[meteorite-list] Search for first U.S. lunar meteorite

From: Meteorites USA <eric_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:26:08 -0700
Message-ID: <4C72F580.4050205_at_meteoritesusa.com>

Hi Martin, The reward is a good idea. Jaime and I were talking about
something like a prize earlier today.

Perhaps something similar to the Google Lunar X Prize which will pay $10
Million to the first team to put a robot/rover on the Moon. Money is put
up by various sponsors, companies and donors for the prize. The first
team to accomplish the stated mission gets the is $10 Million prize.

Maybe this same model (on a smaller scale) could be applied to the first
USA Lunar meteorite discovery prize. Perhaps with dealers, enthusiasts
and others fronting the cash for the prize which could be split 50/50
between the Finder as cash prize and a University of choice as a grant
for equipment and/or for curriculum related to meteorite study.

"The USA Lunar Meteorite Prize" ;)

Maybe it would work if done right. There are over 1000 members on the
Meteorite list. If each person donated say a small $5 to the prize, then
we could offer $5000. If dealers and collectors got involved as sponsors
then they'd get the advertising exposure the prize would create, and
they may be able to donate as much as $100 or more each. There's more
than 100 dealers in the world. That's another $10,000 added to the
prize. The prize could be held in escrow/trust until someone finds a
verified USA Lunar meteorite (which could very well take years), then
it's announced through normal channels (Met Bull, Met Soc etc.)

$15,000 is a good motivator to find the first USA Lunar Meteorite. The
scientific achievement alone is worth it! And I'm sure other donors
might even donate more than $100 if they know at least 50% of the prize
would be donated to a University of choice. Which could be voted on by
meteorite community members, IMCA, Met Soc, etc.

What do you think?

Regards,
Eric



On 8/23/2010 2:56 PM, Martin Altmann wrote:
> When the metaliban, those medieval extremists, phrasemongers of culture and
> heritage, enemies of the progress of scientific cognition, the lost children
> of the meteorite family,
> will have closed each and every desert and each and every country under the
> sun
> for meteorite finding,
>
> then, truly, o Rob, I promise you, that the first American lunaites (plural)
> will be found.
>
> Because the flock of the just and the assiduous will find their last meadow
> in the land of the free.
>
>
> What the above mentioned meteorite clowns always forget, when they greedy
> stitch their mantras in their pillows (a H5, W4 a year is our Kingdom of
> B... Heaven)
> The finding rate of planetaries is a function of experience, hunting
> conditions and first and foremost: the manhours spent.
>
> Skol!
>
> But maybe Sonny and you are faster :-)
> I keep my fingers crossed.
> Martin
>
> P.S. In former times it was more sporty. Do I hear that Greenwich advertises
> a reward for the first Martian found in the Commonwealth?
>
> O tempora o mores...
>
> ;-)
>
>
> -----Urspr?ngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
> [mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] Im Auftrag von Matson,
> Robert D.
> Gesendet: Montag, 23. August 2010 22:59
> An: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> Betreff: [meteorite-list] Search for first U.S. lunar meteorite
>
> Hi All,
>
> When the first U.S. lunar is found, my bet is that the finder will
> be either Sonny Clary or Jason Utas. Both have demonstrated the
> ability to find non-ordinary-chondrite meteorites -- for instance,
> Blue Eagle (R3-6) and Moapa Valley (CM1) by Sonny, and Superior
> Valley 014 (acapulcoite) by Jason.
>
> Another name I've seen come up lately with non-OCs is Bill
> Sajkowicz: Chocolate Mountains (ureilite), Cargo Muchacho
> Mountains (CO3), and Winterhaven (howardite). I find it remarkable
> that one person has found a ureilite, a howardite and a CO3, and
> yet I haven't found a record of any chondritic finds by him. This
> is statistically next to impossible -- Bill must have found a LOT
> of chondrites to have found these three.
>
> --Rob
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
>
> ______________________________________________
> Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html
> Meteorite-list mailing list
> Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
>
>
Received on Mon 23 Aug 2010 06:26:08 PM PDT