[meteorite-list] A question for the scientists...Dr. Ed Olsen

From: Phil Whitmer <prairiecactus_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2010 21:12:38 -0400
Message-ID: <2572DF3A8B3F43E6B316E1DC19725E33_at_whitmerjbqtim1>

Alan: You should have gone to astronaut school!!!!!!!!!!!!:-)

I met Dr. Ed Olson a few times when he was Curator at the Field Museum. What
a great guy! My uncle (Terry Boswell) and I were searching for the Plymouth
meteorite when we paid him a visit to discuss a possible crater we may have
found. He took us into the storage area and showed us what I think was the
Plymouth main mass. A big iron meteorite with the end sawn off. He
encouraged our hunt by pointing out that the other end look like it had
detached from a larger mass. After showing us meteorites of every type and
description, he then pulled out a giant black slice of carbonaceous
chondrite and was going on about the amino acids, and how a such a common
type of asteroid could be so rarely found as earth as meteorites. He said:
"Look how friable this is", and to our shock and horror, snapped the slice
in half. He saw the look on our faces, then said: "Don't worry, we have
plenty more." To our relief, he opened a big drawer chock full of similar
slices. A very accessible fellow, who would spend hours with people off the
street that showed an interest in meteorites. I don't know of any major
museum today that would let Joe Blow from Kokomo handle their meteorites
like that.

Phil Whitmer
(50 miles from Kokomo)
Received on Sun 13 Jun 2010 09:12:38 PM PDT