[meteorite-list] Stardust SRC Hot to the touch?

From: Martin Horejsi <accretiondesk_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Jan 19 22:59:02 2006
Message-ID: <9c2f96d20601191958s55c402a3v80d918e4e8199a7f_at_mail.gmail.com>

Hi All,

Yesterday I asked Don Brownlee about the sample return capsule
compared to a meteorite, and he thinks some meteorites arrive on earth
warm or hot to the touch, although admitting there is an amount of
folklore in the old stories.

However the Stardust SRC was not hot, nor even warm when it was
recovered in Utah. Today I checked with Karen McNamara, the curation
engineer who was one of the first onsight at the capsule's recovery
and she told me that the surface temperature of the capsule taken with
an infrared gun at the time of recovery was only 30 degrees F, about
the same as the air.

More food for thought. Or not.

Martin

PS: Hey Adam- Don showed me a pic on his computer of the huge moon
and mars rocks you showed them at your meeting. Pretty cool, and
pretty impressive.



On 1/19/06, sterling_k_webb_at_sbcglobal.net <sterling_k_webb@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> Hi, Abestos Hands!
>
> Yes, one can lightly, or gently, or for a short
> period, handle a 60?C - 140?F object, but the
> threshhold for cell death is 134?F if maintained
> for more than a very short time. Burns will not
> occur, but cells (dermal and deeper tissues) will
> die.
> One reason humans can briefly handle very
> hot objects is the protection provided by the
> evaporation of skin moisture which momentarily
> insulates the skin. When that fails the heat must
> penetrate the epidermis (dead cells anyway).
> Your know you've gone as far as you can go
> when, after touching a hot object, your skin is dry
> and sheds a white dust (burnt epidermis).
> To carry a heavy (and precious) object like the
> capsule at 140?F without haste or the last-minute
> loosening of grip requires protection. Not much,
> but some: Nomex gloves are more than enough
> (widely sold for $12 a pair under the moniker
> "the Ove-Glove").
>
> Sterling K. Webb
> ------------------------------------------------
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Martin Altmann" <altmann_at_meteorite-martin.de>
> To: <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2006 10:25 AM
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Stardust SRC Hot to the touch?
>
>
> > Unbelievable!
> >
> > I recommend to train upcoming NASA-reentry-capsule-recoverers in a special
> > program.
> > To proof cost efficency, I'll could develope such a program for only
> > 120.000bucks.
> > The program is:
> > Come on, little princes and pashas, 60?C - 140F,
> > protective gloves???! What about you helping a little at home in the
> > household?
> > I stongly recommend dish washing.
> > Girly NASA: 60? - I can touch it without problems.
> >
> > Martin,
> > the housewife.
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Martin Horejsi" <accretiondesk_at_gmail.com>
> > To: "Meteorite Mailing List" <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
> > Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2006 2:39 PM
> > Subject: [meteorite-list] Stardust SRC Hot to the touch?
> >
> >
> > Hi Ron and All,
> >
> > I am wondering why the Stardust SRC might arrive to earth too hot to
> > touch, yet the mantra for meteorites is they must be cold even though
> > history is littered with witnesses claiming the stones and irons were,
> > you guessed it, too hot to touch.
> >
> > Here is an excerpt from the Stardust press kit, page: 14-15:
> >
> > Following a normal entry, the capsule will be hand-carried to the
> > helicopter for trans-
> > port. The capsule will be warm; temperature of the heat shield could
> > be as high as 60 Celsius (140 Fahrenheit), so handlers will be
> > required to wear protective gloves.
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Martin
> > ______________________________________________
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>
>
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Received on Thu 19 Jan 2006 10:58:59 PM PST