[meteorite-list] Fredericksburg meteorite and politics of science

From: Michael Farmer <meteoriteguy_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2007 21:43:45 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <240134.84808.qm_at_web33101.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

List members.
I must express my disappointment with Jason for
quipping that the fact that the Fredericksburg
meteorite has not been classified, thus is not a
meteorite. Jason, here are you exact words "It would
be something like calling
Fredericksburg (remember that Hexahedrite from a few
years ago?) an approved meteorite - it's never been
mentioned in the bulletin or elsewhere, so how can
you?"

Jason, you know it is a meteorite, and you know why it
has not been approved. Politics and personal grudge
has turned science into a farce. John Wasson at UCLA
(the top iron meteorite scientist in the world"
refuses to submit it since I bought it. He classified
it, confirmed with the owner that it was a Hexahedrite
that was not paired to any other known meteorite, and
tried to buy it. He did not try very hard, as he had
several years head-start on me. The owner sent many
faxes and emails to Dr. Wasson, who did not respond
for more than one year. Tired of waiting, the owner
found me on eBay, called me, and we made a price. I
was in Alaska only days later, cash in hand and saw
the copies of emails. He told me he needed money and
could no longer wait on UCLA, which did not return his
emails/faxes and phone calls. The emails I saw were
very clear, asking Dr. Wasson to get in touch with him
and finalize a price and purchase agreement. Those
phone calls, faxes, and emails all went unanswered for
nearly a year.

Only days after announcing that I had bought the
meteorite, I received a rather terse and abrupt email
from Dr. Wasson, angry that I had bought "his
meteorite" and he demanded a large piece for UCLA
since they had done the work on the meteorite. I sent
them an end cut weighing more than 500 grams (Perhaps
as much as 800 grams, I can't remember because that
was more than seven years ago). I never heard one more
word from Dr. Wasson, not a "thank you" or anything. I
emailed him numerous times requesting the
classification data, with no response. I heard through
other scientists that he was quite angry with me for
buying what he felt was his meteorite.
It has now been more than seven years since I bought
Fredericksburg, I don't even remember the exact year,
but in that time, it has all been sold off.

Did I leave anything out? Do you know more about this?
Can I ask what you are calling me on? If UCLA could
not make a decision or raise the funds years after
knowing about this meteorite, then I think the loss
was due to their own lack of interest and
follow-through and ignoring the repeated requests of
the man trying to sell them the meteorite. The owner
needed money, and years
after asking UCLA for it, decided to sell to myself.
So actually, more than seven years after I bought the
meteorite, and provided more than 500 grams to UCLA,
Dr Wasson refuses to finish the job he started years
before I ever heard of the meteorite. I guess politics
triumphs over science in this case.
Pieces of the Fredericksburg meteorite are in
collections and museums around the world. Mr Wasson
has the data, so perhaps people who have bought this
meteorite should start emailing Dr. Wasson, and ask
him why he will not submit it a decade after doing the
classification. My emails to him have gone unanswered,
so I have to assume that any further attempts by me to
get the data will meet the same fate.
Michael Farmer


This is a simple and complete history of the
Fredericksburg meteorite from Texas.
Received on Tue 20 Mar 2007 12:43:45 AM PDT