[meteorite-list] UA Scientist and Private Collector Form Centerto Save Meteorites

From: Martin Altmann <altmann_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed Feb 1 18:54:27 2006
Message-ID: <003c01c6278a$662f8c00$1df1fea9_at_ns279>

Huh Darren,

seems that the time for oPods is coming...

>I must say, though, it's sad to see all of those scientist buying up all of
the
>5 to 10 cent

But where are they, scientist aren't buying that much....

But you're right,
some statements in this article are strange:

"The world's meteorites are vanishing.

If something isn't done soon, most of Earth's rare space rocks could be
gone in a lifetime."

No, they don't. That stuff lies in Sahara and Oman for 30.000 years,
1000 years more wouldn't impress a meteorite.

"Specimens that have fallen over millions of years are being harvested"
No desert find survives a million of years.

And why they suddenly should stop to fall?

"Commercial dealers
are buying these space rocks at prices the scientific community can't match"
Rubbish. The scientific community spends a lot of money to hunt in
Antarctica since decades.
Antarctica is a costy place to reach and to stay and to work there.
With a minute ammount of the money spend there, the scientific community
could have bought all available meteorites from Oman and from Sahara (and
hopefully from me) without any problems,
and we even didn't talk about e.g. of the 320 Mio$ spent for the failed
Hayabusa mission.

"and cutting them into small pieces for sale to bidders in a flooded
market."

I want to see that scientist, who manages to get a 10kg stone entirely in a
microprobe or under a microscope.

We don't have to start the debate again commercialism vs. science,
because it's a fact, that if there haven't been comercial interested people,
who had the idea to hunt in the desert, 10, 20 years ago, the stones would
peacefully still lie there and nobody would have a clue, that the deserts
are larded with meteorites.

And here Killgore's approach could be very interesting as it could unify
both sides,
although it seems not to be consequent yet, if I read:
"That benefits the seller because it's easier to get top dollar for the rest
of the meteorite when people know exactly what it is and how much of it is
still on the market,..."

What now, do they want to buy the stones entirely to preserve them and
beware them for their fate to be cut?
Or do they make the classification only, which makes it for the owner even
more desirable to slice the stuff down, as with a proper classification the
value and the price is much higher, so that in this tiny meteorite world
with it's handfull of collectors, he has to produce smaller pieces to keep
them affordable and to get rid of his stuff.
Quite a discrepancy.

One has not to be a genius and we all could be happy, that obviously there
aren't any wealthy private persons interested in meteorites, nor, and that's
also a disaccord with the tenor of the article, had "science" ever a hurry
or showed an increased interest in saving meteorites from the desert,
that it is a simple, but realistic idea,
just to take 3-5 Mio$ and to buy Morocco completely empty + the Oman
material + all meteorites from the Russians + most of the stuff of the few
dealers, who exist.

Simple and cost-effective and seen in regard to the general budgets of all
fields of science and of space flight
a tiny Flea's Poo....

Why no private person did so? Because meteorites in general are totally
unknown,
nor would it be a short time invest, as to sell that stuff again in ten life
times is almost impossible, as there exist no collectors for meteorites, see
ebay and the prices there.

So hats off to the Killgores, I'll be happy not to be forced anylonger to
sell stones in minute servings,
but to have one constant purchaser more for large and entire stones at fair
prices.


My simplest thoughts.
Buckleboo!
Martin



----- Original Message -----
From: "Darren Garrison" <cynapse_at_charter.net>
To: "Meteorite Mailing List" <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2006 11:49 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] UA Scientist and Private Collector Form
Centerto Save Meteorites


On Wed, 1 Feb 2006 11:03:45 -0800 (PST), you wrote:

>Part of the problem is that meteorites are being collected at a record
>pace.

<snip>

>center's efforts. His collection is valued at about $5 million, weighs
3,328
>kilograms (about 7,340 pounds), and comes from about 900 locations in 37
>countries.

Yep, the supply of meteorites to science is severly damaged by the people
who
buy small slices of them ("cutting them into small pieces for sale to
bidders in
a flooded market") says the guy with 8 friggin tons in his private
collection.

Being an atheist, it's kind of ironic for me to use this quote:

http://bible.cc/matthew/7-5.htm


I must say, though, it's sad to see all of those scientist buying up all of
the
5 to 10 cent bulk amounts of unclassified meteorites before the mere
collectors
can get to them. Oh, wait. They aren't. They are selling by the tons (or
NOT
selling, even) to collectors because those distressed scientists are NOT
buying
them. You know, all of those tons that would rot away in the deserts of
Africa
if COLLECTORS didn't go there to get them?

And how, exactly, the the science being harmed by the meteorites being in
private hands for a while, since the labs are flooded to capacity and beyond
from the Antarctic and desert meteorites that they have now? Those
meteorites
haven't ceased to exist, after all, and still could end up at the labs in
the
future.

I think it's pretty funny that somone could be complaining about the size of
meteorite samples in the hands of researchers so soon after Stardust came
back.
Because, of course, the scientists are so thrilled to have a comet sample
that,
all added together, is probably around the size of a chondrule or two. And
THAT
tiny sample is enough to send to many labs and keep people busy for years.
So
imagine how much more can be made from just a few grams of a meteorite.
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Received on Wed 01 Feb 2006 06:51:18 PM PST