[meteorite-list] Meteorites on the moon

From: Mr EMan <mstreman53_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri Sep 1 01:56:08 2006
Message-ID: <20060901055132.65605.qmail_at_web51003.mail.yahoo.com>

Actually, "physics-ly" speaking, Earth holds far more
meteorites than the moon does. Be it remembered, that
without an atmosphere to slow them, the bulk of
meteoroids arrive at full cosmic speeds and are most
certainly vaporized by the collision. I haven't done
the math but under an extreme glancing blow where the
meteoroid is playing catch up, there might be a
successive slowing of splashed fragments and some
meteorite material may exist on the surface from time
to time. Meteorites that may "defy" physics in this
manner are going to be pulverized into the regolith
over time by the constant influx of micrometeoroids.

That said, a howardite by definition is composed of
substantial clasts of meteoroids from other bodies and
they too have arrived at cosmic speeds, so there is
hope to find clast on the moon of parent bodies no
longer in existence. The moon may be the last
repository for discovering the nature of the Early
Bombardment episode 3.85 billion years ago. The lunar
soil probably contains pockets of meteorite enriched
regolith tilled under the surface by contemporary
impacts and subsequently tilled back to the surface by
recent impacts. This is the impetus to go to the far
side for sample returns.

I talked once to Charlie Duke --the only geologist
thus far to walk on the moon, about the very topic and
he said that they did see small furrows where "rocks"
had rolled/bounced along the surface but never the end
of a track to see what type rock was sitting there.

One small meteorite was recovered in the Apollo
Program (Hadley Rill?).(Details anyone?) Didn't it
possess impact pockmarks?

As to mounting a mission to the moon to recover
meteorites, a meteorite not in situ from its parent
body may be a curiosity but is far less valuable
scientifically than an asteroid sample return mission.
I personally would accept either type mission if NASA
were willing to send me and bring me back. In fact I
have set up a paypal account for donations... for me
and my wife....Morgan....Morgan Fairchild -- yeah
that's the ticket...

I guess we'll have to wait and see for sure but
science suggests that substantial "pristine"
meteorites will be exceedingly rare on the moon.

Elton

--- Bob Evans <bobe5531_at_comcast.net> wrote:

> Can you imagine hunting meteorites on the moon?
> Crustless Diogenites, Eucrites, Howardites
> strewnabout everywhere.
Received on Fri 01 Sep 2006 01:51:32 AM PDT