, so you can imagine how
thrilled they were to be able to see and actually hold tiny pieces of Zagami. My
much-travelled Canyon Diablo was passed around again and again, and other pieces
were received just as enthusiastically. Wonderful kids, really, so polite and
curious, and such fun too! In a school on a tiny island called Whallsay, one
girl, Heather, patiently listened to me telling her group how cold Pluto was
then raised her hand with a question: "So," she asked in her almost-Scandanavian
accent, face absolutely dead-pan serious, "if I went to Pluto with my cat,
and threw it outside without a spacesuit on, would it freeze solid?" That was
enough of a stunner, but when she went on to enquire if her petrified cat would
"break into bits" if she hit it with a hammer I lost it, totally cracked up,
even as the teacher looked on aghast, hand over mouth, from the sidelines. (
Turned out the class had seen a demonstration of a rose dipped in liquid oxygen
the week before, and Heather put two and two together to make 5...! )

The Shetlands are Viking country, and the Norse mythology about the sky,
particularly the aurora, is fascinating. Apparently when the Norse people
witnessed an aurora they thought they were seeing, among other things, the Dead
playing with the head of a walrus, or clans of gods fighting, splashing blood (the
red aurora) across the sky...

Didn't find any meteorites as I wandered the broad, sandy beaches, under a
truly enormous sky, but maybe next time. What I do have, which is almost as
good, is a big pile of Thank You letters from many of the kids I met, many of them
sharing their excitement about getting to hold the meteorites and "bits of
Mars", which are very special.

So, not exactly India, but just as exciting in its own way. Good luck out
there Mike, you're doing a fine job. I'm sure I speak for a lot of folks on this
List, the silent majority, when I say that I'm proud of ya - and very grateful
for letting me ride in your pocket as you hunt!

Take care,

Stu

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<HTML><FONT FACE=3Darial,helvetica><FONT SIZE=3D2 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=
=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0">Mike,<BR>
<BR>
Just wanted to thank you for taking me - and everyone else on the List - alo=
ng with you on your latest hunting adventure. I'm one of the, shall we say,=20=
"less well off" members of the List, and I can't afford to jump on a plane a=
nd do an Indiana Jones like you do, so it is always a treat to be able to tr=
avel virtually with you, and others, to far flung corners of the globe in se=
arch of new specimens. I wish you nothing but good fortune on this trip, ser=
iously. What I think some others in this community forget is that you're rep=
resenting ALL of us out there, and I think you're doing a bloody good job, i=
f you'll excuse my language. So, good luck out there - go get 'em! :-)<BR>
<BR>
My own travelling is rather more modest. Two weeks ago I was up in the Shetl=
and Islands -&nbsp; a scattering of tree-less, wind-swept, sea-battered, aur=
ora-lit rocky outcrops so far north of Scotland they're almost as close to N=
orway as they are to the British mainland - doing some "Outreach" work in sc=
hools up there. It rained almost the whole week, so much I was either going=20=
to start growing gills or building a big boat and rounding up pairs of anima=
ls, but I had an amazing time. I visited 5 different schools in 5 days, some=
 small, some big, but all the kids I talked to - and the total must have bee=
n around 400 over the week - were fascinated by astronomy, and absolutely hy=
pnotised by the selection of meteorites I took along with me to show them an=
d let them hold. Up there, almost totally free from light pollution, and ble=
ssed with skies that overflow with stars when the icy North Atlantic winds b=
low the clouds away, they've had a spectacular view of Mars over the summer,=
 so you can imagine how thrilled they were to be able to see and actually ho=
ld tiny pieces of Zagami. My much-travelled Canyon Diablo was passed around=20=
again and again, and other pieces were received just as enthusiastically. Wo=
nderful kids, really, so polite and curious, and such fun too! In a school o=
n a tiny island called Whallsay, one girl, Heather, patiently listened to me=
 telling her group how cold Pluto was then raised her hand with a question:=20=
"So," she asked in her almost-Scandanavian accent, face absolutely dead-pan=20=
serious, "if I went to Pluto with my cat, and threw it outside without a spa=
cesuit on, would it freeze solid?" That was enough of a stunner, but when sh=
e went on to enquire if her petrified cat would "break into bits" if she hit=
 it with a hammer I lost it, totally cracked up, even as the teacher looked=20=
on aghast, hand over mouth, from the sidelines. ( Turned out the class had s=
een a demonstration of a rose dipped in liquid oxygen the week before, and H=
eather put two and two together to make 5...! )<BR>
<BR>
The Shetlands are Viking country, and the Norse mythology about the sky, par=
ticularly the aurora, is fascinating. Apparently when the Norse people witne=
ssed an aurora they thought they were seeing, among other things, the Dead p=
laying with the head of a walrus, or clans of gods fighting, splashing blood=
 (the red aurora) across the sky... <BR>
<BR>
Didn't find any meteorites as I wandered the broad, sandy beaches, under a t=
ruly enormous sky, but maybe next time. What I do have, which is almost as g=
ood, is a big pile of Thank You letters from many of the kids I met, many of=
 them sharing their excitement about getting to hold the meteorites and "bit=
s of Mars", which are very special.<BR>
<BR>
So, not exactly India, but just as exciting in its own way. Good luck out th=
ere Mike, you're doing a fine job. I'm sure I speak for a lot of folks on th=
is List, the silent majority, when I say that I'm proud of ya - and very gra=
teful for letting me ride in your pocket as you hunt!<BR>
<BR>
Take care,<BR>
<BR>
Stu</FONT></HTML>

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Received on Fri 10 Oct 2003 01:45:59 PM PDT