[meteorite-list] Experts Skeptical of Peruvian Meteorite Impact

From: Walter Branch <waltbranch_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 20 Sep 2007 23:17:14 -0400
Message-ID: <072b01c7fbfd$e8dd3fa0$6101a8c0_at_BranchFamily>

Hello List,

Why would someone from JPL be interviewed about meteorites? I respect Ron
Baalke, who I believe is a software engineer and probably knows more about
meteorites then anyone , but JPL has nothing to do with meteorites. They
are tasked with the responsibility of planning and administering solar
system exploration via robotic missions.

Or so I thought.

As an aside,at my undergraduate school, I had a professor of Astronomy who
once worked at the Jet "Propeller" Laboratory, according to information from
the school.

What a hoot! I used to kid him about that.

Maybe I am wrong. Is there a group at JPL/Caltech who studies meteorites?
Ron?

-Walter Branch
________________________
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jason Utas" <meteoritekid at gmail.com>
To: "Meteorite-list" <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2007 7:29 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Experts Skeptical of Peruvian Meteorite Impact


> Hello All,
>
> This particular bit really makes me wonder about those fellows up at
> JPL...
>
>>It's not impossible that the crater was left by a meteorite, Yeomans
> said, but if so, then the impact object most likely was small, based
> on the size of the crater. It would also probably have been a metal
> meteorite, because those are the only kind of small meteorites that
> don't burn up as they plummet through Earth's atmosphere, he added.
> Small stony meteorites rarely make it to the surface.
>
> ...Does anyone else find his statement...completely wrong? I mean -
> I'm used to such stuff coming out of reporters from god-knows-where,
> but from a JPL employee...
>
> Jason
>
> On 9/20/07, Paul <bristolia at yahoo.com> wrote:
>> Scientists Doubt Meteorite Sickened Peruvians by
>> By Andrea Thompson, Space.com, September 19, 2007
>>
>> http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070919_peru_meteorite.html
>>
>> Experts: 'Meteor' Gases Likely Caused by Geyser,
>> Fox News September 19, 2007
>>
>> http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,297369,00.html
>>
>> The only saving grace about this story is the last line,
>>
>> which reads:
>>
>>
>>
>> "Peruvian geologists are on their way to examine the crater,
>>
>> according to news reports."
>>
>>
>>
>> Hopefully, this means someone will get down to the bottom
>>
>> of this mess and determine what really happened.
>>
>> These stories have been followed by:
>>
>> Peruvian Geophysicist Confirms Claim of Meteorite Crash
>> By Monte Hayes, Associated Press, September. 19, 2007
>>
>> http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070919_ap_meteorite_peru.html
>>
>> It stated:
>>
>> "Jose
>> Mechare, a scientist with Peru's Geological, Mining
>> and Metallurgical
>> Institute, said a geologist had confirmed
>> that it was a "rocky
>> meteorite,'' based on the fragments
>> analyzed."
>>
>> The sickness was explained by this line in the article:
>>
>> "He said
>> fear may have provoked psychosomatic ailments."
>>
>> They article finally statesd:
>>
>> "She said that after the meteorite struck, small rocks
>> rained
>> down on the roof of her house for several minutes and she
>> feared the
>> house was going to collapse."
>>
>> Best Regards,
>>
>> Paul
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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Received on Thu 20 Sep 2007 11:17:14 PM PDT