[meteorite-list] Results of ANSMET Nomad Robotic Meteorite RecoveryEffort?

From: Carl Agee <agee_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 8 Mar 2014 13:49:13 -0700
Message-ID: <CADYrzhq9jxbb4K9Xg0RNZ9taw2_wLtpipW4i4ET7houEzfZFiw_at_mail.gmail.com>

Not to get too far off meteorite topic, but anecdotally when I am
hiking with my border collies, I can usually spot a well camouflaged
coyote or wild horse walking on the next hillside, well before my dogs
do. They on the other hand, only need to get a whiff of a few
down-wind molecules to know there is something over there. So my
advice is forget about robots and dogs for spotting meteorites --
unless, in the case of dogs, the meteorites have an anomalous odor --
which possibly fresh falls do!!

Carl Agee
*************************************
Carl B. Agee
Director and Curator, Institute of Meteoritics
Professor, Earth and Planetary Sciences
MSC03 2050
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131-1126

Tel: (505) 750-7172
Fax: (505) 277-3577
Email: agee at unm.edu
http://meteorite.unm.edu/people/carl_agee/



On Sat, Mar 8, 2014 at 1:41 PM, Carl Agee <agee at unm.edu> wrote:
> From: Carl Agee <agee at unm.edu>
> Date: Sat, Mar 8, 2014 at 1:38 PM
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Results of ANSMET Nomad Robotic
> Meteorite RecoveryEffort?
> To: Galactic Stone & Ironworks <meteoritemike at gmail.com>
>
>
> Mike,
>
> From what I recall of this project the robot was not very good at
> spotting meteorites, especially compared to what the human eye/brain
> can do. What I took away from this is that humans are incredibly good
> at spotting anomalous objects at great distances on the ice and likely
> in sandy desert too. We are probably hardwired for this as a species
> having to balance our quickly changing roles in daily life as predator
> and prey. I imagine our distant ancestors spent a good deal of time
> upright on the bipeds, scanning the horizon for dinner and to avoiding
> becoming dinner.
>
> Carl Agee
> *************************************
> Carl B. Agee
> Director and Curator, Institute of Meteoritics
> Professor, Earth and Planetary Sciences
> MSC03 2050
> University of New Mexico
> Albuquerque NM 87131-1126
>
> Tel: (505) 750-7172
> Fax: (505) 277-3577
> Email: agee at unm.edu
> http://meteorite.unm.edu/people/carl_agee/
>
>
>
> On Sat, Mar 8, 2014 at 12:46 PM, Galactic Stone & Ironworks
> <meteoritemike at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hi Brandon and Ed,
>>
>> Thanks for the link and thoughts about the program. That link is
>> exactly what I was looking for - some news about the results.
>> Apparently the robot did find some meteorites. Of course, a robot
>> will never replace the expertise of a human when it comes to finding
>> meteorites, they may prove to be useful in hazardous areas or very
>> remote areas.
>>
>> Best regards and thanks again,
>>
>> MikeG
>>
>>
>> On 3/7/14, Ed Deckert <edeckert at triad.rr.com> wrote:
>>> Hi Mike,
>>>
>>> This link may provide some info for you. Nomad apparently worked as
>>> advertised.
>>> http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2000-02/CMU-CMaN-0102100.php
>>>
>>> There are two links at the end of the article that unfortunately no longer
>>> seem to be working.
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>> Ed Deckert
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Galactic Stone & Ironworks" <meteoritemike at gmail.com>
>>> To: "Meteorite List" <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
>>> Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2014 9:44 PM
>>> Subject: [meteorite-list] Results of ANSMET Nomad Robotic Meteorite
>>> RecoveryEffort?
>>>
>>>
>>>> Hi Listees,
>>>>
>>>> I was recently reading some old reports about the "Nomad" effort to
>>>> recover meteorites from Antarctica using an autonomous robot. The
>>>> robot would follow a pattern in an area while surveying the
>>>> surroundings with cameras and sensors. Suspect rocks would be
>>>> visually analyzed at a distance and promising candidates would be
>>>> approach and analyzed in-situ using instruments on the rover. The
>>>> rover would then confirm if a rock was a meteorite and collect it if
>>>> the tests were positive.
>>>>
>>>> I was able to find some press releases and media articles announcing
>>>> or promoting the project, but I could not find any follow-up with the
>>>> results. The old websites dedicated to the Nomad effort are down.
>>>> Does anyone know if the robot successfully recovered any meteorites?
>>>>
>>>> Best regards,
>>>>
>>>> MikeG
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> -------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> Web - http://www.galactic-stone.com
>>>> Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/galacticstone
>>>> Twitter - http://twitter.com/galacticstone
>>>> Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/galacticstone
>>>> -------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> ______________________________________________
>>>>
>>>> Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com
>>>> Meteorite-list mailing list
>>>> Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
>>>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> -------------------------------------------------------------
>> Web - http://www.galactic-stone.com
>> Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/galacticstone
>> Twitter - http://twitter.com/galacticstone
>> Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/galacticstone
>> -------------------------------------------------------------
>> ______________________________________________
>>
>> Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com
>> Meteorite-list mailing list
>> Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Received on Sat 08 Mar 2014 03:49:13 PM PST