[meteorite-list] trips to the Moon (Moon bases and meteoriterecovery)

From: Edwin Thompson <etmeteorites_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2011 21:14:35 +0000
Message-ID: <BAY155-w297B5DF30AD803454DB451D1560_at_phx.gbl>

First; Is it a meteorite if it lands on the Moon? Isn't it just a chunk of asteroid or planetary debris added to our Moon. No atmo/no fusion crust. No atmo/no resistance to slow approach but then again no entry velocity generated but a great amount of gravity but rather only cosmic velocity. Anything found would most likely be a fragment of shrapnel.
 
Second; Why recover Lunar meteorites? Why not simply bring back or send back from a remote catapult system canisters to Space shuttles poised for recovery lots and lots of Lunar rocks? Isn't that where this thread started, with Lunar rocks? An un-manned rover could be fairly affordable and half of those lunar rocks could be used for research while the other half pays for the private venture to recovery them. But then wouldn't that lower the value of the Lunar rocks? I mean, if everyone could buy a piece of Chassigny for their collection wouldn't that lower the price of Chassigny? I remember when Blaine Reed was selling Ureilites for $200.00 per gram and Brachinites and CR2 for $200.00 to $400.00 per gram. I remember Eagles Nest selling for $400.00 per gram and Hughes 004 selling for $200.00 per gram. In the late eighties and early nineties before the flood of material from NW Africa that began with El Hammami Mtns which I give Ali and Simon Hmani full credit for helping me recover in November of 1997, values
 of Space Rocks were much different. I would imagine that the same might happen with regard to supply and demand for Lunar rocks. Besides, its kind of fun that there are these special specimens that cannot be had. It gives us all something to dream about. Really, don't you collectors find that you want something a great deal more when you feel that it can't be had?
 
Simply thinking aloud.
 
Cheers, Edwin
 
                                                
Received on Tue 28 Jun 2011 05:14:35 PM PDT